Israa Seblani

Seblani was born in 1991 in Baalbek, Lebanon.[1] She moved to Beirut in September 2009.[1] She moved to Moscow, graduating from a Russian high school in 2010.[1] She returned to Lebanon to attend Beirut Arab University, where she studied medicine.[1] Her sister, Doaa, also attended the university to study dentistry.[1] Seblani interned at Hammoud Hospital University Medical Center in Saïda.[1][2]

In 2013 immigrated to the United States, moving to Michigan City, Indiana.[1] She then moved to Troy, Michigan to complete a residency in endocrinology at a hospital in Detroit.[1][3]

Seblani met Ahmad Sbeih, a businessman who owns two clothing stores, in November 2016 at a Starbucks in Beirut, while she was visiting family.[4] They became engaged on 25 July 2017.[1] She and her husband had been waiting three years to get married, due to protests in Lebanon, the COVID-19 pandemic, and since her husband had been unable to obtain an immigrant visa to leave Lebanon and come to the United States.[5] 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.[6] Seblani has been pleading with federal government officials in the United States to speed up her husband's visa.[5] She returned to Lebanon in July 2020 for her wedding.[1][7]

On 4 August 2020, Seblani was posing for bridal portraits outside of Le Grey Hotel in Saifi Village before her wedding.[4][8] During the photoshoot an explosion occurred at the Port of Beirut, less than a mile away from where Seblani was standing.[4][8][9] The explosion, caused by more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, killed at least 145 people and left over 5,000 people injured.[10][11][12][13] Her videographer, Mamoud Nakid, captured the detonation taking place on camera.[14][3][15][16] Her fiancé, Ahmad Sbeih, had stepped away from the photoshoot to grab waters for her and the photographer.[5] Immediately after the blast, Sbeih ran to retrieve Seblani, taking shelter in a nearby restaurant.[5] The couple sustained no physical injuries from the explosion.[5] After calling her family, Seblani ran out to provide medical care to other victims of the blast.[5][17][18][19] They were married in a ceremony after the explosion.[10][20]

The video of Seblani's photography session during which the explosion occurred became a viral video on the internet.[21][22][23]

Seblani has stated that she loves Lebanon, but feels that after the explosion, living there is not an option due to safety concerns.[17][24][10] She returned to the United States in September 2020.[25] After the explosion, Seblani and her husband have received support in the immigration process from U.S. Senator Gary Peters and U.S. Congresswoman Haley Stevens.[25]

She is a dual citizen of the United States and Lebanon.[26][27]