Bitar Resumes Work at His Office after Monthlong Suspension

The lead judicial investigator into the Beirut port blast, Judge Tarek Bitar, resumed his work Wednesday at his office at the Justice Palace, the National News Agency said, following a monthlong suspension that was prompted by recusal requests.

The Court of Appeals had on Tuesday cleared for Bitar to resume his investigations, after dismissing a recusal request by ex-minister Youssef Fenianos.

Lebanon's investigation into the August 2020 explosion led by Bitar was suspended for the third time in early November because of a deluge of legal challenges filed by defendants.

Several officials have refused to be questioned amid calls by some groups, including Hizbullah, to have the judge removed, accusing him of bias.

Disagreements over the judge's work between rival political groups have paralyzed the government, which has not met since Oct. 12. Hizbullah and two allied groups have demanded that Bitar be replaced.

At least 216 people died in the port explosion, caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a warehouse for years, apparently with the knowledge of senior politicians and security officials who did nothing about it. The explosion also injured 6,000 people and destroyed parts of the city.

More than a year after the government launched a judicial investigation, nearly everything else remains unknown -- from who ordered the shipment to why officials ignored repeated warnings of danger.