
(Credit: Photo montage by L'Orient Le-Jour)
As is customary at the end of each year, journalists at L'Orient-Le Jour were consulted for this selection. As always, the reflection begins in silence. "Nobody, absolutely nobody," one reporter says, as if the war that defined the year had erased all hope. But what is hope, if not a beacon in the darkest of times? Eventually, names began to emerge — and it wasn’t as difficult as it first seemed. These were Lebanese individuals or teams whose determination, humanity, and courage brought a glimmer of hope to a country devastated by war and crisis. They sparked emotion, pride and a deep sense of connection. As we wrote in 2023, it is precisely in difficult times that we must pay tribute to these remarkable Lebanese figures.
Laetitia Aoun
Laetitia Aoun sitting in front of a mirror in the training room. (Credit: João Sousa/L'Orient Le-Jour)
In the world of sports, Laetitia Aoun has proven that nothing is impossible. Representing Lebanon in the under-57 kg category at the Paris Olympics, she became the second Lebanese taekwondo player to compete at the Games, following Andrea Paoli’s participation in London 12 years earlier. Aoun came within a whisker of making history, nearly becoming the first Lebanese female athlete to secure an Olympic medal. Though she ultimately lost to Canada’s Skylar Park, her remarkable journey to the semi-finals was nothing short of extraordinary. Along the way, she defeated Tokyo bronze medalist Lo Chia-ling of Taiwan, then took down Miljana Reljikj of Macedonia in the quarter-finals, delivering a performance Lebanon could be proud of.
According to Taekwando World rankings, Aoun is currently ranked 6th in the world and 5th in the Olympics in her category. She now represents Mont La Salle Club (Ain Saadeh, Metn) while pursuing a medical degree at the Lebanese American University.
Reflecting on her near-miss at the Olympics, she said, "I'm heartbroken to have missed out on the medal. I should have done more. But that's sport ... Not even a year ago, I fractured my thumb in six different places, dislocated my shoulder and tore the tendon over 21 cm. So let me tell you: where there's a will, there's a way."
Yasmina Hayek
Yasmina Hayek, executive chef and owner of Em Sherif restaurant. (Credit: Jad Abou Jawdeh)
In 2024, the stars aligned for Yasmina Hayek, much to the delight of gourmets and champions of Lebanon's culinary heritage. At just 28, she became the first woman in the Middle East to win the prestigious Michelin Jeune Chef award, recognized by the Michelin Guide as "a pioneer, a guardian of Lebanese culinary heritage," who masterfully blends "tradition and innovation."
As Executive Chef at the family-owned Em Sherif Holding, Hayek oversees menu creation, culinary and creative direction and the international expansion of Em Sherif, which now boasts over 20 establishments worldwide. This year, she was listed in the esteemed Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 list. To cap it all, she was crowned the best female chef in the Middle East and North Africa by The 50 Best.
Daughter of Mireille Hayek, who founded Em Sherif in 2011, Yasmina grew up in an environment where culinary expertise and hospitality were second nature. A graduate of the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon with a diploma in culinary arts and management, she also earned a master’s degree in food design and innovation from Milan's Scuola Politecnica di Design.
Her latest venture, Em Sherif Deli, opened in March 2024 in New Starco, in the heart of Beirut. Every detail of the new establishment reflects a careful balance between honoring heritage and embracing creative daring. If her dishes could speak, they’d surely claim a Michelin star.
Anjo Rihane
Anjo Rihane in "Mjadra hamra."
This year, Anjo Rihane reached out to families torn apart by war, continuing her advocacy for women whose voices too often go unheard. Hailing from Kfar Sir, a village in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh district, the actress has consistently blended art with activism.
Since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, Rihane has been deeply involved in supporting displaced families. "I no longer recognize anything in the town where I grew up," she told L'Orient-Le Jour, expressing her fear of returning to the South. Rihane spent her childhood in Kfar Sir, living there until she was 18. Her relatives still reside in the area, now profoundly ravaged by Israeli bombardment. It is also the place where she went to school with the Antonine Sisters and took her first steps onto the stage. Despite her personal grief, she refused to yield to despair. Instead, she leveraged her network, contacted charitable organizations and launched initiatives to assist over 200 families who had fled the village.
Amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis, Rihane has remained dedicated to her craft. She continued to bring the voices of women from the South to the stage, performing in Beirut and internationally, including in Montreal and Toronto. She notably starred in Mjadra Hamra (a traditional Lebanese dish), a play by Yehia Jaber, where she portrays three Lebanese Shiite women. The show, which has been a hit since its 2018 premiere, continues to sell out. She also performs in Chou Mnelbous? (What do we wear), a play that examines the contradictions of a society torn between appearances and reality, tradition and modernity. Onstage and in life, Rihane remains a symbol of hope.
Lebanese missing in Syria
Souheil Hamawi is presented with a cake by his grandchildren in Chekka, northern Lebanon on Dec. 9, 2024, after spending 33 years in a Syrian prison. (Credit: Ibrahim Chalhoub/AFP)
The plight of the Lebanese missing in Syria remains one of Lebanon’s most profound and painful wounds. It is a human tragedy, where uncertainty and silence have too often been the only responses to the anguish of families desperate for news, truth or closure.
On Dec. 8, with the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Lebanese hearts surged with hope for reuniting with their loved ones. Souheil Hamawi became the first Lebanese prisoner to be released from Syrian prisons and return home. Kidnapped in 1992 at the age of 29, Hamawi had been a father to a 10-month-old son. He spent more than 32 years in the jails of the Syrian dictatorship, including Latakia prison, Damascus prison and the notorious Sednaya prison. For the first 15 years, he endured solitary confinement, followed by years in overcrowded cells. A few days after the Assad regime's fall, he was finally reunited with his family in Chekka, North Lebanon. Now 61 years old and a grandfather, Hamawi’s release rekindled hope for countless other families who have been waiting for similar news.
Since the civil war and Syria’s tutelage over Lebanon (1976-2005), over 600 families have been left in limbo, waiting for a resolution that has never come. For years, the Lebanese government has failed to make significant efforts to address these disappearances. Recently, however, authorities announced that a formal delegation would be sent to Damascus to meet with the new Syrian leadership. This long-awaited initiative has sparked renewed hope for progress on this deeply neglected issue.
According to caretaker Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi nine Lebanese nationals who had been held in Syrian prisons have now returned home.
"A person's life in prison is made up of nothing but darkness and suffering," Hamawi told reporters after his release. From now on, we can only wish him a life filled with light and freedom, far from the shadows of his past.
MEA pilots
A Middle East Airlines plane flies over the smoke of an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Le-Jour)
Long criticized for its steep fares, especially during the holiday season, Middle East Airlines (MEA) has transformed into an emblem of courage and commitment amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. As the New York Times observes, MEA "has been elevated to the status of an unexpected national hero."
Between Sept. 26 and Dec. 1, as the war escalated and Israeli airstrikes rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs, MEA was the only airline that continued to operate at the capital’s international airport. Despite the explosions just a few hundred meters away, the national carrier’s steadfast operations symbolized both defiance and solidarity with Lebanon.
"We fly because, in these darkest hours, our love and loyalty to our homeland and its people come first. And, we fly to keep this precious little land of Lebanon connected to the world, even when the sky seems too heavy to bear," declared Rola Hoteit, MEA's first female captain.
Though Beirut airport was spared from direct hits, striking images of MEA aircraft soaring above plumes of smoke of Israeli airstrikes quickly circulated on social media, highlighting the bravery of its crews.
Thanks to them, Lebanon retained its vital connection to the outside world. They offered expatriates the reassurance that, even in times of conflict, they could always return home. In moments of chaos, MEA instilled a sense of hope in a nation torn by war.
Christina Assi
Lebanese photographer Christina Assi (center) assisted by AFP video journalist Dylan Collins (left), after receiving the Olympic flame in Vincennes, near Paris, on July 21, 2024. (Credit: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP)
On July 21, 2024, Christina Assi, a Lebanese photographer with Agence France Presse (AFP), carried the Olympic flame in Vincennes, a Paris suburb. Joined by her American colleague Dylan Collins, she covered her 200-meter stretch in a wheelchair, met with resounding applause. This moment during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games transcended sport, symbolizing resilience and solidarity.
For the 29-year-old, this symbolic act was both a celebration and a powerful message: "A tribute to all the journalists, our colleagues and friends who have been killed this year."
For the 29-year-old, it was both a celebration and a powerful message. "A tribute to all the journalists, our colleagues and friends who have been killed this year," she said.
