An Irish family who were stranded in Lebanon during Israeli missile strikes have arrived home after being evacuated.
Munir Zabad, 53, his wife Ghada, 47, and their 24-year-old daughter Ghadir and 12-year-old son Hassan returned to Kilkenny via Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands on Saturday.
The family had travelled to Lebanon for the funeral of Mr Zabad's father and Ghadir's wedding to Ali Kachab.
They are now appealing to the Irish Government to grant a visa for their new son-in-law, who was unable to be evacuated with them.
Speaking about her wedding, Ghadir said: "We had the wedding. It wasn't great with the bombs and everything.
"We were talking for around four or five years. I wanted to finish college first. I just finished my master's, so it was the right time to get married."
The families of the newlyweds were unable to celebrate once the ceremony had concluded.
"They started bombing my village of Mansoura, so we had to find a way to Beirut," Mr Zabad said.
"I offered money to a van driver to bring us to Beirut. He brought us, but refused the money, saying, 'what good is money to me now.'"
Mr Zabad's father’s funeral was also disrupted by missile assaults.
"We had to bury him in a different graveyard as my village was being bombed. But when it is OK to return, I will bury him beside my mother, as that was his dying wish," he said.
Mr Zabad described handing chocolates out to fellow passengers at the airport, as a way to celebrate his daughter’s marriage.
The family have arranged for Ali Kachab to stay with friends in Beirut until they can bring him to Ireland.
"The embassy told us to apply for a family vacation visa, but those can take one or two years to process. But his chance of surviving that long is not good," he said.
"Irish people are very lovely and always want to help everyone of any religion. I would ask they help the people of Lebanon in any way they can," Mr Zabad said.
