Lebanese expats cut short their visits home for fear of war

DW (English)

Foreign nationals have been warned to leave Lebanon as tensions with Israel rise. But Lebanese expats visiting family in Lebanon are also cutting their holidays short.

Transcript

00:00A long-awaited reunion is about to end.

00:04The usual morning coffee ritual is not cheerful today.

00:09The Khayat family had big plans for their stay in Lebanon.

00:13They came from Dubai to spend their vacation with their in-laws in Beirut.

00:19But due to the growing tension in Lebanon,

00:22the family had to cut their vacation in half and book the earliest flight out.

00:28This is my first vacation in two years.

00:32I chose to spend it in Lebanon with my family and my friends,

00:35but it's getting more and more tense and I'm worried that I may get stuck here.

00:39I had a similar experience in the 2006 war,

00:42and I don't want to go through this again,

00:44so I've put my vacation on hold and I'm going back to Dubai.

00:49Everyone remembers the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon.

00:54Israeli warplanes bombed Beirut's only airport on the very first day.

00:59Tens of thousands were stranded in Beirut.

01:03Ziad cannot afford to lose his job.

01:08We booked at the last minute, but we couldn't find a direct flight to Dubai.

01:13We have three stops before our final destination,

01:16and it costs triple the regular price.

01:19One last selfie.

01:21One extra tight hug.

01:23And a grudging goodbye.

01:29The ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah

01:34pushed diplomatic missions to urge their citizens to get out of Lebanon.

01:39Airlines were already cancelling flights to and from Beirut,

01:43leading to a scramble for tickets.

01:47Because of the security concerns,

01:50the Italian embassy announced we had to leave early.

01:53This is the third flight that I'm taking,

01:56because two other flights were cancelled earlier.

02:00I live in Lebanon.

02:02The situation is so tense and stressful.

02:05We don't know what will happen.

02:07We're trying to escape, but we didn't know where to go.

02:12We were looking for tickets, but everything was fully booked.

02:15We just found a ticket by chance,

02:18and we are staying away until the situation settles and we can come back.

02:27The Hayats want to come back too,

02:29but until tensions between Israel and Lebanon die down,

02:32it's simply too risky.

02:34They only hope it will not be another two years

02:37before they can see their family and friends again.

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