Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced on Monday that Israeli air strikes across the country have displaced as many as one million people. This comes as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah intensify, following Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
In a devastating series of airstrikes on Sunday, over 50 people were killed in Lebanon. Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia group, has responded by firing rockets into northern Israel, further escalating the conflict. Hezbollah also confirmed that two top commanders, Ali Karaki and Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, were among those killed in the strikes.
The violence is part of a broader campaign by Israel against Iranian-backed groups in the region. On Sunday, Israel launched “large-scale” airstrikes on military targets in Yemen, targeting the Iran-backed Houthi movement in response to missile attacks. Four people were killed in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, with Israel citing the destruction of Iranian weapons facilities as its primary objective.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces carried out another airstrike in Beirut’s Kola neighbourhood, killing three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The PFLP identified the victims as Mohammad Abdel-Aal, Imad Odeh, and Abdel Rahman Abdel-Aal, key figures in the group’s military structure.
The displacement of Lebanese civilians has overwhelmed local resources, with shelters and hospitals under immense pressure. Reports from the ground describe families fleeing destroyed homes, with many forced to take refuge in unsafe, under-construction buildings or seek shelter outside Lebanon.
For Aya Ayoub, 25, fleeing her home in Beirut’s southern suburb was an agonising decision. “All the buildings around us are destroyed,” she told the BBC. She now shelters in an overcrowded house with 16 others, reliant on candles and external food sources.
The displacement crisis has extended beyond Lebanon’s borders. Sara Tohmaz, a journalist, fled with her family through Syria to Jordan. “We are lucky to have a place to stay in Jordan,” she said. “But we don’t know what will happen next.”
The hostilities escalated after the October 8 Hamas attack on Israel, with Hezbollah entering the fray in solidarity with the Palestinians. Hundreds of lives have been lost since, with thousands more displaced on both sides of the border.
The mounting violence has sparked international concerns of a broader Middle East conflict. U.S. President Joe Biden has warned against an all-out war involving Hezbollah or Iran, cautioning that such a conflict could leave northern Israel uninhabitable.
Follow us on:
