The UN says over 667,000 people are now displaced in Lebanon, with 100,000 fleeing in just 24 hours amid intense Israeli strikes and evacuation orders.
GENEVA: Israeli strikes and mass evacuation orders have forced nearly 700,000 people to flee their homes in Lebanon in just over a week, with more than 100,000 displaced in a single 24-hour period, the United Nations said.
UNHCR representative in Lebanon Karolina Lindholm Billing stated that lives have been upended on a massive scale since the new escalation began.
She explained that Israeli air strikes and warnings to residents of dozens of villages have forced families across Lebanon to flee within minutes.
Billing pointed out that more than 667,000 people in Lebanon have now registered on the government’s online platform as displaced.
“This is an increase of 100,000 in just one day,” she said, stressing that this represents a faster pace of displacement compared to the conflict in 2024.
The displacement crisis follows Lebanon being drawn into the broader Middle East war last week when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel.
Lebanese authorities said on Monday that Israeli attacks since March 2 have killed at least 486 people and wounded at least 1,313 others.
The UN children’s agency UNICEF confirmed that 84 of those killed were children.
Billing noted that around 120,000 of the displaced are sheltering in government-designated collective sites, while many others are staying with relatives or are still searching for accommodation.
“Many — often displaced for the second time since the hostilities in 2024 — fled in a rush with almost nothing, seeking safety in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, northern districts and parts of the Bekaa,” she added.
The UN representative also cited Syrian authorities, stating that more than 78,000 Syrians had returned to their home country from Lebanon since the latest war began, while over 7,700 Lebanese had also crossed the border.
She warned that UNHCR’s operations in Lebanon are currently only 14% funded, despite the agency rushing to replenish its stocks of essential items.
“Fast and sustained international solidarity is critical to enable us to support the Lebanese government and authorities in responding to the emerging needs,” Billing concluded.
