Updated 17.52 | Published 17.48
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Swedes Fabi, 53, and Giorgio, 18, are both in the middle of the conflict in Lebanon.
Fabi wants to get home, but the opportunities are becoming fewer and fewer.
– I didn’t come here for vacation and to sunbathe. I came here to save my daughter and my wife, he says.
In recent weeks, bombs have fallen in several places across Lebanon.
Last night, Israel’s military announced that it had launched a “limited ground operation” in the country.
One who now feels worried is Fadi, 53. He actually lives in Borås but went down to Lebanon for the sake of his wife and daughter. Now he is in Tripoli, north of Beirut.
– I wanted to get them out of Lebanon. But I’m stuck here now too, he says and continues:
– I am worried, many are worried. There are many refugees from the south to the north. And now that Israel has come in, I’m worried about what will happen.
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full screen Swedish Fabi, 53.
He describes how it is full of refugees in Tripoli, they come from different parts of the country. Lebanon’s government has previously said that a million people have been forced to leave their homes and that tens of thousands are believed to have fled to Syria.
– There are more people than usual. And there is a shortage of apartments, there is a shortage of food. Problems with the power. It just gets worse and worse. The situation is not good. All schools have closed, says Fabi.
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full screen Devastation after building is hit. Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP
“Come here to save my daughter”
Many of those who came from Beirut have nowhere to live. He has some acquaintances who managed to get to Cyprus by boat. Others have gone to Syria and Jordan.
– I check almost every day if there are flights. I dare not go to the border with Syria. The other way is the boat from Tripoli. But there are no seats. I will be stuck if I don’t get help from the Swedish state, he says.
How do you see your own responsibility when you traveled there?
– I didn’t come here for vacation and to sunbathe. I came here to save my daughter and my wife. My daughter has a Swedish passport, my wife does not. Any father would have done the same thing. I can’t just leave my family. I try to give them protection.
He has tried to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But the embassy in Beirut has closed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a text message two months ago asking them to leave. Since then he has heard nothing.
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fullscreen Building caught fire after attack on the outskirts of Beirut on Tuesday. Photo: Hassan Ammar / AP
Living in Beirut: “Haven’t been able to sleep”
Giorgio, 18, has lived in Sweden. A large part of his family still lives. But now he is in the hard-hit capital Beirut. Above all, the southern parts such as Dahiyeh have been heavily exposed to robot attacks. Hezbollah is said to have its headquarters there.
– Right now it is calm, but during the night there have been many bombings, he says.
He couldn’t sleep because of all the banging.
– It feels scary, but we have experienced so much here that it has become normal.
During the night he learned that Israel had begun its operation in the country.
He lives in the western parts of the city, in Saifi. The Christian area of the city. He too has noticed that there are a lot of people due to refugee flows from the southern parts of the country.
– It is very difficult to move around in the city.
Usually he is in high school. But now all schools have closed. Instead, he stays at home mostly and keeps track of what is happening and how it all develops.
What awaits now?
– It is difficult to say. I want to see how everything develops. But you can’t move around that much.
Neither Fabi nor Giorgio wants to give their full names due to the security situation.
Aftonbladet has unsuccessfully applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.