A paragliding wing caught in the trees in the Harissa forest (Kesrouan), after violent gusts of wind caused several paragliders to fall, on Jan. 24, 2026. Photo received by our correspondent Michel Hallak.
Three Lebanese paragliders were rescued unharmed Saturday afternoon after being forced to make emergency landings due to strong wind gusts while flying over the Harissa forest area in Kesrouan, above the Bay of Jounieh, civil defense officials said.
Lebanon’s Civil Defense said in a statement that two of the paragliders landed in a wooded area of Ain el-Warqa in Ghosta, while the third was found within the city limits of Jounieh. Rescue teams were dispatched immediately and confirmed that all three were in good health, with no injuries requiring hospitalization.
Civil Defense again urged citizens to strictly follow safety guidelines and to refrain from paragliding during rainy or windy weather because of the serious risks such conditions pose to public safety.
Salloum Malaeb, secretary general of the Lebanese Air Sports Federation, told local broadcaster LBCI that the incident was a “controlled emergency landing” that ended without injuries. He said weather conditions had been favorable at takeoff before changing suddenly and noted that the pilots managed to land safely without incident. Malaeb added that the companies operating the flights are properly licensed and that all pilots involved have the required experience.
In response, the Ministry of Sports said in a statement that it remains firm in enforcing public safety standards and the laws and regulations governing paragliding. It stressed the need to prevent violations of these rules, particularly flying in poor weather conditions, and called for strict adherence to official weather bulletins.
Pending a report from the technical committee of the Lebanese Air Sports Federation, the ministry said it will take “appropriate legal measures” starting Monday against any pilots found in violation and the associations to which they belong.
The incident is at least the fifth such accident since May. Two previous accidents resulted in the deaths of athletes. In August, Youth and Sports Minister Nora Bayrakdarian banned acrobatic paragliding across Lebanon due to the lack of a legal framework regulating the sport, following the death of professional paraglider Omar Sinjer, who fell 300 meters into the sea. Another accident in May killed a young man flying in tandem.
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