What to do if war breaks out in Lebanon has become a dominant topic in the home of Isaías Teixeira, a 24-year-old pilot and the few Portuguese residents on Lebanese territory, since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
‘One day we want to leave [do Líbano]In the other we have the feeling that nothing will happen, but if something does happen, we may regret it’, Isaías, son of a Portuguese father and Lebanese mother, says to Lusa. “It’s a state of mixed emotions.”
Isaiah and his parents live in the mountains east of Beirut, in Mansourieh. Although they believe that there is ‘no risk of bombing’ in that city, the family still remembers the last war between Hezbollah and Israel, in 2006.
“When the 2006 war started, after a week or two, [Israel] started bombing Beirut, the embassy called us to evacuate and we were removed by warships of the Italian Navy”says Isaiah.
The family, who also have a house in Alenquer, are “evaluating” whether to stay in Lebanon or not. One of the factors is the house in Mansourieh that they do not want to leave behind.
“I would love to move to Portugal, [mas] Some people say different because we grew up here”says Isaiah.
The Portuguese Embassy in Cyprus is monitoring and supporting the situation of about thirty Portuguese in Lebanon, but has not yet made any evacuation recommendations.
“We participated [na segunda-feira] in a consular coordination meeting with colleagues from other Member States of the European Union and other countries”the embassy said in a message sent via WhatsApp to the Portuguese in Lebanon.
According to the same source, no European embassy has so far reduced its workforce or initiated the evacuation of its citizens.
The Portuguese diplomatic representation has also been informed “that the southern border area remains particularly sensitive and volatile”but has no knowledge of Portuguese in the area.
On Wednesday, the US Embassy advised its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, while those living there also left. The message was sent to Americans in the country after violent protests outside the embassy against the bombing of Gaza’s Al-Ahli hospital. More protests are planned outside the building on Wednesday afternoon.
Other diplomatic missions, such as those of Canada and Australia, had also advised their citizens to leave Lebanon “while commercial flights are still available.”
Lufthansa and Swiss airlines have canceled all their flights to and from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri Airport until the end of the month. Lebanese national carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) announced this week that it will transfer five of its 24 aircraft to Istanbul as a precaution.
The MEA did the same during the 2006 war, when Israel bombed and destroyed Beirut’s only airport, the only one in the country.
Leopoldina Hamade, 83 years old, has lived with her husband for 57 years in Lebanon, in the Chouf Mountains, which is also considered a safe zone.
The Portuguese woman tells Lusa that she has no plans to leave for the time being due to her husband’s health situation.
The couple’s children, a doctor and a computer scientist who live in the United States, “are very worried because they don’t know what will happen next,” Leopoldina said.
“Of course we are concerned about the situation and we are following everything that happens step by step, especially because Lebanon is always the scapegoat”says Lusa Leopoldina Hamade.
“I have been through wars and once we went through the mountains at night to catch the plane to Portugal”, says Leopoldina. “What is needed is never to lose faith.”
Source: DN
