A new humanitarian crisis is unfolding at Lebanon's border with Syria as thousands of people flee Israeli shelling linked to the war in Gaza, UN humanitarians said on Thursday, just as Israel premier Benyamin Netanyahu arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.
Only hours earlier, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned the Security Council that "hell is breaking loose in Lebanon" along the UN-patrolled line of separation, with exchanges of fire greater in "scope, depth and intensity" than previously.
That warning came as US President Joe Biden told the world's leaders gathered at UN headquarters on Wednesday that an "all-out" war was possible between Hezbollah and Israel, while the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, reported people fleeing from Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in the early hours of Thursday morning, in response to attacks on Israel which included a first attempted missile strike on Tel Aviv.
"Literally thousands of families of Syrian and also Lebanese are crossing into Syria…they are women, children, men," said UNHCR Representative in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, as the Israeli military announced strikes on more than 70 targets overnight in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and in southern Lebanon. Both areas are believed to be Hezbollah strongholds.
Border stress
Standing amid vehicles laden with belongings strapped to the roof and countless people queuing in long lines on the Syrian side of the border, Mr. Vargas Lllosa said that UNHCR was working with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide water, food, blankets and mattresses - "because many of them will be spending the night here at the border while they are processed".
According to media reports, a 21-day ceasefire proposal by the US, European allies including France and several Arab nations has been rejected by members of Mr. Netanyahu's government.
Latest data from Lebanon's interior ministry indicates that 70,100 internally displaced people are now registered inside 533 government-run centres. Some 500,000 people have been displaced following months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanese authorities said.
UNHCR said that it was continuing to coordinate closely with the authorities and other humanitarian organizations to provide relief to people uprooted from their homes inside Lebanon. "Our teams are on standby to help more civilians who have fled the airstrikes, providing shelter, health care and psychosocial support," the UN agency said on Thursday.
Echoing solidarity with those impacted by the strikes, the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, appealed for "more shelters and more funds" to provide critical support to those in need. "We are on the ground distributing emergency hygiene kits, blankets, sleeping bags, and dignity kits in displacement shelters. Our team is working tirelessly to support displaced families."
Citing the Lebanese authorities, UNHCR said that more than 90,000 people have been displaced since 23 September and "more are abandoning their homes by the minute".
The latest hostilities have killed more than 600 people and injured 1,835.