Months earlier, on Oct. 13, 2023, Christina was gravely injured in an Israeli strike while reporting on cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The shell, fired by an Israeli tank according to independent investigations, killed Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah and wounded six others, including Christina and Dylan. The blast cost Christina her right leg. Undeterred, she remains focused on recovery: "Standing on my own two feet again, that's how I'll get justice," she declared.
Her courage and commitment have garnered her international recognition. In December 2024, the BBC named her among its 100 most influential women, alongside figures such as Gisèle Pélicot, a French activist against sexual violence, and American actress Sharon Stone. Christina Assi has become a vital voice for journalist safety, a symbol of press freedom, and a stark reminder of the sacrifices required to uphold the fundamental right and duty to inform.
Moustapha Adib
Moustapha Adib, Lebanese ambassador to UNESCO
On Nov. 18, 2024, UNESCO granted provisional reinforced protection to 34 cultural sites in Lebanon, shielding them from potential destruction during the war with Israel. This diplomatic breakthrough, vital for safeguarding Lebanon’s heritage, was spearheaded by Moustapha Adib, Lebanon’s ambassador to UNESCO, and Sarkis Khoury, head of the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA).
Despite operating within a health system already crippled by Lebanon’s economic crisis, doctors, nurses, volunteers, and first responders demonstrated extraordinary commitment. Their courage came at great cost with the omnipresent danger of being targeted. Human Rights Watch condemned “apparent war crimes,” citing claims that the Israeli army deliberately targeted medical professionals and facilities. The toll was devastating: over 160 medical and rescue workers were killed, more than 150 ambulances were destroyed, and 50 hospitals were reduced to rubble by Israeli attacks in 2024.
Among these heroes were Lebanese Red Cross teams, some of whom sustained injuries while evacuating the wounded, and Civil Defense members like Anis Abla. Head of the Marjayoun branch, Abla suffered burns to his hands and face while battling a blaze caused by an Israeli strike. Others, like Dr. Mohammad Khazaal, chose to remain in Lebanon, venturing across the northern Bekaa to provide care amidst Israeli bombardment.
Some paid the ultimate price. Ali Alam, director of Deir al-Amal hospital, was killed in an Israeli strike on Douris in the Baalbek region, alongside six of his collogues. Similarly, Bilal Raad, 58, head of Civil Defense for the Baalbek-Hermel district, was killed when an Israeli attack targeted the Civil Defense center in Douris.
For these individuals, their work transcended mere duty. It was an act of resistance — an assertion of humanity in the face of overwhelming violence.
Those who helped
Aline Kamakian and her team at work feeding 3,000 people. (Credit: C.H.)
These generous souls, whether heads of companies, members of humanitarian organizations or ordinary citizens, have shown unwavering solidarity, offering shelter, food and comfort to those displaced by war. While it's impossible to name them all, their actions have made a real difference to the lives of many.
Dea Hage Chahine, Lea Ghorayeb and Nasri Sayegh stepped up to care for over 40 displaced and homeless women from Sierra Leone. Their shelter has become a haven for more than 100 women, some fleeing war, others escaping domestic violence. Aline Kamakian, owner of Mayrig et Batchig, distributed 3,000 meals per day and fed entire families. Thanks to her 22 kitchens, she and her team delivered meals to Beirut, Aramoun, Bshamoun, Chouf, Ersal, Ehden, Mount Lebanon, Jbeil, Saida, Jounieh and Lassa.
Others, like Chafic Khazen, owner of the Skybar, transformed their businesses into lifelines. Khazen opened the doors of his establishment to house the displaced and, with his employees, distributed meals, medicines, clothing and bedding to support those who had lost everything. Along with his team, Father Hani Tok, founder of Mariam's Kitchen, a mobile kitchen truck unique in Lebanon, prepared over 4,000 meals a day for 60 days after the war between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in late September.
Even animals found protectors amidst the chaos. Houssein Hamzeh, despite losing his home, sheltered 200 dogs, 50 cats, and numerous other animals in Kfour, in the Nabatieh district. In Shakra (Bint Jbeil), Kassem Haidar took on the task of feeding the hundreds of abandoned animals. The NGO Animals Lebanon also rescued more than 180 animals in conflict zones, taking considerable risks to help them.
All acts of kindness that hold the promise of a better future.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient Le-Jour.