‘I feel totally useless’: Anguish grows among Lebanese diaspora in France

They are more than 4,000 kilometres away from Lebanon but the conflict still hits close to home. 

Since clashes between Israel and Hezbollah (an Iran-aligned Shia militant and political group) began a year ago, more than 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon.

The thousands of Franco-Lebanese nationals who are watching the conflict from afar say they’re filled with anger and guilt.

Hundreds of them gathered in Paris and around other cities in France on Sunday with the main demand of an immediate ceasefire.

On Sunday, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell called for more pressure on both Israel and Hezbollah to reach an ceasefire agreement. 

Over the past few weeks, Israeli forces have carried out heavy air strikes targeting the capital Beirut and southern Lebanon.

One of these strikes reportedly caused Dr. Mayad Sleiman’s family home to become inhabitable, with its windows blown out.

The Franco-Lebanese doctor says he feels extreme guilt to be living safely in France.

“I feel completely useless and helpless,” he told Euronews via video call. Dr Sleiman’s family comes from the Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah bastion heavily targeted by Israel.

“I’m expecting bad news at any moment. I live to the rhythm of messages announcing the death of a friend and the death of a cousin, a childhood friend in the village, an acquaintance in Beirut, a colleague and so on… And that’s very, very difficult,” he said.

Dr Sleiman claims he has lost three cousins and up to seven acquaintances so far.

‘We’re glued to social media’

Many Franco-Lebanese nationals say they are glued to social media, trying to find out if their loved ones are safe from the bombing. 

That’s the case for Michel Ferrand, a lawyer based in Paris, who showed Euronews the numerous groups he follows on the messaging platform Telegram.

“We spend a lot of time checking the news, even if it doesn’t change the situation on the ground. It’s the best way for us to take the pressure off and make sure our loved ones haven’t suffered,” he told Euronews.

Although Ferrand has offered to help his mother move to France from Beirut, she has reportedly refused.

“It’s not even an option. As long as the roof over her head doesn’t collapse, she claims she’ll be much happier in Lebanon than here in France,” he explained.

Despite, the conflict many Franco-Lebanese nationals Euronews spoke to said moving back to France is not an option.

“My whole life is in Beirut. It’s not easy to leave, even when you’re Franco-Lebanese. My car is there, my job is there, my apartment is there. I’ll have to find a new job and accommodation if I come here,” said Lina Zakour, a dual-national based in Beirut.

She came to Paris for a business trip and plans to fly back to Lebanon at the end of the month.

“I wanted to make this business trip to France as planned. I said my prayers and told myself that I’ll go back to Beirut and everything will be in its place and everyone will still be there,” she told Euronews.

‘Abandoned by the West’

For Dr. Mayad Sleiman, the West’s lack of condemnation of Israel’s actions is only causing resentment among the Lebanese population.

“I feel like we’ve been completely abandoned by the West and by France. And this is one of the reasons why my family doesn’t want to leave Lebanon. Firstly, for reasons of pride and dignity. But above all, because they don’t want to hear any more about the West,” he explained.

An international aid conference for Lebanon held in Paris end of October raised a total of €930 million in pledges to help Lebanon.

According to the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, the conference collectively raised €740 million in humanitarian aid and €185 million for the Lebanese security forces.

Lebanon has gone through decades of turbulence – from multiple wars to a deep economic crisis and the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people.

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel is further contributing to the country’s political and financial instability, with many struggling to survive.

“Lebanese people are living through the umpteenth destruction of a country to which they are deeply attached. This destruction is unbearable. It’s all very well to say Lebanon is like the Phoenix rising from its ashes, but the ashes are a little too burnt by now,” said Michel Ferrand.