At least 30,000 displaced people in shelters in Lebanon, more on the way
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Emergency personnel working at the site of an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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GENEVA – At least 30,000 people have sought protection in shelters in Lebanon since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalated
The Israeli army has been conducting air strikes across Lebanon since March 2, after Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel late on March 1, in reaction to US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
“Conservative estimates suggest that nearly 30,000 people were hosted and registered at collective shelters,” said UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch.
“Many more slept in their cars on the side of roads or were still stuck in traffic jams.”
The number of displaced people will grow much higher, and so far 21 shelters have been opened by the Lebanese government, the UN World Food Programme said.
There has also been an increase in the number of Syrian refugees moving from Lebanon back into Syria, UNHCR said, adding that it was putting a contingency plan in place in case of possible further influx.
Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about four million Lebanese.
More than six million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Children in Lebanon’s residential areas are being put in immediate danger by Israeli air strikes, and seven children have been killed and 38 injured since March 2, UN children’s agency UNICEF said.
“Each new escalation expands the circle of harm. Residential areas, schools and critical infrastructure are being affected,” UNICEF spokesman Ricardo Pires said. REUTERS
