August 4th, 2021 marked the one-year anniversary of the horrific blast at the port of Beirut. One of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, the detonation of tons of ammonium nitrate killed 218 people, wounded 7,000 (including 1,000 children), and displaced more than 300,000. According to a report by the Human Rights Watch, the UN Development Program estimated that it will cost over $100 million to remediate the environmental damage from the explosion, which generated tons of hazardous waste likely to contaminate soil, water and air. In the aftermath of this horrific event, rays of hope and shadows of corruption vie with each other in the already tense atmosphere of Lebanon.
This year, an anniversary Mass was held in Beirut for friends and families of blast victims. Reports of the event convey the sense that those who died are viewed as more than casualties of a terrible accident. According to Catholic New Service, one man holding a photograph of his mother said: “I came to commemorate my mom and all the people who died in the blast, and all the wounded — they are living martyrs — and all the people who lost their homes.” Why “living martyrs,” and not simply unfortunate loved ones? The choice of words points to suspicions about the true explanation for the blast.
The fact that the explosion was an “accident” does not negate the very strong evidence that it was a highly preventable one, and that corruption and gross mismanagement of the port directly led to the tragedy. What exactly happened and who is to blame has been the subject of benighted investigations, both internal and international. A few facts do seem to be agreed upon. The ammonium nitrate that exploded was brought into the port of Beirut aboard the cargo ship Rhosus in 2013 and in 2014 offloaded into a hangar. The clarity ends there. Among the vexing details are one noted by an October 2020 FBI report the amount of ammonium nitrate still in storage at the time of the explosion was a mere one-fifth of the more than 2,000 tons offloaded and taken into custody by Lebanese authorities in 2013. The fate of the remaining ammonium nitrate is unknown. One theory suggests that the explosives were syphoned off for use by the regime forces of Syrian president Assad, with Assad’s ally Hezbollah moving the ammonium nitrate into Syria over the years. It has also been theorized that an Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons cache adjacent to the hanger containing ammonium nitrate unintentionally set off the deadly blast. This explanation, however, is at odds with Israeli denial of involvement, as well as lack of detection by Lebanon radar surveillance of any military aircraft over the relevant airspace when the event occurred.
Although it is unclear what happened to the explosives once they were offload, current evidence strongly indicates that certain Lebanese authorities were criminally negligent in their handling and storage of the hazardous cargo. These authorities, purportedly ranging from the President to port officials, were informed of the high risks associated with storing ammonium nitrate, but failed to take the necessary precautions against a domestic disaster. Officials allowed the ammonium nitrate to be cached alongside other potentially explosive and flammable substances under minimum security conditions for nearly six years, never establishing an emergency response plan in the case of a port fire and directly contravening international guidance on the safe handling of the hazardous substance
One year later, as rampant COVID-19 and runaway inflation rack the nation, citizens of Lebanon are still waiting for answers regarding what really happened that fateful evening in August last year. Frustrated with the opacity of their own government’s role in the tragedy, many view lost loved ones as victims of corruption more than anything else. At the same time, there is a sense that those lost died on the altar of their country’s future. One 27-year-old woman, whose husband was taken from her by the blast only one month after their marriage, told Catholic News Service at the August 4th outdoor Mass: “The Mass is important because it’s happening where the heroes died. We don’t want the blood of our heroes to go in vain. Because of their blood we will make a new Lebanon.”
How exactly their blood will nourish an improved administrative and judicial system in Lebanon is unclear. It can only be hoped that the strength of resilient Lebanese will help steer their country into more positive channels. Latent discontent with the Hezbollah monolith has erupted in the wake of Beirut’s disaster last year, causing many commentators to speculate about what will fill the vacuum left by destabilization. In the meantime, those Lebanese who lost their life in last year’s disaster remain the martyrs of uncertainty.
PHOTO Credit: Mahdi Shojaeian, Mehr News Agency
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