Mum fears for Belfast toddler who won’t be leaving Lebanon

A Belfast parent has said that the Foreign Office is failing her son, who is being kept successful Lebanon successful defiance of a UK tribunal order.

David Nahle was taken by his begetter during a travel to Beirut successful 2022 erstwhile helium was 10 months old.

Dr Mustapha Ali Nahle has refused to abide by a High Court ruling for his lad to beryllium returned to Northern Ireland, saying helium has been granted custody successful Lebanon.

The Foreign Office has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

David’s mother, Catherine Flanagan, told BBC Spotlight she was progressively disquieted astir her son, who is astir three, amid an escalation of unit betwixt Israel and Hezbollah.

“Every clip I spot that there’s been an airstrike, I’m checking wherever precisely that is successful narration to antithetic places wherever I cognize they mightiness person David.

“It’s wide violence, wide bombings,” she said.

Ms Flanagan told the BBC successful aboriginal September that she had not seen oregon spoken to her lad successful much than a year.

There has been warring betwixt Israel and Hezbollah crossed the Lebanese borderline since the 7 October onslaught connected Israel by Hamas.

The Iran-backed militia, which is based successful Lebanon, said it would proceed until determination was a ceasefire successful Gaza.

In caller weeks, Israel has carried retired airstrikes crossed Lebanon, including successful the superior Beirut.

The Foreign Office has told each British citizens to permission the country.

David, who travelled to Lebanon connected a British passport, is being kept successful Beirut by his father.

Dr Nahle is present considered a fugitive from UK authorities.

Ms Flanagan claims her questions to the Foreign Office astir David’s lawsuit person gone unanswered.

“Nobody has gotten backmost to maine oregon told maine what they are doing, that is not acceptable.

“David’s rights arsenic a British citizen, arsenic my son, are being trampled each over. I find it extremely, highly negligent,” she said.

She fears for David who volition observe his 3rd day adjacent week successful a warzone.

“There's not a 2nd of the time that I'm not reasoning astir David. When I sleep, I'm dreaming astir him.

BBC Spotlight travelled to Beirut to way down David’s father, who is simply a advisor anaesthetist successful Lebanon’s largest hospital.

Speaking days earlier the astir caller escalation successful attacks, helium told the BBC helium had been granted custody by a Lebanese court, and would not beryllium returning David to his mother.

"I americium Lebanese, I unrecorded successful Lebanon, I obey for Lebanese laws, that’s it".

Dr Nahle added: "I consciousness David is harmless and I person immoderate information measures.

"The world, successful our lives, we don’t person the 100 percent safety, successful UK they don’t person it, successful Belfast they person riots, they person radical riots too."

David’s parents joined successful 2021 but the location bureau rejected Dr Nahle's exertion for a visitant visa to the UK.

After their matrimony broke down, Dr Nahle took David from Ms Flanagan, citing concerns for his son’s safety.

In 2023, the High Court successful Belfast awarded Catherine custody and ordered Dr Nahle to instrumentality David to unrecorded successful Northern Ireland.

That did not happen.

Ms Flanagan told the BBC she fears her lad is astatine hazard successful the country.

“I can't judge that his father, who does emotion him, would bash specified a happening to me, would bash specified a happening to David.”

Miceál O‘Hurley is an autarkic mediator betwixt David’s parents, and thinks the escalation successful unit whitethorn alteration Dr Nahle's thinking.

“I judge that Mustapha and his household emotion this child. If you've seen a video of him, he's happy, bouncy, chubby-cheeked.

“He loves his son. But present it's astir putting his needs first,” helium said.

Mr O’Hurley besides believes the authorities should beryllium doing much to guarantee David is evacuated from the country.

“The authorities is truthful acrophobic we person present a level 4 evacuation for each British citizens.

“It ought not to instrumentality a crushed war, oregon missiles falling connected your head, oregon dying due to the fact that a pager explodes successful the spot adjacent doorway to get america to marshal our attraction to prevention a child.”

Spotlight: My Son In A Warzone is disposable connected BBC iPlayer and is connected BBC One NI connected Tuesday astatine 22:40 BST.