Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis is deepening so fast that the United Nations says it now needs more than twice the funding it originally sought, as the war moves into a fourth month and civilian suffering mounts across the country.
Lebanon was pulled into the broader regional conflict in early March, when Hezbollah militants launched rockets at Israel in what it described as solidarity with Iran, which was under attack from the US and Israel. Israel responded with a major air and ground campaign.
Hezbollah’s attack followed the killing of Iran’s supreme leader on 28 February.
“In the past three months, communities across Lebanon have faced an appalling situation due to the escalation of hostilities,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza said.
“The toll on civilians is alarming and worsening by the day.”
In response, the UN said it will roll out a new aid appeal alongside the Lebanese government, seeking an additional $331.5m (€285m) to assist 1.4 million people. That would push the overall request to $639.9m (€550m).
As of 31 May, the UN said it had received $185.9m (€160m).
Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,500 people since 2 March, though the figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Hunger is also rising sharply. The UN estimates nearly one in four people in Lebanon – about 1.24 million – will face crisis and emergency levels of food insecurity until August.
Mr Riza recounted meeting a family in the southern city of Tyre, an area that has been heavily hit by Israeli strikes, who had been displaced five times during the fighting.
He said airstrikes have damaged hospitals and clinics, while agricultural land has been scorched.
A US-brokered ceasefire announced on Wednesday, which was contingent on Hezbollah leaving southern areas, was rejected by the militant group, and Israel said it would not withdraw troops from the country.
Israeli strikes kill seven in south Lebanon
Overnight strikes on Tyre left seven people dead, according to a civila defence source.
Four were killed in an attack near Jabal Amel hospital. The source said seven people were wounded and the facility suffered light damage.
In a separate strike in a residential area, three people were killed and five injured, including two children.
Jabal Amel hospital has been hit repeatedly during the war, most recently on Monday, when four people were killed and 127 wounded, including 39 staff.
The Israeli military issued new evacuation warnings for nine towns and villages in southern Lebanon, and Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported residents were fleeing.
After Israeli orders told people to leave most of Tyre, many have crowded into the city’s small Old City — an area that has avoided evacuation warnings and strikes and includes the Christian quarter.
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With shelters already full, some displaced families have been sleeping in cars or tents, but many have since moved on after the Israeli army said on Tuesday that Hezbollah members were operating in the area, according to reports.
On Wednesday night, a drone strike hit near a park in Tyre where dozens of displaced Syrians had been staying in tents, a correspondent said.
In the city, locals have organised a petition urging that Tyre be declared an “open city” — free of any armed presence except Lebanon’s military.
The petition has drawn around 250 signatures, including from lawyers and intellectuals.
Hezbollah maintains a strong presence in Tyre, and some of those who signed have faced online attacks over their position.
More than 500 people have also signed a separate petition for Nabatieh, another major city in south Lebanon that has also come under Israeli attack.
