The Cedar Tree restaurant on St Andrew’s Street in Dublin may be nearly 4,000km from Lebanon, yet for the staff at this Lebanese establishment and the broader Lebanese community in Ireland, the situation in their homeland is a constant concern.
Recently, Israel has undertaken a series of airstrikes on the coastal nation, resulting in over 1,000 casualties and displacing 600,000 individuals, as reported by the UN.
“It’s truly heartbreaking to witness,” remarks Sereen Sarhan, the restaurant manager at The Cedar Tree.
Her parents first relocated to Ireland in the 1980s, and her father along with her uncle established The Cedar Tree in 1986.
The conflict in 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah compelled them to return to Ireland.
Sereen Sarhan expressed her heartbreak over the ongoing crisis in Lebanon.
“My grandparents’ generation endured this, then the next generation, which is my parents, faced it. I had to deal with it in my time, and now my little sister is experiencing it,” she shared.
Each morning, the first thing they do is check in with their family in Lebanon, often after a night filled with worry for both sides of the ocean.
Ms. Sarhan’s aunt in Beirut no longer sleeps at night.
“In the middle of the night, she’ll go to the balcony to watch the devastation—the flames, smoke, and debris everywhere,” she recounted.
Her relatives from the southern part of the country have sought refuge with their family in Beirut.
Ms. Sarhan acknowledges that not every Lebanese family is in a fortunate position.
Israel has intensified airstrikes on Beirut in recent weeks.
“Many people in Lebanon possess very little… and now they’re left with nothing,” she explained.
The caretaker responsible for their family home has fled north.
Meanwhile, his wife and son have had to escape further to Syria to obtain medical treatment for their son, who has fallen seriously ill.
He struggled to find a safe place to stay and is currently residing in a school.
Much like numerous other Lebanese families, the Sarhans utilize technology to stay updated with their loved ones in Lebanon, albeit witnessing the harrowing events of the war unfold online in near real-time.
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“On my way to work, I frequently witness these heartbreaking events, including the ongoing situation in Gaza. We are one and the same,” Ms. Sarhan asserted.
Footage sent back reveals a stark contrast to how individuals last remembered their former homes.
“There is no justification for employing lethal force against civilians,” a Lebanese individual residing and working in Ireland shared, requesting anonymity.
He presented footage from a neighbor in Burj al-Barajneh, a southern suburb of Beirut where he lived for 25 years, showing buildings reduced to rubble following an Israeli airstrike.
“There’s even a nursery or school located nearby,” he noted while showing images of debris, smoke, and occasional flames.
“It’s a residential street by all definitions,” he added.
The man described a neighborhood in Burj al-Barajneh that has been devastated.
Before the mass exodus began weeks ago, “it was always bustling with people.”
Both individuals express their desire for Lebanese people to have the opportunity to come to Ireland under a scheme akin to what was offered to Ukrainians at the onset of the war with Russia in 2023.
“I recognize how many Irish individuals have served in Lebanon, both presently and in the past,” the man emphasized, hoping this connection would inspire government action.
“I wish we could assist them similarly to how they have helped Ukraine, which feels somewhat unfair merely due to differing skin color,” Ms. Sarhan lamented.
Ms. Sarhan and her family aspire to return to Lebanon next summer.
“The stunning ocean, the towering mountains, the lush greenery—it’s breathtaking, I love it,” she concluded.
