Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that the country could witness an unprecedented displacement crisis, with “up to one million people potentially forced to flee their homes” amid ongoing Israeli strikes.
Following an emergency cabinet meeting in Beirut, Mikati emphasized that Lebanon’s only option is to pursue “diplomatic efforts to halt the aggression.”
He warned that the displacement, particularly from southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region, could worsen, marking “the largest wave of displacement in the country’s history.”
This comes as the World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Sunday that it has launched an emergency operation to provide meals for up to one million people impacted by the Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
The conflict has escalated in recent days. On 17 September, a series of explosions involving communication devices used by Hezbollah members and their relatives occurred across Lebanon, killing 39 people and injuring over 200 individuals. Hezbollah has accused Israel of carrying out the attacks, though Israeli officials have not commented.
The following day, Israeli forces launched an airstrike in Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and several militia leaders.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a deadly exchange of cross-border fire since Israel’s war on Gaza began on 7 October.
In recent days, Israel has intensified its focus on Lebanon, with airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions, according to the Israeli military. Since Israel increased its airstrikes on 23 September, more than 720 people have been killed in Lebanon, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes in southern Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh.
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