France, Aug. 4 -- "The issuing of the indictment by the investigating judge has become a necessity that can no longer be delayed," Aoun said in a statement on Monday.

The massive Beirut port explosion on 4 August, 2020, killed more than 220 people, injured more that 6,500 and damaged swathes of the capital.

Lebanese authorities have said the explosion was triggered by a fire in a warehouse where tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser had been stored haphazardly for years, despite repeated warnings to senior officials. A map showing the scale of Beirut's port explosion that was felt across the region.

Nobody has been held accountable for the disaster, with victims and their families still demanding justice in a country long plagued by of...