Crisis mood in Beirut: Brazilian caught between bombs and fear

Crisis mood in Beirut: Brazilian caught between bombs and fear

The Situation in Lebanon is dramatic and alarming. Cláudia Chater, a 60-year-old lawyer from Brazil, was just in Beirut when the tensions between Israel and the Shiite militia Hisbollah reached a dangerous climax on the 17th of this month. She had returned to visit her family, which she hadn't seen for seven years. But what was planned as a joyful return quickly turned into a nightmare when the explosions in the city increased. The bombing increased and the bomb, the Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hisbollah, killed only a few days after her arrival as a bad shock.

Cláudia, who lives in Brazil, had been optimistic that violence in the south of the country would remain concentrated, far from her destination in Aaoukar, a suburb of Beirut. But she noticed that the bombs came closer than she thought. "We see the smoke and hear the bombs. It is scary," she told Estadão.

The return is uncertain

With the increasing uncertainty, Cláudia flags the question: How do I get home? Their return trip, planned for October 29, was contested by the bombing, and the airport, once a gateway to freedom, was strongly at risk. Although the Brazilian embassy in Beirut acted in order to find possible departure paths, the current situation remained anything but promising. Cláudia had even considered taking the Mediterranean path to Greece, an idea that seemed riskily and challenging in view of the circumstances.

On Monday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced that the Brazilian government would organize a return flight to help the Brazilians in need. According to the Foreign Ministry, around 20,000 Brazilians live in Lebanon and many are in a precarious situation, unsure when or how they can leave.

The tense security situation at the airport and the lack of flights made the situation for Cláudia and the other people who were in a similar location. Finally she said: "It feels like we can't get out alone."

The experiences of another Brazilian

fátima Cheaitou, also a Brazilian Lebanese descent, seems to have suffered a similar fate. The 26-year-old has been in Lebanon since July and found himself in the dangerous situation when Israel announced a bombing of the same region on October 23. The family only got 15 minutes to leave their accommodation and experienced how explosions turned the surrounding area.

"It was terrifying. We knew that our neighbors had been hit," reported Fátima, who is known as an influencer with 70,000 followers on Instagram and documented her withdrawal to secure Beirut. The reality of the bombing was constantly present.

The escape to Beirut was a feat, vigor and determination were necessary to navigate through the chaos. Fátima explained that she had no way of contacting her family via the heavily impaired telephone connection, which also intensified uncertainty. The path lasted ten hours instead of the usual two, and again and again they heard the explosions in the background.

fled to the east, Fátima hoped to return to Paris, where she studied her master's degree in visual arts. She managed to leave Nasrallah on October 27 shortly after the fatal attack on Nasrallah. But the psychological stress remains, since the worries about their relatives, who have stayed in Lebanon, are always present.

"It is frustrating not to know what happens to my family. There is no more secure spot. The destruction has no end and I can't turn off my eyes," said Fátima.

The experiences of Cláudia and Fátima illustrate the precarious situation of those who are in a war zone and their return to a safe life in the home country in the stars. The explosions and constant uncertainty shape their future -oriented thoughts and make the unplanned adventure into a nightmare.