Lebanese expats appalled by violence gripping Beirut

Abu Dhabi/Dubai: Grim, disappointing and appalling is how Lebanese expatriates describe the political unrest that has gripped their country.

With flights to Beirut cancelled, Lebanese in the UAE said they have put travel and family reunion plans on hold, as they pray for the safety and security of their loved ones back home.

The majority of the people who spoke to Gulf News preferred not to give their full names.

"I did not sleep last night. Images of guns being pointed at civilians is quite appalling," said Tarek Sabbagh a Lebanese regional sales manager who has lived in the UAE for five years.

"My family are located close to an area where Hezbollah has taken siege," he added.

The scenes of gunmen walking the streets of Beirut, gunfire, civilians running to take cover, a father running with his young son in his arms, television and newspaper offices being shut down, have brought back bitter memories of the civil war that ripped the country from 1975 to 1990.

According to Lebanese expatriates, history is repeating itself in Lebanon. All they can think about now is how to get their family members out of Lebanon if the situation escalates.

"Lebanon is a democratic country and today it is being held by terrorists at gunpoint. Things became critical after the fiery speech of Hezbollah chief Shaikh Hassan Nasrallah. Through his speech he declared war. In my opinion, those who use weapons on innocent civilians are nothing less than terrorists," said Sabbagh who also believes that the current situation was masterminded a long time ago.

Threats

"This was pre-planned by Nasrallah who is pro-Iranian and pro-Syrian ... Even freedom of speech is being curtailed. They have burned down newspaper offices and television channels have gone off the air following threats from Hezbollah."

W.B., a 31-year-old businessman, said the political parties with their vested interests have taken the country back ten years.

"We are trying to build a Lebanon which believes in secularism and a harmonious coexistence but certain vested interests are bent on dismantling all of it. We could not sleep the whole night wondering what was going to happen next," said W.B. who has a family back home. "Hezbollah has turned their weapons on the very people they once protected against the Israelis. Today they want to take control of Lebanon. It is ironic," he added.

A.K., a businessman who left Beirut in the seventies to settle down in the UAE, was planning to spend his retirement in his own country. "The problem is bigger than I thought. Now I will settle down in turmoil. I pray for peace to prevail."

Housewife Nadia Jada said she had planned to go to Beirut this summer to visit her parents. "I cannot risk my children's lives if violence escalates," she said.

Key facts: Lebanese expatriates

In turmoil