More than half a million people have fled Lebanon into Syria as Israel-Hezbollah conflict escalates
Since September 23, more than half a million people have fled from Lebanon into Syria amid intensified Israeli strikes, according to Lebanon’s Disaster Risk Management Unit (DRMU).
Among those crossing the border, 348,237 are Syrian citizens and 156,505 are Lebanese citizens. The authorities have documented at least 190,975 internally displaced individuals in approved shelters, though the actual number is likely much higher.
The DRMU has implemented psychosocial support programs and protective measures for children, women, people with disabilities, and the elderly in these shelters.
The unit reported that in the past 24 hours, there were “125 airstrikes and shelling incidents recorded across various areas of Lebanon, primarily in the South and Nabatiyeh,” raising the total number of attacks since the escalation began to 11,085.
The Lebanese health ministry stated that at least 41 people were killed and 133 others injured due to Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours.
Regarding cross-border activity, Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in strikes against each other for over a year. On Friday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces reported that approximately “45 projectiles fired by Hezbollah crossed from Lebanon into Israel.”
Israel has evacuated around 60,000 residents from northern Israel since Hezbollah began launching rockets on October 8 of last year, following deadly attacks by Hamas.
Additionally, Israeli airstrikes near Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria resulted in the closure of the Al-Qaa and Masnaa border crossings, according to a Lebanese official and the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Israel stated it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
