The 24-meter yacht, which previously charged $600 per passenger, now ferries people from Beirut to Cyprus for $1,800 each. According to The Guardian, the $1.3 million vessel has completed around 30 trips since Israel began its bombing campaign across Lebanon on September 23, said Khailil Bechara, a broker arranging these transports. The demand for these trips is high, with all spaces fully booked.
The Israeli military launched the offensive in response to rising tensions with Hezbollah, starting on October 8. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, reported that the conflict has resulted in nearly 2,000 deaths and displaced over a million people. Beirut’s main airport has been hit by airstrikes, leaving limited options for those trying to leave. Private charter flights have been arranged by various embassies, while Greece sent a military plane to evacuate its citizens.
Many residents, however, cannot afford the cost of the yacht trips or lack the necessary visa to enter Cyprus. For those like Sahar Sourani, an NGO worker whose home was damaged by airstrikes, alternative routes through Syria and Jordan are the only option. Over 300,000 people have crossed into Syria in the past 10 days, but Israeli forces bombed the Masnaa border crossing, citing Hezbollah’s use of the route for smuggling weapons.
Others, such as Rasha Jabr, a humanitarian consultant, have managed to secure flights out of the country despite the ongoing airstrikes. Jabr flew to the UAE after missiles struck near her home in Beirut, expressing mixed feelings of relief and guilt for having the means to leave.