‘Hundreds displaced overnight’ as airstrikes destroy humanitarian facilities in Lebanon
“Late last night, hundreds of people were reportedly displaced in Beirut and across the country following Israeli displacement orders identifying a social finance network affiliated with Hezbollah,” said Farhan Haq, UN Deputy Spokesperson, briefing journalists in New York on Monday.
The scale of displacement has overwhelmed available shelters. “As of the weekend, nearly 1,100 collective shelters have opened in Lebanon hosting some 192,000 displaced people. More than 900 of these shelters are already at full capacity,” Mr Haq added.
The highest percentage of those internally displaced has been recorded in Beirut and Mount Lebanon Governorate, he said.
Facilities destroyed
The airstrikes have also damaged crucial humanitarian infrastructures. “As a result of one of these airstrikes in the southern suburbs of the capital last night, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA-supported safe space for women and girls was destroyed, alongside a primary healthcare centre,” Mr Haq reported.
He added that the facility “had provided counselling services, legal aid and referrals for hundreds of women at risk and survivors of gender-based violence in one of Beirut’s most vulnerable communities.”
In Beirut, Bekaa and Mount Lebanon, 10 facilities supported by UNFPA – including primary healthcare sites, safe spaces, and mobile maternity units – have closed due to insecurity.
Aid efforts continue
Despite these challenges, UN humanitarian partners continue to provide aid across Lebanon. “Today, a six-truck aid convoy – supported by UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP) and OCHA – brought humanitarian supplies to Jaboule town, in Baalbek Governorate.
This was the “first such delivery since September,” Mr. Haq said.
The convoy brought enough food supplies to support 1,000 people for two months, along with five days’ worth of ready-to-eat meals. UNICEF provided water bottles, mattresses, blankets and other items – including first aid and hygiene kits for the three shelters in Jaboule town.
Urgent call for health support
At the briefing, Mr. Haq also noted that “health authorities in Baalbek and Bekka governorates have issued an urgent call for support to strengthen health infrastructure in hard-to reach areas.”
The conflict’s impact extends beyond Lebanon’s borders. The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 800,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, more than 420,000 people have crossed into Syria, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, with nearly 17,000 people arriving to seek shelter in Iraq.