Faltering Beirut port blast probe faces risk of new obstruction

A general view shows the grain silo damaged during the 2020 Beirut port explosion, in Beirut Lebanon January 17, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An investigation into the devastating 2020 explosion at Beirut port, which has struggled to make progress amid resistance from top politicians, may face a further obstruction to its work that could leave the probe in limbo by preventing any indictments.

Judge Tarek Bitar's investigation into the massive blast, which killed more than 215 people and deepened Lebanon's economic crisis, has been suspended repeatedly by lawsuits brought by senior politicians who he has sought to question.