The judge investigating Beirut’s massive 2020 port blast, Tarek Bitar, decided to release five people who had been detained for more than two years. They include former customs chief Shafeek Merhi; Sami Hussein, the head of port’s operations at the time of the blast, and a Syrian worker. Twelve people will remain in custody, including the head of the port authority and the head of the Lebanese customs at the time of the blast.

The move by Bitar to order the release of some of the 17 people who have been held since shortly after the blast came days after protests by family members in Beirut demanding all 17 be set free.

Hussein Khalil, the political advisor of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has told reporters that Judge Tarek Bitar's investigation was a "black stain" on Lebanese justice.

Lead investigator into the Beirut port blast Judge Tarek Bitar had resumed work Monday, over a year after political pressure brought the investigation to a halt.

The Lebanese judge probing the devastating 2020 blast in Beirut port has resumed work, over a year after political pressure brought the investigation to a halt.

Here are some key facts about the blast and its aftermath.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday noted that the caretaker cabinet “will certainly convene to tackle urgent issues.”

The public prosecution will deal with Judge Tarek Bitar’s decision to resume investigations into the Beirut port blast as being “inexistent,” and accordingly it will not implement release or prosecution orders, MTV reported.

Caretaker Justice Minister Henri Khoury meanwhile issued a statement noting that he learned of the decision from the media.

The lead investigator into the catastrophic Beirut port explosion, Judge Tarek Bitar, resumed his probe on Monday, a judicial source and TV networks said, after a 13-month suspension due to political pressure.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat discussed in his recent meeting with Hezbollah the possibility of “agreeing on a candidate who would not represent a provocation to Hezbollah” and who would rather “reassure” it, senior PSP sources said.

A Hezbollah delegation comprising secretary-general’s aide Hussein Khalil and Coordination and Liaison Officer Wafiq Safa met Monday with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil in Sin el-Fil's Mirna Chalouhi area, media reports said.

Hezbollah will try for a last time to convince Bassil with its presidential candidate al-Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh, al-Jadeed said, adding that Hezbollah had previously informed Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat that Franjieh is the only candidate trusted by Hezbollah.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri is not bothered by an open-ended sit-in inside parliament, sources close to the speaker told al-Joumhouria newspaper.

In remarks published Monday, the sources quoted Berri as saying that he does not consider the sit-in as a confrontation but rather a "right."

Unknown assailants hurled a stun grenade at LBCI's building in Adma on Sunday evening, causing material damage, the TV network said.