Utah family fears for safety of loved ones in Lebanon

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SALT LAKE CITY — When you step into the Beirut Café, you're transported to Fatima Soweidan's home in southern Lebanon. On Monday, as customers enjoyed family recipes, Fatima's thoughts were with her loved ones half a world away.

"It's all over the news. Everybody is seeing what is going on," Soweidan said. "I have a sister there with her kids and her husband. All my friends, all my cousins, everybody is there so they are separated right now. They don't know where to go. They're just trying to hide themselves, trying to save themselves."

Fatima Soweidan works at the Beirut Café in Salt Lake City on Monday. She's concerned about the safety of loved ones in Lebanon. (Photo: Jackson Grimm, KSL-TV)

On Monday, the Israeli military launched another attack in their conflict against Hezbollah. Israeli airstrikes killed almost 560 people, including women and children, and left more than 1,600 wounded.

"I just heard like, right now, one of our cousins, (and) 25 (people in my town) died. Just one bomb it ... it killed them all," Soweidan said. "One of them was pregnant. She's 20 years old. Not everyone from Lebanon is (part of) Hezbollah."

Soweidan shared a picture of her cousins in Lebanon. They are believed to be among the dead. Amid international fears of a regional escalation and a wider war, Soweidan prays for peace.