Hezbollah Litigates Hariri's Brother over Beirut Blast Accusation

Hezbollah, a quasi-militant Lebanese party is litigating Bahaa, the estranged brother of, the  Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

Bahaa had accused the militant group of being responsible for the massive explosion at Beirut’s port earlier this year, a TV station reported Wednesday.

However, Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV gave no further details about the case filed against Bahaa.

The move came a week after Hezbollah revealed that it was suing former Christian lawmaker Fares Souaid and the website of the right-wing Lebanese Forces party for accusing Hezbollah of being responsible for the Aug. 4 blast that killed more than 200 people and wounded thousands.

The mega explosion left devastating consequences on the metropolis of the Lebanese capital.

Hezbollah legislator Ibrahim Mussawi, who filed the case against Souaid and the website, told reporters last week that he also plans to press charges against Bahaa, who is a harsh Hezbollah critic living in exile.

The massive blast in August was caused by nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrates, a fertilizer improperly stored at a port warehouse for six years.

Since the blast, some of Hezbollah’s opponents and others have accused the Shi'ite group of storing explosive chemicals at the port.

After Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war ended, Hezbollah was the only group allowed to keep its weapons as it was fighting Israeli forces that occupied parts of southern Lebanon.

However, Hezbollah has dismissed the accusation as no evidence has emerged to link the group to the explosive chemicals.

An investigation has yet to provide an explanation for what happened — or hold any senior official responsible.

Families of the victims have asked for an international probe, in a country where violent attacks and assassinations are rarely brought to justice.

Lebanon’s port authority, security agencies, and political leadership were all aware of the stored explosive chemicals at the port, documents have shown.

Beirut's port is one of the country’s facilities where rampant corruption has been reported.