BEIRUT—Lebanon saw its biggest anti-government protests in months this week as citizens marked one year since a massive explosion at Beirut’s port killed more than 200 people and heavily damaged parts of the city.
The explosion, caused by several tons of ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored at the port since 2014, brought the dysfunction of the Lebanese state and the unaccountability of its political class into sharp focus. Although a number of officials, including the president and prime minister, had been warned of the danger the explosives posed, efforts by prosecutors to charge anyone for the blast have foundered due to prosecution immunity enjoyed by current and former government ministers.
