Tensions continue to surge along the Lebanon-Syria border as nearly 90,000 individuals have been forced to flee their homes within the last 72 hours, the UN Refugee Agency reported.
The massive displacement followed Israeli shelling aimed at Hezbollah strongholds in response to attacks on Israeli territories, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv.
The crisis coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s arrival in New York for the UN General Assembly, intensifying global attention on the region’s instability.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, addressing the Security Council, warned of the deteriorating situation. “Hell is breaking loose in Lebanon,” he said, highlighting the severe increase in hostilities along the UN-patrolled blue line.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN Peacekeeping, in a video message from New York, expressed grave concerns about the escalation: “Hundreds are dead, and thousands injured in recent days,” Lacroix reported, stressing the extreme danger faced by both Lebanese and Israeli populations.
According to UNHCR, the displaced, including many women, children, and men, are now seeking refuge in Syria. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s representative in Syria, observed the dire circumstances firsthand.
“Literally thousands of families…they are crossing into Syria, where we are working to provide immediate relief,” he said. Essentials like water, food, and blankets are being distributed at the border in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
The recent spate of violence has heightened regional security concerns, with the UN and other international entities scrambling to mediate and propose ceasefires.
However, a 21-day ceasefire suggested by the US, France, and several Arab nations was reportedly rejected by members of Netanyahu’s government.
Inside Lebanon, the Interior Ministry’s latest figures indicate that 70,100 internally displaced persons are now sheltered across 533 government-run centers.
The total number of displaced people has reached approximately 500,000 following months of escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The latest reports confirm over 600 deaths and 1,835 injuries due to the conflict.
