03:22Baby Rita and her mother were forced to flee southern Lebanon just days after her birth, as Israeli airstrikes continued in the region amid the ongoing escalation with Hezbollah.
Rita was born in a hospital in southern Lebanon. After taking her home to their village of Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr in Nabatiyeh governorate, her mother explained that their situation became untenable.
"Bombs were falling near the hospital, and we could hear them from inside the hospital. When she was 10 days old, the situation worsened as they bombed the village, so we had to flee,” she said.
Footage shows Rita with her mother in a school in the city of Sidon on Sunday, which has been turned into a shelter for refugees.
"The journey took 11 hours, and there were heavy airstrikes along the way until we reached Sidon and settled in this school. The situation is still difficult as we can hear the sonic booms of aircraft. Hopefully, things will get better," the mother continued.
"The most important thing is that we remain safe, God willing and that my daughter can grow up. Given the situation we're living in, when we go to sleep, our dream is simply to wake up again in the morning,” she added. “I just hope we can return home, but right now, my only dream is for my daughter and I to be somewhere safe or to go to a safe country."
Israel began a 'limited and targeted' ground incursion into Lebanon last Tuesday, after over a week of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. More than 2,000 have been reportedly killed at time of publication, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Tensions in southern Lebanon first escalated in mid-September after mass explosions of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah. The group has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
‘Bombs were falling near the hospital’ - Lebanese mother and newborn displaced by IDF airstrikes
Baby Rita and her mother were forced to flee southern Lebanon just days after her birth, as Israeli airstrikes continued in the region amid the ongoing escalation with Hezbollah.
Rita was born in a hospital in southern Lebanon. After taking her home to their village of Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr in Nabatiyeh governorate, her mother explained that their situation became untenable.
"Bombs were falling near the hospital, and we could hear them from inside the hospital. When she was 10 days old, the situation worsened as they bombed the village, so we had to flee,” she said.
Footage shows Rita with her mother in a school in the city of Sidon on Sunday, which has been turned into a shelter for refugees.
"The journey took 11 hours, and there were heavy airstrikes along the way until we reached Sidon and settled in this school. The situation is still difficult as we can hear the sonic booms of aircraft. Hopefully, things will get better," the mother continued.
"The most important thing is that we remain safe, God willing and that my daughter can grow up. Given the situation we're living in, when we go to sleep, our dream is simply to wake up again in the morning,” she added. “I just hope we can return home, but right now, my only dream is for my daughter and I to be somewhere safe or to go to a safe country."
Israel began a 'limited and targeted' ground incursion into Lebanon last Tuesday, after over a week of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. More than 2,000 have been reportedly killed at time of publication, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Tensions in southern Lebanon first escalated in mid-September after mass explosions of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah. The group has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Baby Rita and her mother were forced to flee southern Lebanon just days after her birth, as Israeli airstrikes continued in the region amid the ongoing escalation with Hezbollah.
Rita was born in a hospital in southern Lebanon. After taking her home to their village of Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr in Nabatiyeh governorate, her mother explained that their situation became untenable.
"Bombs were falling near the hospital, and we could hear them from inside the hospital. When she was 10 days old, the situation worsened as they bombed the village, so we had to flee,” she said.
Footage shows Rita with her mother in a school in the city of Sidon on Sunday, which has been turned into a shelter for refugees.
"The journey took 11 hours, and there were heavy airstrikes along the way until we reached Sidon and settled in this school. The situation is still difficult as we can hear the sonic booms of aircraft. Hopefully, things will get better," the mother continued.
"The most important thing is that we remain safe, God willing and that my daughter can grow up. Given the situation we're living in, when we go to sleep, our dream is simply to wake up again in the morning,” she added. “I just hope we can return home, but right now, my only dream is for my daughter and I to be somewhere safe or to go to a safe country."
Israel began a 'limited and targeted' ground incursion into Lebanon last Tuesday, after over a week of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. More than 2,000 have been reportedly killed at time of publication, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Tensions in southern Lebanon first escalated in mid-September after mass explosions of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah. The group has exchanged cross-border fire with Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.