Lebanon women’s footballer wounded by Israeli attack on Beirut

A Lebanese female footballer was seriously wounded by Israeli shrapnel following a missile attack on the Beirut suburb of Chiyah on Saturday.

Video and images circulating online showed Celine Haidar bleeding profusely from her head as she laid on the ground,  after she was struck as a result of the missile attack. The New Arab could not verify these videos.

Haidar was in the adjacent suburb of Tayouneh when the Israeli attack on Chiyah occurred, The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.

The footballer was immediately transferred to Saint George’s Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery, according to Lebanese broadcaster LBCI.

The incident sent shockwaves across Lebanon and the country’s sporting community, with wishes of a speedy recovery pouring in for her.

On X, Haidar’s former teammate and journalist Assile Toufaily said the women’s football community in Lebanon “is in disbelief”.

Toufaily also went on to confirm that Haidar remains unconscious and in critical condition in the ICU, and that her family is looking to transfer her to a different medical centre as Saint George’s Hospital was struck by an Israeli missile.

The Beirut Football Academy (BFA) posted a statement on Saturday on its official Instagram account, which read: “We are sending all our love and prayers to Celine Haidar from the BFA Women’s team.

“In such challenging times, we are deeply saddened to see her go through this tough moment. Celine, you are strong, and we know you’ll come back even stronger.”

The BFA team added that is “also closely following up on her condition with her family and the medical team handling her case as she’s in surgery right now”.

Her former coach, Joanna Hamzy, described Haidar in an interview with LBCI as one of the “smartest players” who is well-loved by her teammates.

Activists and sports journalists also took to social media urging the world’s football governing body, FIFA, to condemn the incident.

Haidar has won international trophies with Lebanon as a U-18 player.

The Israeli military launched a series of missile attacks on several suburbs of Beirut on Saturday, notably the the regions of Chiyah, Ghobeiry, Haret Hreik and Dahieh.

Saturday’s attacks on Lebanon also targeted the Nabatieh governorate, Chamaa in the Tyre district and Baalbek.

Israel has been carrying out intensified attacks on Lebanon since September, frequently targeting Beirut, the southern parts of the country and the eastern Beqaa Valley. At least 3,452 people have been killed by Israeli forces after the Israeli military began exchanging fire cross-border fire with Hezbollah in October last year, in parallel with the war in Gaza.