Five Years After August 4th: We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
Five Years After August 4th: We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
August 4, 2025 – A Message from CIS Security
Five years ago today, at 6:08 PM, Beirut changed forever. In the span of seconds, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate transformed our vibrant capital into a war zone. The explosion at the Port of Beirut claimed 218 lives, wounded over 7,000, and left 300,000 of our fellow Lebanese homeless.
Among the injured were ten of our own CIS Security guards – men who were simply doing their duty, standing at their posts, protecting the properties and people entrusted to their care. Our offices, built over decades of hard work, vanished in an instant. But our losses pale in comparison to the ultimate price paid by the 218 souls who never made it home that day.
Today, as we mark this painful anniversary, CIS Security reaffirms our commitment to protecting Lebanese lives – a commitment made even stronger by the failures that led to August 4th and the absence of justice that followed.
We Stand Guard for Those We Lost Our Guards, Our Heroes
On August 4, 2020, our security guards were stationed across Beirut, as they are every day and night. They weren’t soldiers in a war zone or police officers confronting criminals. They were professional security personnel protecting offices, residences, and facilities – ordinary men doing extraordinary work to keep others safe.
When the explosion hit, they didn’t abandon their posts. Even as windows shattered and buildings shook, our guards’ first instinct was to protect others. Ten were injured in the line of duty, their blood spilled not in combat but in service to a city that deserved better from its leaders.
These men represent the best of Lebanon – dedication in the face of danger, professionalism despite adversity, loyalty even when the state itself fails its people. Their sacrifice reminds us why we do this work: because Lebanese lives matter, even when our government acts as if they don’t.
A Personal Testimony : We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
As the owner of CIS Security, I nearly lost everything that day – my life, my family, my business. By God’s grace, my family survived, though we carry scars both visible and invisible. Watching our offices crumble, seeing our guards injured, knowing that across our city families were being torn apart – these images are burned into memory.
But from this destruction came clarity. If the state wouldn’t protect Lebanese citizens, we in the private security sector must fill that void. If official institutions prioritize politics over people, we must prioritize people over profit. If justice is denied through official channels, we must at least ensure such preventable tragedies never happen on our watch.
This isn’t just business for us – it’s personal. Every guard we deploy, every site we secure, every safety protocol we implement is informed by August 4th. We cannot bring back the 218, but we can honor their memory by ensuring those under our protection remain safe.
The Security Landscape: Five Years Later
The Beirut port explosion exposed fundamental truths about security in Lebanon:
The State Has Abdicated Its Responsibility
When 2,750 tons of explosive material can sit in the heart of our capital for six years despite repeated warnings, the social contract between state and citizen is broken. Citizens cannot rely on government institutions for basic safety.
Private Security Must Fill the Gap
Companies like CIS Security increasingly provide the protection that should come from the state. We’ve evolved from supplementing official security to replacing it in many contexts. This responsibility weighs heavily on us.
Community Trust Is Everything
After August 4th, Lebanese citizens lost faith in institutions but not in each other. The massive volunteer response, the solidarity among survivors, the community-led rebuilding efforts – these showed that Lebanese civil society remains strong even as the state crumbles.
Accountability Remains Essential
Five years without justice isn’t just a legal failure – it’s a security crisis. When mass casualties produce no consequences, every Lebanese remains at risk from the next preventable disaster.
Our Ongoing Commitment
In response to August 4th and its aftermath, CIS Security has strengthened our commitment to Lebanese safety:
Enhanced Training Programs
Every CIS guard now receives additional training on identifying and responding to hazardous materials risks. We cannot assume authorities will handle such threats – our guards must be prepared to identify and escalate dangers.
Community Safety Initiatives
We’ve expanded our free security assessments for residential buildings and community organizations. If the state won’t protect vulnerable Lebanese, we’ll help communities protect themselves.
Emergency Response Protocols
August 4th taught us that catastrophe can strike without warning. Our rapid response capabilities have been enhanced, with guards trained not just in security but in disaster response and first aid.
Transparency and Accountability
Unlike state institutions, we maintain transparent communication with our clients and communities. When we identify risks, we act. When incidents occur, we report honestly. Trust is earned through transparency.
Remembering the 218
Today, we pause to remember each of the 218 lives lost:
- The port workers who died at their posts
- The residents who were simply at home
- The people driving past the port
- The emergency responders who rushed to help
- Children playing in their homes
- Parents preparing dinner
- Young people out for evening walks
- Elderly residents in their apartments
Each had dreams, families, futures stolen in an instant. They weren’t casualties of war or natural disaster but of criminal negligence and systemic failure. Their deaths were preventable, making our grief sharper and our anger justified.
The Failure of Justice
Five years later, not a single senior official has been held accountable. The investigation has been systematically obstructed, with political interference preventing even basic fact-finding. International efforts to ensure accountability have been blocked. Evidence has been suppressed, witnesses intimidated, and judges removed.
