The stalled investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion is returning to the international spotlight, as France prepares to deepen its judicial cooperation with Lebanon on the deadly blast that killed more than 220 people and devastated swathes of the capital.

A French judicial delegation is scheduled to arrive in Beirut during the final week of April to meet with lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar and exchange findings from parallel probes, a judicial source familiar with the matter told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The source said two judges from the Paris investigative chamber will present Bitar with a detailed report on the French inquiry, which was launched days after the August 4, 2020 explosion due to the deaths of three French nationals and injuries to several others. The blast also caused significant material damage to French citizens residing in Lebanon.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, French judges last visited Beirut in early 2023 and requested access to documents from the Lebanese investigation. Bitar, however, declined their request, citing the legal suspension of his work due to the barrage of lawsuits filed against him. The refusal came just days before he issued a controversial legal interpretation asserting that Lebanon’s lead judicial investigator, as a member of the Judicial Council, cannot be dismissed or legally challenged.

The source said the French judges will deliver the findings of their investigation, including results from a forensic analysis conducted by French security and criminal evidence experts. The team had carried out a comprehensive survey of the blast site and collected physical samples to support their work.

While the French and Lebanese investigations will remain formally independent, the visit signals a revival of coordination between the two sides. Any indictments issued by either judiciary will not be binding on the other. However, the French judiciary is expected to prosecute those found culpable in the explosion—whether for negligence or for their roles in the shipment and long-term storage of ammonium nitrate at the port.

"The French side will build on the facts and evidence compiled by Judge Bitar, especially since the Lebanese investigation is broader in scope," the source said, noting that Bitar's probe involves a large number of defendants and witnesses, as well as technical reports from both Lebanese and international bodies, including a report from the FBI that was handed to former lead investigator Fadi Sawan two months after the blast.

The Lebanese investigation has also drawn renewed interest from other countries. According to the source, Lebanon has recently received official queries from Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia—countries that also lost citizens in the explosion. These governments are seeking updates on the probe’s progress, its likely duration, and the expected timeline for an indictment.

The source did not rule out the possibility that enhanced cooperation with France could lead to a broader investigation, potentially requiring Bitar to travel abroad to conduct interviews and gather evidence. However, this would require Lebanon’s judiciary to lift a travel ban imposed on him in 2023 by former Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidat.

“Bitar will not request the lifting of the travel ban himself, unless the Public Prosecutor’s Office chooses to do so voluntarily,” the source said.

Bitar is scheduled to hold a key investigative session on Friday, during which he will question two senior security officials: former General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim and former State Security director Tony Saliba.

Ibrahim was personally notified of the session through the Public Prosecutor’s Office, while Saliba—who is currently outside the country—was informed via his wife, the source added.

Following Friday’s hearing, Bitar is expected to summon other high-profile figures named in the case, including politicians and judges. Sources familiar with the investigation estimate that the next round of interrogations could last up to a month, marking the final phase of an inquiry that has dragged on for nearly five years.