As conflict intensifies, Quebecers with family in Lebanon worry about loved ones

Sitting outside her apartment building in Montreal, Nassam Charara says the last weeks have become increasingly stressful.

She’s a Canadian citizen who grew up in Lebanon and moved to Canada four years ago to study.

“We are scared to go to sleep at night because we are afraid to wake up to news that a family member has died, or your house in your hometown has been exploded or neighbours have died,” she said.

Charara has been calling friends and family members in Lebanon to check in on them. That includes her parents who have evacuated their home, and are staying in Beirut.

“Everyone is trying their best to keep some sort of stability, but also be safe as much as possible,” she said.

The Canadian government has been warning Canadians in Lebanon to leave and to avoid travelling to the area as the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah has intensified.

“We need the war to end, the war in Gaza or, also at the border between Lebanon and Israel,” said Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs.

“We need a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages — a ceasefire also at the border between Lebanon and Israel.”

Global Affairs Canada said late Tuesday that it had been “informed of the deaths of two Canadian citizens.”

Few details were immediately available, including the timing of the deaths.

Israel continues to strike Lebanon

However, the prime minister of Israel isn’t showing signs of slowing down.

On Tuesday, Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to pound Hezbollah targets and urged Lebanese citizens to escape the grip of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

“Our war is not with you. Our war is with Hezbollah,” Netanyahu said at an army base at an undisclosed location after Israel’s military announced an airstrike on the Lebanese capital killed Ibrahim Kobeisi, the alleged commander of Hezbollah’s missiles and rocket force. 

Israel has accused Hezbollah of hiding its weapons in homes and villages in Lebanon, allegations the Lebanese group denies.

The Lebanese Health Ministry said at least six people were killed and 15 wounded in Tuesday’s strike on a building in the Ghobeiry neighbourhood of Beirut.

The ministry said at least 558 people had been killed in Monday’s strikes, including 50 children and 94 women, with 1,835 wounded.

After nearly a year of war against Hamas in Gaza on its southern border, Israel is shifting its focus to the north, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas.

Watching conflict worsen from afar

Back in Montreal, residents are worried as they watch the conflict worsen.

Joe Abou-Malhab just got back to Quebec from the Beirut area Monday night. He was there to celebrate his sister’s wedding.

“It definitely felt much more tense than usual,” he said. “People are scared. People are worried. Everyone is kind of waiting for that moment when all hell breaks loose.”

It was heartbreaking to be there for a month, and even more heartbreaking to leave, said Abou-Malhab. There were explosions while he was in Lebanon, leading to panic and hospitals flooded with victims, he said.

Last week, when pagers and then walkie-talkies exploded, he said people were scared to go to public places or be near each other “because you never know who might have these pagers or electronics.”

Montreal resident Rita Wakim Hage moved to Canada in 2021 with her daughter after three members of her family died from COVID-19.

She said she was seeking a better, safer life, but her husband and young son are still in Lebanon. She is hoping they will soon be able to immigrate to Canada as well. Her brother and two sisters are also there.

“I am very worried about them,” she said. “It’s a risk to get hurt at any time in Beirut with the airstrikes all the time, all day long for two days. It’s an ongoing conflict in Lebanon. The situation is very critical.”

She said she is stressed, filled with panic and anxiety, but there’s nothing she can do more than praying and getting in touch with her family every day, staying updated on everything that is happening.

While conflict is not uncommon in Lebanon, it feels like the current situation will only escalate, said Wakim Hage, who was raised during the country’s civil war. She hopes to finally see a resolution.

“I don’t want my children to live in war,” she said, but now her family fears that the situation will only get worse. “It’s not good.”