The destroyed silos in the port of Beirut, four years after the tragedy of Aug. 4, 2024. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The former director of State Security, General Tony Saliba, who was scheduled to be heard on Friday by the judge investigating the double explosion at the Beirut port on Aug. 4, 2020, Tarek Bitar, did not appear and will be heard again next Friday, according to a source at the courthouse contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour.
General Saliba was notified on Wednesday, but according to our information, he is abroad. The daily newspaper Al-Modon also reported that he traveled to Cyprus on March 16. Judge Bitar then set a new date and will hear him on Friday, April 11.
Moreover, Bitar heard seven witnesses on Friday, including officials, port employees and military personnel. These hearings aim to complete his investigation file.
Last March 28, Tarek Bitar had already heard seven other witnesses. The first phase of hearings, initiated on Feb. 7, concluded on March 14, with the interrogation of a former General Security officer. Bitar had previously questioned 14 people, including port officials, customs employees, General Security and army officers, as well as a manager of a maintenance and security company for hangar No. 12, where the ammonium nitrate that caused the disaster was stored.