Caretaker Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, issued the following statement:

“A year has passed since that earthquake that struck Beirut and all of Lebanon.

On August 4, one of corruption backlogs exploded, leaving devastating effects on all levels: martyrs were lost, thousands were injured, homes and institutions were destroyed… The blast has left deep scars in the spirits and conscience of the country.

A year has passed, but the marks are still glaring; the pain is still heart-rending, and the burning hearts of the families of the martyrs and the wounded have not cooled down.

August 4 blast has revealed the faults of the country. The corruption that eats Lebanon away has been partly exposed, and the features of the deep state, the state of corruption, have emerged, showing that Hangar 12 summarizes the Lebanese reality, which is based on converging elements of deeply entrenched corruption that the country surrendered to.

There will be no real justice in Lebanon until justice is rendered in the Beirut port blast.

The Lebanese cannot feel safe unless the full facts of this catastrophe, whose humanitarian, psychosocial, and devastating effects have left their marks on the capital and its surroundings, are revealed.

The full facts of the disaster cannot be revealed if the following fundamental questions remain unanswered: Who came up with these materials and why? How come and why were they left at the port for 7 years? How did the explosion occur?

For a full year, the wound of the nation did not cool; the tears of the bereaved and the families of martyrs are far from dry; the pain of the wounded did not stop, and the effects of the destruction still bear witness to the disaster.

How can one ask all these people to stop whining, while their hearts are overwhelmed with injustice and irreparable losses?!

How can a human and patriotic conscience exploit the grief of a mother and the tears of a father and parent, for political or personal ends?!

Achieving justice begins with revealing the truth, holding those responsible for that disaster accountable, protecting the blood of the martyrs and healing the wounds of the injured and those affected by the tragedy.

Lebanon is going through a very dangerous stage that threatens its fate and the future of its children; thus, everyone must realize that true justice is the cornerstone that prevents Lebanon from falling.

May God have mercy on the martyrs of Lebanon who fell in the Beirut disaster.

May God help the injured overcome the wounds that have scarred their lives.

God bless Lebanon!

God bless the Lebanese!”.