A delegation led by Ibrahim Hoteit (close to Hezbollah) from the Beirut port blast victims' families met Attorney General Jamal Hajjar on Thursday. They rejected any compromise with Judge Tarek Bitar, demanded his removal, and threatened street protests.

The double explosion at the Beirut port occurred on Aug. 4, 2020, caused by hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate illegally stored in a hangar in the port area, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,000. In the months following the tragedy, there was solidarity among the victims' families, before a division emerged into two groups: one supportive of Judge Bitar's actions and the other against, due to political and partisan interests.

After the meeting with the prosecutor, the committee distributed a leaflet in the halls of the Beirut justice palace attacking Judge Bitar's actions and those of the President of the High Judicial Council, Judge Souhail Abboud, accusing the judiciary of "conspiring against the blood of the martyrs." The committee also demanded that Judge Bitar be removed from the case, threatening to resort to the streets. "In that case, the judge would be responsible for potential bloodshed and new tensions," the leaflet read.

Several figures close to Hezbollah have been summoned by Judge Bitar and have so far refused to appear. After many months where his actions were paralyzed by repeated appeals, the judge resumed his interrogations several weeks ago and has heard from officials and employees linked to the port as well as former security officials, such as the former director of General Security, Abbas Ibrahim. He also interrogated former Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk last Friday and is scheduled to do the same with former Prime Minister Hassane Diab on Friday.