Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. Ammar Ammar, AFP

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172733492004820240921090916_d28d7ed0251b99f07d256abfd5d5af148dc4146a46262ecd3d95e66e8d3830a6.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on a target between the villages of Ghandourieh and Froun in southern Lebanon late on September 6, 2024, amid the ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. Ammar Ammar, AFP</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Even with the threat of a full-blown war, many Filipino migrant workers are opting to stay in Lebanon, believing that Israel&#x27;s attacks would be isolated on <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Hezbollah strongholds.</span></p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/25/world-leaders-at-un-warn-against-full-scale-war-over-lebanon-939">• World leaders at UN warn against &#x27;full-scale war&#x27; over Lebanon</a></div><p>Beirut-based Mie Romagos said that she and many other OFWs decided to forego the Philippine government&#x27;s offer to fly them back to the country.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/24/dfa-urges-families-of-filipinos-in-lebanon-to-convince-loved-ones-to-repatriate-1533" id="isPasted">• DFA urges families of Filipinos in Lebanon to convince loved ones to repatriate</a></div><p>Of the estimated 10,000 Filipinos in Lebanon, only around 1,500 have availed of the repatriation offer, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.</p><p>&quot;Sobrang dami pa rin po na ayaw pa rin pong bumalik, kabilang na rin ako don,&quot; said <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Romagos, who has been in Lebanon for the past 13 years and is working in Beirut as a secretary.</span></p><div><ivs-player data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-vid="3069679"></ivs-player></div><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script><p>She told Teleradyo Serbisyo that most of Israel&#x27;s airstrikes targeted southern Lebanon, where most of Hezbollah members were allegedly based. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/24/is-all-out-war-inevitable-the-view-from-israel-and-lebanon-2035">• Is all-out war inevitable? The view from Israel and Lebanon</a></div><p><span style="background-color:transparent">&quot;</span>Nandito naman po kami sa Beirut, ang Beirut sa ngayon ay okay naman po. Ang south lang po ang medyo binomba nang sunod-sunod po talaga... Nagbabala naman ang Israel bago sila tumira,&quot; she said.</p><p>Lebanese authorities told the United Nations that Israeli strikes had killed 558 people -- 50 of them children. </p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/23/israel-warns-lebanese-as-wave-of-strikes-hits-hezbollah-1505">• Israel warns Lebanese as wave of strikes hits Hezbollah</a></div><div><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Romagos said that Filipino community leaders in Lebanon were monitoring Israel&#x27;s warnings so they could alert OFWs who might be affected by the airstrike.</span></div><p>&quot;Talagang nag-ano kami asan nag-airstrike, chine-check nkung may kababayan kami nandon,&quot; she said.</p><p>In case the conflict expands to areas such as Beirut, <span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(65, 65, 65);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Romagos said she was confident that they could find a shelter for their safety.</span></p><div><span id="isPasted"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/9/22/israel-and-hezbollah-urged-to-step-back-from-the-brink-007">• Israel and Hezbollah urged to step back from the brink</a></span></div><p>&quot;Sana matapos na ito kasi hindi lang naman Pilipino ang naiipit, pati mga nlokal dito, nakakalungkot lang kailangan pa maging ganito,&quot; she said.</p><p>Israel has signaled its intention to shift focus to Iran-backed Hezbollah after nearly a year of cross-border fire that began in October in what Hezbollah calls support for Hamas Palestinian militants fighting Israel. <strong>—With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEOS: </strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/STCXmxjucis?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/odM_H9QcnGI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Even with the threat of a full-blown war, many Filipino migrant worker are still opting to stay in Lebanon.</p>

Even with the threat of a full-blown war, many Filipino migrant worker are still opting to stay in Lebanon.

Filipinos in Lebanon opt to stay even as Hezbollah-Israel conflict intensifies | ABS-CBN

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Filipinos in Lebanon opt to stay even as Hezbollah-Israel conflict intensifies

Filipinos in Lebanon opt to stay even as Hezbollah-Israel conflict intensifies

Jauhn Etienne Villaruel,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 26, 2024 04:43 PM PHT

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Updated Sep 26, 2024 04:44 PM PHT

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OFW

Lebanon

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