French judges are set to arrive in Lebanon on Monday as part of the investigation into the deadly explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, a judicial source told AFP. On Aug. 4, 2020, one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.

According to the judicial source, who requested anonymity, "two French investigating judges are scheduled to arrive in Beirut" for a three-day visit. On Tuesday, they will meet with Tarek Bitar, the investigating judge at the Court of Justice in charge of the inquiry, and Lebanese judicial officials.

These magistrates are responsible for the French investigation, separate from Lebanon's, concerning the explosion "in which three French nationals were killed and dozens of others were injured," according to the source. The two parties will exchange "information useful to the progress of their respective investigations," she added. Judge Bitar "will receive the complete technical report prepared by the French experts who arrived the day after the explosion," she said. This exchange of information comes as the judge has so far been unable to access foreign investigation elements, due to his travel ban decreed by Ghassan Oueidat in January 2023 and his inability to send international letters rogatory.

3 technical reports

Soon after Aug. 4, the French judiciary presented three technical reports based notably on soil analysis and satellite images. According to an informed source, these images, however, did not prove useful to the investigation.

The explosion was caused by a fire in a warehouse at the port of Beirut, where tons of ammonium nitrate were stored without precaution, despite repeated warnings to the highest officials, who are accused of negligence.

An investigation was opened in Lebanon, but Bitar had to interrupt it in January 2023, facing hostility from much of the political class, particularly the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, as well as a series of lawsuits against him. He resumed his investigations in early 2025, questioning several former officials in this context, including ex-Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former Interior Minister Nohad Mashnouk.

The resumption of investigations coincided with the election of Joseph Aoun as head of state and the formation of a government led by reformer Nawaf Salam, both of whom pledged to respect judicial independence. It comes as Hezbollah's influence has waned, following an open war with Israel that ended on Nov. 27 with a cease-fire. Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal movement, criticize Judge Bitar's investigation, which they consider "politicized" since he launched prosecutions against several officials from Amal, including former ministers Ali Hassan Khalil and Ghazi Zeaiter.