The cloudy sky over Beirut, seen from Hazmieh, De. 10, 2025. (Credit:: Philippe HAGE BOUTROS/ L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — The storm dubbed "Byron," which has already lashed parts of Greece, Turkey and Cyprus, reached Israel and Gaza on Wednesday, where roughly 850,000 people are currently in 761 displacement sites, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In Lebanon, the impact is expected to be limited, unless there is an unexpected change in wind direction.
“The storm is passing across Lebanese territory, but most of the precipitation and winds will be concentrated offshore,” Jocelyne Abou Fares, division chief at Meteo-Liban, told L'Orient Today. Forecasts call for rain, thunderstorms and snowfall above 1,700 meters on Friday morning, with winds reaching up to 60 kilometers/hour, and unsettled weather is expected to persist through the weekend.
Gaza is facing far harsher conditions. The storm intensified overnight, according to Israeli daily Haaretz, with families reporting that shelters had collapsed, flooded or been blown away by strong gusts.
Storm Byron also disrupted air travel. A flight bound for Israel was diverted over Lebanese airspace due to stormy conditions, the Israel Airports Authority said. Operated by a Greek airline under Cypriot air traffic control, the diversion was made to ensure passenger safety.
The Lebanese Civil Aviation Directorate was not immediately available to confirm the information.
