Week of Israeli attacks displaces nearly 700,000 in Lebanon: UNHCR
UN refugee agency warns the humanitarian crisis is rapidly deepening as air strikes and evacuation orders by Israeli military force hundreds of thousands from their homes.
Nearly 700,000 people have been displaced across Lebanon in just over a week as the conflict intensifies, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Karolina Lindholm Billing, the agency’s representative in Lebanon, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that intensified air strikes and evacuation warnings issued on March 2 for residents in more than 53 villages and densely populated areas have triggered a massive wave of displacement.
“Lives have been upended on a massive scale,” she said.
Lebanese authorities report that more than 667,000 people have registered on the government’s displacement platform, with the figure jumping by more than 100,000 in a single day and continuing to rise.
Families forced to flee again
According to the UN agency, about 120,000 displaced people are currently sheltering in government-designated collective sites, while many others are staying with relatives or searching for accommodation after fleeing their homes with few belongings.
The violence has also pushed thousands across the border into Syria.
Syrian authorities say more than 78,000 Syrians and over 7,700 Lebanese have entered the country since the escalation began.
Billing warned that many families are experiencing repeated displacement after previous hostilities in 2024, leaving civilians traumatised and uncertain about their future.
Aid stretched thin
UNHCR says it has distributed around 168,000 emergency relief items to more than 63,000 displaced people across more than 270 shelters, but funding gaps are hampering the response.
The agency’s Lebanon appeal is currently only 14 percent funded.
“Every day this conflict continues, more suffering is inflicted on hundreds of thousands of civilians,” Billing said, warning that the crisis risks further destabilising Lebanon and the wider region.
She urged all parties to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian aid can reach those in need.
Death toll from Israeli strikes nears 500
The death toll from Israel's attacks on Lebanon since last Monday rose to 486, with 1,313 people injured, the Lebanese health ministry said.
The Health Emergency Operations Centre, affiliated with the ministry, said in a statement that the number of fatalities from the Israeli assaults since March 2 rose to 486, and 1,313 people have been wounded.