Israa Al Seblani (born 1991) is a Lebanese-American physician and endocrinologist. She is a survivor of the

2020 Beirut explosion On 4 August 2020, a major explosion occurred in Beirut, Lebanon, triggered by the ignition of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate. The chemical, confiscated in 2014 from the cargo ship and stored at the Port of Beirut without adequate safety me ...

that occurred on 4 August 2020. Later that month, a video went viral of Seblani having her bridal portraits taken when the explosion occurred.

Biography

Seblani interned at Hammoud Hospital University Medical Center in

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

. In 2013, she immigrated to the United States, moving to

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 32,075 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Lake Michigan in the Michiana region, the city is about east of Chicago and is west o ...

then moved to

Troy, Michigan Troy is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Troy is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 87,294, ...

to complete a residency in

endocrinology Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the ...

at a hospital in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Seblani met Ahmad Sbeih, a businessman who owns two clothing stores, in November 2016 at a

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in Beirut, while she was visiting family. She and her husband had been waiting three years to get married, due to protests in Lebanon, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and since her husband had been unable to obtain an immigrant visa to leave Lebanon and come to the United States. They had originally wanted to get married in the United States, but chose to have the wedding in Lebanon due to difficulty obtaining a visa for Sbeih. Seblani has been pleading with federal government officials in the United States to speed up her husband's visa. She returned to Lebanon in July 2020 for her wedding. On 4 August 2020, Seblani was posing for bridal portraits outside of the Le Grey Hotel in

Saifi Village Saifi Village is an upscale residential neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. Saifi Village is located at the southeastern periphery of Centre Ville. The village is bordered by Rue Charles Debbas to the south, Rue George Haddad to the east, Rue ...

before her wedding. During the photoshoot an

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

occurred at the

Port of Beirut The Port of Beirut () is the main port in Lebanon on the eastern part of the Saint George Bay on Beirut's northern Mediterranean coast, west of the Beirut River. It is one of the largest and busiest ports on the Eastern Mediterranean. On 4 Augu ...

, less than a mile away from where Seblani was standing. The explosion, caused by more than 2,700 tonnes of

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, but does not form hydrates. It is predominantly us ...

, killed at least 145 people and left over 5,000 people injured. Her videographer, Mahmoud Nakib, captured the detonation taking place on camera. Her fiancé, Ahmad Sbeih, had stepped away from the photoshoot to grab waters for her and the photographer. Immediately after the blast, Sbeih ran to retrieve Seblani, taking shelter in a nearby restaurant. The couple sustained no physical injuries from the explosion. After calling her family, Seblani ran out to provide medical care to other victims of the blast. They were married in a ceremony after the explosion. The video of Seblani's photography session during which the explosion occurred became a

viral video Viral videos are video, videos that become popular through viral phenomenon, a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhon ...

on the internet. Seblani has stated that she loves Lebanon, but feels that after the explosion, living there is not an option due to safety concerns. She returned to the United States in September 2020. After the explosion, Seblani and her husband have received support in the immigration process from U.S. Senator

Gary Peters Gary Charles Peters (born December 1, 1958) is an American lawyer, politician, and former military officer serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Michigan, a seat he has hel ...

and U.S. Congresswoman

Haley Stevens Haley Maria Stevens (born June 24, 1983) is an American politician serving her fourth term as the U.S. representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, Stevens represents most of urbanized Oakland County, including many of ...

. She is a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seblani, Israa Living people 1991 births 2020 Beirut explosion American endocrinologists Beirut Arab University alumni Lebanese emigrants to the United States Lebanese endocrinologists People from Baalbek Viral videos Women endocrinologists