️ The Israeli military has ordered all civilians in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate their homes and move north beyond the Litani River. This directive was issued as part of Israel's plans to bomb what it describes as Hezbollah targets, intensifying a wave of mass displacement across the country and raising fears of a broader humanitarian catastrophe.
️ Al Jazeera correspondent Bernard Smith reported from the Lebanese capital Beirut that “tens of thousands of people are being forced north”. According to the latest figures from Lebanon's Ministry of Social Affairs, at least 83,000 people have been displaced from their homes since Israel renewed airstrikes on the country earlier this week, with these numbers reflecting only the situation over the past few days.
️ Lebanon's Health Ministry stated that at least 72 people, including seven children, have been killed and 437 others wounded in the Israeli attacks, which have targeted not only southern regions but also areas of the capital Beirut. Israeli forces pushed deeper into Lebanese territory on Monday, launching a ground invasion alongside aerial bombardments, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.
️ Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr said on Wednesday that Israel is widening the scope of its assaults, leveling at least five residential buildings in the city's southern suburbs. She described a scene of chaos: “There are Israeli warplanes, the constant buzzing of Israeli drones, and people receiving phone calls telling them to evacuate their buildings. There is panic in Lebanon about where this conflict is heading.”
️ Hezbollah announced more than a dozen military operations against Israel on Wednesday, including rocket launches and direct clashes with Israeli troops, as it stepped up the tempo of its retaliatory strikes. Aid groups have warned that the renewed fighting will have dire consequences for a Lebanese population already reeling from a steady barrage of Israeli attacks since October 2023, when Israel began its military campaign in Gaza.
️ The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Wednesday that tens of thousands of people were already uprooted from their homes before this week's attacks began. In a statement, UNICEF noted that “over 12,000 families found refuge in over 300 shelters opened nationwide, with dozens already at full capacity”, highlighting the strain on Lebanon's already fragile infrastructure.
️ Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam asserted that his government would “spare no effort” to end the war and assist displaced families in returning to their homes. During a news conference, he emphasized, “Our people who had to leave their homes are not responsible for what has befallen them. They are victims – victims of policies not of their making.”
️ According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, President Joseph Aoun asked the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon during a meeting on Wednesday to urge Washington to intervene to halt the Israeli attacks. The U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, which Iranian news agency Tasnim reports has killed over 1,000 people in Iran since Saturday, has fueled a spiraling crisis across the Middle East, with retaliatory strikes exacerbating regional instability.
Source: www.aljazeera.com