Hundreds gather to mark five years since Beirut blast, but justice still elusive

5/8/2025 2:09

Hundreds of Lebanese gathered solemnly near Beirut's coast on Monday to commemorate a half-decade since the cataclysmic port blast of 2020, when more than 200 people were killed in one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.



Carrying Lebanese flags and portraits of some of the victims, many of those standing said they felt deeply disappointed that no one has been held to account for the devastating explosion.



"Can someone tell me why five years on we're still standing here? If everyone stands with this cause, then who's against us?” said William Noun, whose brother Joseph, a firefighter, was killed by the blast.



"This file needs to close. It's been five years and we don't want to have a sixth," Noun said from a stage set up near the port.



The blast destroyed large swathes of Beirut, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless.