Beirut renames street to honor victims on port blast's fifth anniversary

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the devastating Beirut Port explosions, a segment of Charles Hélou Avenue near one of the port entrances was renamed “August 4 Victims Street” in a ceremony honoring those who lost their lives.

The renaming followed a request by the victims’ families and took place on Sunday, attended by key Lebanese officials and relatives of the deceased.

Read more: Lebanese President Aoun vows justice on fifth anniversary of Beirut Port explosion

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud, and family members of the victims participated in the event. Speaking at the ceremony, Salam emphasized the government’s commitment to justice, calling for an end to political interference in the investigation.

"We will not compromise on justice or truth," Salam declared. "No one is above the law in the Beirut port explosion case. We will not yield on this issue because truth is the foundation of justice."

He added, "There will be no justice until the full truth is revealed," reaffirming the government’s pledge to pursue accountability.

Earlier that day, Culture Minister Ghassan Salamé announced that the heavily damaged silos at Beirut Port, ravaged in the 2020 blast and subject to subsequent fires in 2022, were officially registered as historic monuments.

A roundtable discussion at the National Library in Sanayeh, organized with the Ministry of Social Affairs, addressed the ongoing repercussions of the disaster. At the event, Prime Minister Salam reiterated that "every person responsible will be held accountable."

In the lead-up to the anniversary, political, religious, and social leaders voiced strong demands for justice and condemned the persistent impunity surrounding the case.

The August 4, 2020 explosions killed 235 people, injured more than 7,000, and caused widespread destruction in Beirut. Despite the tragedy’s scale, no officials have been prosecuted to date, due in large part to political interference in the investigation led by Judge Tarek Bitar.

Commemorations marking the fifth anniversary are planned throughout Sunday and Monday, as Lebanon continues to grapple with the trauma of the blast and the quest for justice remains unresolved.