WYNDHAM residents are among thousands of Australians desperately trying to get friends and loved ones home safely from the chaos of Lebanon.
Khaled El Houli, of Hoppers Crossing, said several relatives were stranded in his former homeland, including his brother Walid and Walid’s Altona North family.
“We speak to them every day, and he just wants to come home,” he said.
The family, including a two-year-old girl, is hoping to get passage out of the country soon.
“They are registered with the embassy but we don’t know how long it will take to get them home,” Mr El Houli said.
Mr El Houli’s wife, Nesren, said her family, who live in Beirut, had been forced to quit jobs and abandon homes to flee.
“They’ve given their will to God and are just waiting,” she said.
The El Houlis had planned a visit to Lebanon this Christmas, the first time in years.
“This was supposed to be our year, but now there’s no chance,” said Mrs El Houli.
The conflict has coincided with the Lebanese summer, a time when thousands of Lebanese Australians visit the country to see relatives and enjoy the country’s beautiful beaches.
“Nobody saw this coming,” said Mrs El Houli.
“Lebanon was more secure than it had been for a long time and people who were too afraid to go before, chose this year,” she said.
About 25,000 Australians were estimated to be in Lebanon as of late last week.
The Newport Mosque has become a focal point for prayers for the West’s Lebanese community.
Mohammed Hawli, a Newport Islamic Society committee member, said many members of the local community were from northern Lebanon, near Tripoli.
“We’re much more fortunate than some of the people stuck down in Beirut or southern Lebanon but there is a lot of anxiety about them getting out.”
Mr Hawli said it was heart-wrenching for local Lebanese people to see their homeland destroyed again, 15 years after a civil war ravaged the country.
“People are pretty frustrated that after years of rebuilding Lebanon, now, within one week, after one incident, the country is being ruined again – the infrastructure, the economy, the beauty of the place. It’s just really sad.”
