Houssam Batal

"No need to be scared, we live in a safe neighborhood"…

This is what Houssam used to tell his wife every time she mentioned she was worried about their children's future in Lebanon, amidst an unstable economic and security situation. Unfortunately, in a few moments, their lives turned into a disaster.

Houssam, the eldest of five siblings, was born in Lebanon, he moved with his family to the United States of America when he was still a toddler. He came back to Lebanon in the nineties as a teenager, and met his wife in high school. She was his first love, a love that thrived throughout the years until they got married in 2006, after he came back from the States, for the second time, a graduate from Columbia University – New York.

After his marriage, Houssam decided to stay in Lebanon, close to his family, and started his own real estate company, "PREMIUM PROJECTS". The father of two lived the perfect life. According to his wife, Houssam was a devoted father, a loving husband, and a generous human being.

On August 4, 2020, the couple was at the gallery they own in their building's ground floor, ordering dinner, when the first explosion was heard. Houssam was taking live photos of the smoke, seconds before the second earth shattering blast.

After the second explosion, Houssam rushed to check on his children who were home at the time. They both survived and were unharmed, but Houssam could not fight the shattering glass falling all over his body.

41 year-old Houssam lost his life all of a sudden, the only consolation for his family is he didn’t suffer long.

The family house, as well as most Houssam’s company estates, was completely destroyed. The amount of shattered glass was huge; it hit his head, killing him immediately. Houssam died in front of his kids who started screaming for their mom. His wife arrived to find him a lifeless body.

Houssam's family lost their backbone. Their lives will never be the same again. Will they also lose their faith in a country they once believed in?