The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Friday of a potential “humanitarian catastrophe” in Lebanon, citing ongoing Israeli military operations and the displacement of over 1.2 million people. The agency’s statement comes amid an escalation of hostilities that began after Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israeli territory following the reported assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader on February 28.
Speaking at a news briefing in Geneva, Karolina Lindholm Billing, the UNHCR representative in Lebanon, stated that Israeli strikes and evacuation orders have affected populations from southern Lebanon to the Bekaa Valley and the capital, Beirut.
“The situation remains extremely worrying and the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe … is real,” Lindholm Billing told reporters. According to United Nations figures, more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon have been displaced since early March.
Lindholm Billing noted that Lebanon’s shelter system is struggling to accommodate the rising number of displaced families. “Just last week, there were strikes that hit central Beirut, including in densely populated neighbourhoods … where many people had tried to find safety in collective shelters,” she said. “The families are … living in constant fear, and the psychological toll, particularly on children, will last far beyond this current escalation.”
On Friday, the Israeli military announced it had begun a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut and issued additional evacuation orders for several areas in the city’s southern suburbs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated plans to expand the country’s ground operation in southern Lebanon to create what he described as “a larger buffer zone” in Lebanese territory.
In response, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said this week that the group would continue its operations against what he called “an enemy that occupies land and continues daily aggression.”
The expanding military operations have drawn attention from international rights organizations. Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Thursday that preventing Lebanese civilians from returning to their homes could constitute the war crime of forced displacement. “Israel’s tactics of mass expulsion in Lebanon raise serious risks of forced displacement,” the organization stated.
Humanitarian access to southern Lebanon has been significantly impacted by the destruction of infrastructure. Lindholm Billing reported that the destruction of key bridges has complicated aid delivery. “The destruction of key bridges in the south has cut off entire districts … isolating over 150,000 people and severely limiting humanitarian access with essential items to reach them,” she said.
Reports from southern Lebanon indicate that the new evacuation orders have affected areas previously considered safe, increasing difficulties for residents seeking to evacuate.
