‘I counted seven to eight bombs’ – Irish family trapped in Lebanon describe ‘complete chaos’, call for Government help

Munier Zabad (53), who fled Lebanon for Kilkenny during the war in 2006, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland the family had returned to Lebanon for his father's funeral. They were also celebrating his daughter Gadir's engagement party.

Mr Zabad, his daughter, his wife Ghada and their son Hassan (12) have now fled southern Lebanon for Beirut. After arriving there, Mr Zabad found out his uncle had been killed in the bombing.

"Looking above the mountain, I counted around seven to eight bombs," he said.

"Five or six in the morning, the bomb was flashing everywhere in front of my eyes. I woke my family, I woke my children, I had all my bags packed in my car.

"My neighbour said to me, 'it's nothing, don't rush, this is normal, they're just scaring people'."

After other people told Mr Zabad it was normal, the family went ahead with plans to travel to Nabatieh, a city in southern Lebanon.

"As soon as we arrived, we saw all the shops are closing, people are running. I said 'what's going on', they said 'Israel is bombing the city'.

"So we came to the car, we start to run. I just crossed the city, the bomb just came down. We saw cars are flying, buildings are falling down."

His 24-year-old daughter Gadir told RTÉ witnessing the bombing was an "overwhelming" experience.

"It was people just driving like crazy, people banging into each other trying to get away from the situation. There was accidents happening all over the place as well, people just driving really fast and trying to get away with their families.

"Ambulances were coming and going, and bombs as well. It was just complete chaos."

Ms Zabad said the family is now "relatively" safe in Beirut for now but there are fears of the bombing spreading to the capital city. She said she feared for her life "every second" of the journey.

She said she did not see any activity of the terrorist group Hezbollah on her travels and Israel is targeting civilians.

"Israel says a lot of things. They are not targeting Hezbollah, they are targeting innocent civilians who have absolutely nothing to do with Hezbollah and are just trying to live their lives."

She said the family are trying to return home to Ireland but she is unsure whether her fiancé will be allowed to travel with them, as he is not an Irish citizen.

"I'm calling on the Irish Government to help get my family and my fiancé out of Lebanon," she said.

"In 2006 my older brother and I, and my granny, we weren't Irish citizens and they helped us get to Ireland, so I'm hoping if that was a possibility then it would be a possibility now.

"My dilemma is if I leave, I will be leaving my fiancé behind. If I don't leave, any my dad probably won't leave me behind, I know he won't leave me behind, so I'll be putting my family in danger."

Munier Zabad previously spoke to the Irish Independent in 2006, aged 33, as he waited for his two children to be reunited with him after a terrifying ordeal in war-torn Lebanon.

He spoke as he was set to be reunited with with Gadier and Ali, aged five and seven respectively at the time, who managed to leave on a German boat bound for Cyprus.

As the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict raged, the children were granted emergency clearance to enter Ireland without visas.

"I just cannot wait to see them," said a relieved and emotional Munier at the time.

"I am so happy. (Their return) is the most wonderful news I have ever received."

They arrived in London aboard a flight from Nicosia after Irish embassy officials in Cyprus collected the children from the German boat when it docked.

The children were accompanied by their mother Rosaline (57).

For more than a week, the children and their grandmother had lived under the exterior stone steps of their home.

Munier had never seen his daughter as his former wife was pregnant with her when they divorced. He had planned to apply for a family unification visa enabling the children to remain with him in Kilkenny.