On the fifth anniversary of the devastating explosion at the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020, the European Union and its Member States have reiterated their solidarity with the families of the victims and with those whose lives, homes, and livelihoods were tragically impacted by the explosion.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement on Monday that "despite the resumption of the investigation" into the 2020 Beirut port blast, "the road to justice remains littered with political and legal challenges."

The statement marks the fifth anniversary of the devastating explosion, which killed more than 220 people and wounded over 6,000 others.

U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Monday said progress in the port blast case is “both necessary and long overdue.”

George Bezdjian remembers searching for his daughter, Jessica, after a massive explosion at Beirut's port five years ago. He found her at the St. Georges Hospital where she worked as a nurse.

The hospital was in the path of the blast and was heavily damaged. He found his daughter lying on the floor as her colleagues tried to revive her. They weren't able to save her. She was one of four medical staff killed there.

President Joseph Aoun on Monday vowed that "justice is coming," five years after a catastrophic explosion at Beirut's port for which nobody has been held to account.

The blast on August 4, 2020 was one of the world's largest non-nuclear explosions, devastating swathes of the Lebanese capital, killing more than 220 people and injuring over 6,500.

The Lebanese Presidency has told Hezbollah that cooperation with the state is its only option, ahead of Tuesday’s crucial cabinet session on its weapons, Lebanese sources said.

The call for Tuesday’s crucial cabinet on Hezbollah’s arms “was not preceded by any agreement, seeing as contacts intensified after PM Nawaf Salam declared the date,” political sources said.

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil considered, amid domestic and American pressure to disarm Hezbollah, that it is time for the group to admit that its arms have become a burden to Lebanon.

"I call on Hezbollah to act responsibly and to admit that these arms have become a burden," Bassil said in an interview Thursday with Lebanese TV channel MTV, also urging the group to do some "serious thinking" and "not to buy time."

Morgan Ortagus will return to being the U.S. special envoy to Lebanon and Tom Barrack is no longer in charge of the Lebanese file, Lebanese TV networks reported on Friday.

Ahead of Lebanese Army Day on August 1, the UK Chargé D’Affaires Victoria Dunne, accompanied by UK Defense Attaché Lt. Col. Charles Smith, inaugurated a new military accommodation facility in Hamat on Thursday, July 31.

The building, funded by the UK Ministry of Defense, will support UK personnel to deliver a variety of training and support to various Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) units. This includes leadership development for junior officers and infantry skills courses, including for female LAF personnel.