UN official highlights escalating humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, with 3.7 million in need

HAMILTON, Canada

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon warned Tuesday over the worsening situation in Lebanon, saying that at least 3.7 million people need assistance.

"Over the past three weeks, tensions have been at their highest peak," Imran Riza told reporters during a virtual news conference, emphasizing that "the urgency of de-escalating tensions cannot be overstated."

Saying that nearly 200,000 people have been displaced due to exchanges of fire across the Blue Line that marks the frontier between south Lebanon and northern Israel, Riza said that over 110,000 of them are in Lebanon.

Riza noted the dire conditions in South Lebanon, where shelling and airstrikes have killed at least 130 civilians, including 10 Syrian nationals over the past weekend.

"More needs to be done to end these hostilities, to find a diplomatic, political solution, and immediately and continuously to protect civilians and humanitarian workers," he said.

He further outlined the broader humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, saying that those in need have reached 3.7 million people, including Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and other migrants.

Despite a severe lack of funding, where only 25% of the UN's annual appeal has been met, Riza commended the efforts of the humanitarian community that have reached 1 million people with assistance in 2024.

"We need $110 million to finance the ongoing response for up to 290,000 conflict-affected people in Lebanon," he added.

Urging a diplomatic and political solution to the crisis, Riza warned that "a full-scale war in Lebanon would be devastating."

Fears of a full-fledged war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah group have grown amid an exchange of cross-border attacks, especially after the July 30 assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

The escalation comes against the backdrop of a deadly Israeli onslaught on Gaza which has killed over 40,100 people since last October following an attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.