More than 1.2 million people are currently in the Lebanese territory as refugees or displaced persons as a result of Israeli bombardment of the southern regions of the country and air raids on Beirut, a spokesman for the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) said, Report informs via TASS.
“Now more than 1.2 million Lebanese people are considered refugees or displaced persons. There is a high probability that this number will increase due to Israel’s continued aggression,” the Al Ekhbariya TV quoted the spokesman as saying. He added that “the humanitarian needs of the displaced are immense and require the cooperation of all stakeholders to deal with the situation.”
Earlier, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that there are currently more than 690,000 displaced persons in Lebanon and about 400,000 more refugees, most of whom have moved to neighboring Syria.
According to the channel, the Israeli forces, as part of their operation in Lebanon, demanded that the residents leave their settlements and neighborhoods, which make up about a quarter of the country’s territory.
Israel has been delivering massive airstrikes on Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon since September 23, when it launched Operation Northern Arrows.
Israel’s declared goal is to create safe conditions in the country’s northern areas so that tens of thousands of local residents could return to their homes.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was reportedly killed in Israel’s strike on Beirut on September 27.