As the war in Iran enters its sixth day, the Israeli military has warned residents in southern Beirut to evacuate as fresh strikes target Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
Lebanese Montrealers. many with loved ones in the region, are now watching developments with growing fears the conflict could pull the country further into the war.
“It’s weird to say, but we’re used to wars by now,” said Patrick Ahad.
“The other feeling that we all share is déjà vu,” said Caroline Codsi. “I mean, we’ve been through this so many times.”
Latest from Lebanon:
Ahad’s entire family is in Lebanon, half an hour north of Beirut in Jounieh. One of his brothers works in the capital.
The Lebanese Montrealer says his eyes have been glued to the TV ever since the fighting started.
“I definitely cancel a few meetings every day just to watch the news,” Ahad told CityNews. “So it does affect your mental health.”
He says the distance makes the uncertainty even harder.
“The real threat or the worry that we have is Israel taking part of Lebanon’s civilians dying, like innocent civilians dying.
“We’re very stressed about any collateral damage.”
The Israeli military threatened heavy bombardments in Beirut’s southern suburbs Thursday, issuing a blanket warning for residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes.
At least eight people were killed Thursday, according to Lebanese health officials.
“I wish we could stop talking about the resilience of the Lebanese people and start talking about something that is much more concrete in terms of finding solutions for this, what I call proxy war,” said Codsi, who is the founder and chief equity officer of Women in Governance.
The move comes days after Hezbollah fired several missiles from Lebanon towards Israel after the start of the war.
It’s the second time Israel has advanced on Lebanon’s southern border since 2024.
“South of Lebanon has always been a region of interest for Israel,” Codsi said.
For those with family in the region, the contrast between daily life in Montreal and the ongoing war is the most difficult aspect to process.
“My cousin always sends me videos of things he sees from his balcony, right?” Codsi said. “And so here I am getting ready to go to a concert and then I see this. So you’re obviously, well, as I said, you feel guilty.”