This isn’t just about the past – it’s about our future. When mass casualties produce no accountability, when criminal negligence goes unpunished, when political protection trumps public safety, every Lebanese life remains at risk. The same system that allowed August 4th to happen remains in place, unchanged and unrepentant.
We won’t forgive because forgiveness requires repentance, and those responsible show none. We won’t forget because memory is the only justice available when official channels fail. And we won’t stop demanding accountability because the 218 deserve better than silence.
Supporting Survivors
Beyond remembering the dead, we must support the living. Thousands still bear physical and psychological scars from August 4th. Many lost homes, businesses, livelihoods. The trauma extends far beyond the blast radius, touching every Lebanese who realizes their government’s negligence could kill them too.
CIS Security has committed to:
- Providing free security consultations for blast survivors
- Offering employment opportunities to those who lost livelihoods
- Supporting community organizations helping affected families
- Maintaining mental health resources for our guards dealing with trauma
Recovery isn’t just about rebuilding buildings – it’s about rebuilding trust, community, and hope.
Lessons for the Security Sector
For security professionals across Lebanon, August 4th carries crucial lessons:
Never Assume Official Competence
We cannot rely on state institutions to identify or mitigate threats. Private security must maintain independent threat assessment capabilities.
Community Intelligence Matters
The port workers who knew about the ammonium nitrate, the customs officials who wrote warnings – local knowledge existed but was ignored. We must build networks that ensure such intelligence reaches those who will act.
Prepare for the Unthinkable
August 4th seemed impossible until it happened. Our emergency planning must account for catastrophic scenarios, including failures of the state itself.
People Over Politics
In a polarized society, security must remain apolitical. Our duty is to protect all Lebanese, regardless of sect, party, or position.
A Message to Our Guards
To every CIS Security guard standing post today: You carry the legacy of your injured colleagues. Your vigilance honors the 218 who died. Your professionalism proves that Lebanon still has those who put duty above danger.
We know the risks you face have only increased. Economic collapse means more desperation, political paralysis means less official support, and social breakdown means greater threats. Yet you stand guard, protecting others as the state failed to protect us on August 4th.
Your service matters. Every safe delivery, every secured building, every prevented incident proves that Lebanese can protect Lebanese even when our institutions fail us. You are the thin line between order and chaos, the guardians who ensure August 4th’s failures aren’t repeated on your watch.
Looking Forward: Building a Safer Lebanon
Five years after August 4th, we face a choice: succumb to despair or build alternatives to failed systems. At CIS Security, we choose to build. This means:
Investing in Our People
Expanding training, improving equipment, ensuring our guards have the tools and knowledge to protect others effectively.
Strengthening Community Partnerships
Security isn’t just about guards at gates – it’s about communities working together. We’re deepening partnerships with resident committees, business associations, and civil society organizations.
Advocating for Change
While providing security services, we also advocate for the systemic changes Lebanon needs. This includes supporting calls for accountability, backing judicial independence, and demanding transparency in security matters.
Preparing for the Future
Lebanon’s challenges will likely worsen before they improve. We’re preparing for increased social tensions, economic hardship, and potential security vacuums. Our guards will be ready.
Our Promise – We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
On this fifth anniversary of August 4th, CIS Security makes this promise:
To the 218 who died: We will not forget you. Your memory drives our commitment to preventing future tragedies.
To the survivors: We stand with you. Your pain is our pain, your demand for justice is our demand.
To our injured guards: Your sacrifice will not be forgotten. You embody the courage and dedication that defines CIS Security.
To all Lebanese: While we cannot promise that your government will protect you, we promise that CIS Security will do everything in our power to keep you safe.
Because Your Safety Isn’t Optional – We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
Our company motto – “Because Your Safety Isn’t Optional” – took on new meaning after August 4th. In a country where the state treats citizen safety as optional, where criminal negligence goes unpunished, where political convenience trumps public protection, we must be different.
Every day, CIS Security guards stand watch across Lebanon. They protect your homes while you sleep, secure your offices while you work, safeguard your children’s schools, and guard the hospitals where you seek healing. They do this not because the state requires it, but because Lebanese deserve protection even when their government fails them.
Five years after August 4th, justice remains denied, but hope is not lost. It lives in every guard who reports for duty, every community that organizes for safety, every Lebanese who refuses to accept that preventable tragedies are inevitable.
Today, we mourn the 218. We demand justice for their families. We support the survivors still healing. And we recommit to our mission: ensuring such preventable tragedy never happens on our watch.
We won’t forgive. We won’t forget. And we won’t stop protecting Lebanese lives – because your safety isn’t optional, even when your government acts like it is.
CIS Security continues to provide professional security services across Lebanon. For security consultations or to join our team, contact us at +961-3-539900 or visit cissecurity.net
Because Your Safety Isn’t Optional We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
Because Your Safety Isn’t Optional We Stand Guard for Those We Lost
