Israel continues its bombing campaign against Hezbollah, particularly on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon. Israel also launched ground operations against the Islamist movement in the south of the country on September 30.
The Lebanese news agency ANI reported more than 30 Israeli strikes overnight on the southern suburbs of the capital. Lebanese authorities said 23 people died in the explosions on Saturday and that the death toll does not include nighttime strikes.
Relatives of Marie-Anne Dayé, including her Lebanese father’s family, live in Beirut and its surroundings. “Every evening, from 11 p.m., I receive messages telling me that bombs are heard continuously throughout the night,” she mentioned in an interview with The Sun in front of the National Assembly, where a solidarity demonstration was held on Sunday.
“It is very difficult, especially for the people who have to live under the bombs, but also for us, the members of the Lebanese diaspora, who have to follow the conflict from thousands of kilometers. We feel helpless.”
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon over the past year, including more than a thousand since Israel launched massive strikes against Hezbollah on September 23.
Ms. Dayé says she is constantly stressed and has difficulty going about her daily life while members of her family are on the lookout for bombings. “We’re not sleeping well at the moment, we’re worried,” she says.
A gathering in Quebec
Marie Anne Dayé went to Lebanon a few times. She made her first visit there with her father in 2018. She then reported there in 2020 on the devastating explosions. Then, she returned there a year later to report on the impact of pollution.
“I saw the damage caused by the port explosion, the economic crisis, and now I see the disaster caused by the war, but from a distance this time.”
— Marie Anne Dayé, organizer of the rally in front of the National Assembly
She fears an escalation of the conflict which could plunge the country into chaos and which could also endanger Lebanese cultural heritage.
“We would like to be able to help, but we cannot stop the war by snapping our fingers, especially in Quebec. We therefore gathered in front of the National Assembly to discuss and encourage people to donate to organizations on the ground.”
She and her friend Jacques Fadous identified four trustworthy organizations on site. They refer people to Beit el Baraka, the Lebanese Red Cross, The Bake Atelier and Sawa for Development and Aid.
With information from AFP.
