UK-based NHS doctor and baby daughter left stranded in Lebanon amid Israel's ongoing onslaught

Manwella Ftouni, husband Abbas and their daughter Jana are trapped with 20 other relatives in a two-bed flat in the Lebanese capital of Beirut amid Israel's ongoing onslaught on the country

A UK-based doctor and her baby daughter have been left stranded in Lebanon.

Manwella Ftouni, her husband and Abbas, and their six-month-old daughter Jana had been visiting family when Israel launched its bombardment on the country last week.

They're currently holing up with 20 of their relatives in a two-bedroom flat in the Lebanese capital. They fled their family town of Abbassieh in the south after Israel launched its onslaught.

Manwella - a 28-year-old radiology registrar from Glasgow - was in the country introducing her new baby Jana to relatives just before the end of her maternity leave.

The young family left the UK at the beginning of September, completely unaware of the looming wave of destruction heading to her ancestral home.

Speaking to the Sunday Mail amid explosions and gunfire Manwella said: "I’m in Beirut at the moment. On Thursday we fled from South Lebanon where we were watching neighbouring houses get hit by Israeli airstrikes one by one.

"We came to what we thought was a safe area and now the bombs are coming closer to us here . There’s 20 of us in a two bedroom flat. We are not sleeping at all.”

The latest conflict was triggered after gunmen from the militant Islamist group Hamas , based in Gaza, stormed into Israel and took 173 people hostage on October 7 last year.

While some have been released and others confirmed dead, 97 people remain unaccounted for.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) have retaliated against Hamas with Hezbollah , based in Lebanon, also firing at Israeli positions in solidarity with Gaza. Hezbollah is also a proscribed terrorist group in the UK.

Tensions between Israel and Lebanon increased further on September 17 and 18 when 39 people were killed and thousands wounded after pagers and walkie-talkies thought to have been used by Hezbollah exploded. The group blamed Israel for the sophisticated attack but the country has neither confirmed nor denied the claims.

Around 5000 British Citizens are estimated to be in Lebanon with many struggling to get out amid the rapid escalation of the conflict. On Friday night the IDF launched a series of massive air strikes in the capital Beirut claiming they were targeting Hezbollah headquarters.

Yesterday the IDF confirmed it had killed the Lebanese group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah during the strikes and said he “will no longer be able to terrorise the world.” More than 90 people were injured and five others killed. Manwella heard the strikes from the tiny apartment where she was sheltering with her close family and dozens of relatives.

She said: “We were hearing loud explosions all night due to Israeli airstrikes on Beirut and carpet bombing. The whole house was shaking. The exhaustion now is taking its toll as we’re not able to sleep.”

Manwella said that while she is focussed on trying to get her daughter out safely she is terrified what the future holds for Lebanon and her aunties, uncles, cousins and grandmother who will have to stay behind.

She said: “I’m trying to understand and grieve the huge number of civilians that have been killed by Israel this week but I find myself consumed by worry. Even if I manage to flee Lebanon will my loved ones survive? Will their houses survive? Our memories, our dreams. Everything we value could be lost.

“We’ve been watching the same thing unfold in Gaza for almost a year now. I’m worried that this is now the fate of Lebanon as well. Me and my family went to the ceasefire protests in George Square for Gaza. Now we’re asking for a ceasefire for ourselves.”