Bilal Raad. (Credit: @BachirKhodr/X)
He was no stranger to war. But this one was different: Far more violent, far more destructive. He despised it. He called it “barbaric” and “absurd.” Bilal Raad headed the General Directorate of Lebanese Civil Defense for the Baalbeck-Hermel district in eastern Lebanon. Tragically, the 58-year-old father, who will never see his two-year-old daughter grow up, was killed in the Israeli airstrike on the evening of Nov. 14, which targeted a Civil Defense center in Douris, Baalbeck. The force of the impact brought down the targeted building and the adjacent structure.
According to Governor Bashir Khodr, 15 of the 20 dead have been identified so far. The remains of five individuals have been recovered, but their identities are still unknown. DNA testing will be conducted to confirm who they are. The Interior Ministry's Civil Defense directorate has confirmed 13 victims so far, including 10 employees and three volunteers. DNA testing is being used to identify remains that were severely fragmented in the attack.
The airstrike on Douris is a devastating blow to the Baalbeck-Hermel region, which is already under constant Israeli attack and facing a dire humanitarian crisis. All the victims of the attack were members of the Civil Defense in Lebanon. Hikmat Chreif, a close friend of Raad’s, remembers their bravery with a heavy heart.
“They were so young, most of them just volunteers. But Raad and his team faced danger with such courage.” “He was fearless during the rescue, but deeply worried about the future,” said Chreif. “May God protect us, as long as nothing happens to us!” Raad used to say to Chreif. While his family sought safety in Deir al-Ahmar, a nearby Christian town sheltering many displaced Shiites, Bilal remained in Baalbeck to help his community.
“He was always very busy. The war consumed him. It was very difficult to reach him,” said his brother, Ihab Raad. “The hardest part for him was the children. Pulling the bodies of the youngest from under the rubble broke his heart; his first instinct was to hug them.” He recalled Raad’s tender heart even in the face of tragedy.
According to a post on the X platform, Bilal Raad had emphasized the need for the Civil Defense to acquire specialized equipment that would allow them to reach survivors trapped under the rubble more quickly. “I have to reach the living first. We spend so much time searching and digging, unsure whether we’ll find a survivor or a body,” he said.
Since Israel launched a major offensive on Lebanon on Sept. 23, the country’s predominantly Shiite areas — viewed as Hezbollah strongholds, including the Baalbeck-Hermel region — have been systematically bombed by the Israeli military.
At the beginning of the month, the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for residents of the region, particularly from the towns of Baalbeck and Douris. However, no warning was given on Thursday. In just over a month and a half, at least 192 rescue workers and medical personnel have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across the country.
‘Lasting mark’
On Friday morning, the governor of Baalbeck-Hermel shared a tribute to Bilal Raad on his X platform. “I used to call you after every raid to check on the clearance. And every time, you reached the target location before I did. Who are we supposed to call now? Who will clear the rubble? Who will extinguish the fires burning in the hearts of those targeted by aggression?” Baalbeck municipality president Mustapha al-Shall also paid tribute to Raad, remembering him in a press release as an “impulsive” man who was deeply “in love with Baalbeck and its inhabitants.”
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Raad's journey as a first responder began in 1986. “After he finished his studies in Baalbeck, he joined the Civil Defense as a volunteer and was eventually hired,” said his brother. He began his career at the head office in Beirut, but he eventually returned to Baalbeck, rising through the ranks to become one of the regional managers.
“He was an incredibly polite man, very reliable, who loved people and was always on top of things. Day and night,” said Fayez Shekieh, head of the Bekaa Regional Civil Defense Center. “He leaves a lasting mark on the Civil Defense. We will never forget him,” he said.
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
