First migrant baby born following Israeli attacks

Baby Zehra's parents were forced to migrate to Iraq following intense bombardment in the town of Ramadiyeh, located in southern Lebanon, approximately 10 kilometers from the Lebanon-Palestine border.

Father Ahmed Tahtah recounted the ordeal of their migration from Lebanon to Iraq and the birth of his daughter, Zehra, to AA.

Stating that they woke up to the sounds of bombardment on September 23, Tahtah explained that they left their home and fled without taking anything with them.

ZEHRA BECAME THE FIRST LEBANESE BABY BORN IN IRAQ

Tahtah continued his words as follows:

"We migrated from Ramadiyeh to the city of Sarafand and stayed there for one day, then there was another attack. At that time, my wife was about to give birth and was having complications. On the second day, we went to the city of Sidon, and while we were still on the road, attacks began there as well. Shrapnel hit our vehicle. The hospitals were full of the wounded, and they could not attend to us. Then we had to go to Mount Lebanon, and we experienced the same problem. We were told we could go to Iraq. We were on the last flight departing from Lebanon to Najaf. We arrived in Najaf at 01:00 at night, and in the morning, we went straight to the hospital, and my wife's delivery took place. Due to the distress we experienced, my wife suffered from blood loss, shortness of breath, and heart rhythm irregularities. Our daughter also had respiratory problems when she was first born. Our daughter Zehra became the first Lebanese baby born in Iraq. My daughter is both Lebanese and Iraqi. All of the child's needs are being met; we lack nothing. However, because we moved from one country to another, our future is uncertain."

'IRAQ IS SAFER FOR US'

Mother Lubana Khalil also stated, "The reason we came to Iraq is the war happening in Lebanon," adding, "We were receiving threats that there were Hezbollah materials in our vicinity and that we should evacuate our homes. There was no such thing near us; their goal was only to target civilians, bomb homes, and bring destruction to all of Lebanon."

Stating that they had to come to Iraq while she was in the final days of her pregnancy, Khalil noted the following:

"The hospitals in Lebanon could not look after us. The hospitals were full of the wounded due to the explosions of devices. Iraq was safer for us. I was immediately taken into surgery here to give birth, and my life was at risk, but thank God the birth took place. My daughter had respiratory problems and stayed in intensive care for two days. I also experienced shortness of breath and heart rhythm irregularities, but it passed with medication."