Expats and Britons with family in Lebanon said they were relieved by the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah but their fears of further violence remained.
Ahmed Hankir, 42, a professor in psychiatry, said his elderly parents were forcibly displaced to Beirut after the fighting escalated in September and that the couple planned to return home to south Lebanon now the 60-day ceasefire had commenced.
But Professor Hankir said his parents, who did not wish to be named, had faced significant risks including an Israeli strike on their area on Tuesday just hours before the ceasefire was announced.
We're relieved, of course, but there's always the concern that this is fragile, that there will be a violation of the terms of the ceasefire
He said his parents, who have been staying with their daughter in Hamra, central Beirut, were terrified by the attacks.
“When I gave them a video call yesterday, it was terrifying,” Professor Hankir, a visiting professor at Cardiff University who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, told the PA news agency.
“There was a building that they wanted to target specifically, which is only a few blocks away from where my parents were staying.
“They were praying to God that they don’t get killed.”
Professor Hankir said he was relieved but concerned that the ceasefire agreement could be “fragile” and feared for the long-term impact on the Lebanese people.
“We’re relieved, of course, but there’s always the concern that this is fragile, that there will be a violation of the terms of the ceasefire,” he said.
“There’s a ceasefire, OK, we’re immensely grateful for that, but now we need to recover and regenerate and rebuild and heal.”
If it holds, the ceasefire deal – which does not include Gaza – will bring an end to nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated in mid-September into all-out war.
Alan, a British national who moved from London to Lebanon in 2005 and did not wish to share his surname, said the ceasefire reinforced his decision to stay in the country.
The ceasefire brings a sense of relief and also reinforces my decision not to join the lemmings who abandoned ship
Currently living in Tripoli, the 77-year-old went against advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) urging British nationals to leave the country when fighting escalated in September.
“The ceasefire brings a sense of relief and also reinforces my decision not to join the lemmings who abandoned ship,” he told PA.
“It has been a bad time for those in the south of the country, and in other Shia (Hezbollah) areas like south Beirut and Baalbek.
“Here in the north, in Tripoli, there has not been any change, apart from apartment rentals soaring to over 1,000 dollars a month as refugees from bombed areas have arrived.”
But he added that coming into winter, the cold weather was making life difficult.
We are getting electricity two hours a day, occasionally four hours, so keeping warm is a challenge even in a house
“In the last week, temperatures have dropped from 20C to low single figures, making life difficult for anyone living under canvas, here or in Gaza,” he explained.
“We are getting electricity two hours a day, occasionally four hours, so keeping warm is a challenge even in a house.
“We do have local generators but with the economic situation, paying 0.60 dollars per kilowatt hour is a problem when you only earn around 400 dollars per month – I installed solar power three years ago so I am covered to some extent but not totally with the colder days.”
The initial two-month ceasefire requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border.
Israel has said it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah should it violate the terms of the deal.
