British mum 'living in terror' in Beirut

A British mum living in Beirut has given a detailed account of the harrowing conditions in Lebanon as the conflict intensifies, describing the fear and disruption that have become a daily reality for families caught in the violence.

Victoria Lupton, who has split her time between Cambridge and Beirut for over a decade, shared how the constant sound of explosions, drones, and sirens has created an overwhelming atmosphere of "relentless terror" for her and those around her. "There are drones flying overhead the whole time. There are sirens the whole time. We're hearing explosions very regularly," she said.

As a mother of a young daughter, she spoke of the difficult task of trying to protect her child from the horrors of the conflict. "I spend quite a lot of my time shielding her from the sounds of those explosions... singing songs, pretending that they’re fireworks."

The impact on families has been devastating, with many forced to leave their homes with little to no warning. "Lives are being completely upturned overnight," Victoria said, recounting how some of her friends and colleagues have been displaced in an instant. "I have so many colleagues who have been pushed out of their houses at the drop of a hat with nothing but their clothes on their backs."

The conflict has also severely disrupted daily life, with schools across the country shut down, either destroyed or being used as shelters. "All the schools are closed in the country," Victoria explained, noting that these schools are now providing refuge for some of the million people displaced by the conflict. "That’s a country of 5 million people... it’s like more than 10 million Brits being displaced in the space of a week."

While Lebanon has experienced numerous conflicts in the past, Victoria said that many of her friends feel this war is different. "For many of my friends who are in their 40s, this is the third or fourth war that they've lived through in Lebanon, but they say this one is different... the level of uncertainty and the speed of change means that more places are closing than usual, and a lot of everyday life has just had to stop."

Victoria and her family are preparing to leave Beirut temporarily, with plans to fly back to the UK. However, the wait for flights has been fraught with anxiety. "It's really stressful, terrifying that the situation is changing dizzyingly fast," she admitted. But despite the personal fear and stress, Victoria insists that her situation is not the focus. "I just have to keep saying this is not about me... this is about the millions of Lebanese people who are living in absolute terror or have already been displaced from their homes or lost family members."

The war has also triggered a humanitarian crisis, with families being evacuated at short notice and homes being destroyed in the process. "People are being displaced in the middle of the night at half an hour’s notice," Victoria said, describing the text-message alerts civilians receive before their homes are bombed. "They call these humanitarian evacuations, but there is absolutely nothing humane about the situation here."

As Victoria prepares to leave, she expressed deep concern about the situation in Lebanon and the response from the international community. "This war is completely avoidable... it did not need to happen, and this level of mass civilian death and displacement just can’t be accepted by the international community," she said. "I will leave with great sadness and great anxiety... but I will not stop thinking about what’s going on in Lebanon and not stop talking about it to try to change the situation."

In her final remarks, Victoria emphasised the need for urgent action, calling on the UK public to keep Lebanon in their thoughts and push for an immediate ceasefire. "People in the UK need to understand quite how bad it is here... we need to keep pushing for peace through diplomacy and not through further wars and bloodshed".

Victoria is the founder and chief executive of Seenaryo, a non-profit which helps educate Middle Eastern women and children through theatre and play.

Hear the latest news on Downtown on FM, DAB, smart speaker or the Rayo app.