Relatives of victims of the double explosion at the Beirut Port demonstrate in front of the Customs headquarters in Beirut on Jan. 19, 2026. (Credit: Claude Assaf/L'Orient Today)
Behind the smoke rising from burning tires, around 30 relatives of victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion demonstrated Monday morning in front of the Customs headquarters near the Beirut Port to protest the appointment of civil servant Gracia Azzi as the new director general of customs.Azzi is being prosecuted as part of the investigation into the explosion, along with other civil servants and officials accused of mismanaging the shipment of ammonium nitrate that caused the blast, and had been stored at the port for several years without proper safety measures.Several family members of the victims and activists gathered early in the morning outside Customs, setting tires on fire and holding photos of their loved ones as well as placards calling on the government to reverse its decision, our on-site correspondent reported. ...
Behind the smoke rising from burning tires, around 30 relatives of victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut Port explosion demonstrated Monday morning in front of the Customs headquarters near the Beirut Port to protest the appointment of civil servant Gracia Azzi as the new director general of customs.Azzi is being prosecuted as part of the investigation into the explosion, along with other civil servants and officials accused of mismanaging the shipment of ammonium nitrate that caused the blast, and had been stored at the port for several years without proper safety measures.Several family members of the victims and activists gathered early in the morning outside Customs, setting tires on fire and holding photos of their loved ones as well as placards calling on the government to reverse its decision, our on-site correspondent reported. ...
