A mum-to-be who has fled a war-struck Lebanon told how she hid in terror in a bathroom as explosions went off.
Alaa Ghalayini moved to Beirut in August last year to be with her husband. Originally from North London, the 28-year-old was forced to leave her husband behind and flee the country on a packed flight as Israel launched strikes on the country in its war on Hezbollah.
She spoke out after arriving at Heathrow on Sunday from a Middle East Airlines flight, saying she was marred with guilt for leaving behind her husband, and was struggling to sleep. The Brit, who is two months pregnant, said she was also hearing bombs in her head still.
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"I feel terrible and guilty that I have been able to leave," she told BBC. "I didn't want to leave my husband." She added she had been "hiding in the bathroom" for fear of being killed, saying: "I can't sleep. I still hear the bombs in my head."
"I live on the 23rd floor, so I was seeing my city burn. You feel helpless," she added. Lebanon has come under attack in Israel's offensive on its neighbour as part of its war on Hamas.
It claims more than 20 Hezbollah members were killed in airstrikes on Friday, including secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah and two of his close associates, and head of the group's Southern Front Ali Karaki. On Sunday, Israel also announced it had killed another high-ranking official, Nabil Kaouk.
As a result, hundreds of British nationals have fled the country while the FCDO had now urged against all travel to the country. The government said it had prepared for "every contingency" to evacuate any other Brits still in the country.
Pat McFadden, a senior Cabinet Office minister, told the BBC on Sunday the situation in Lebanon was “serious” and again urged British citizens to leave the country immediately. He said: “There are commercial flights available, the Foreign Office is working with commercial airlines to make sure more are available. We will plan for every contingency but it is really important given the seriousness of the situation that British people in the area make what arrangements they can to leave now.”
White House security spokesman John Kirby meanwhile warned Hezbollah would likely seek to urgently replace their killed officials and rebuild their "command structure". "We're watching to see what they do to try to fill this leadership vacuum," he said. "It's going to be tough. Much of their command structure has now been wiped out."
