BEIRUT: The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) chief said on Saturday that over 50,000 people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon amid escalating Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.
Filippo Grandi stated on X that “more than 50,000 Lebanese and Syrians living in Lebanon have now crossed into Syria fleeing Israeli airstrikes.”
He further said that “well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon.” A UNHCR spokesman confirmed that the total number of displaced persons in Lebanon has reached 211,319, with 118,000 displaced since Israel significantly intensified its airstrikes on Monday.
The rest of the displaced individuals had fled their homes following low-intensity cross-border attacks by Hezbollah militants, which began a day after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, sparking conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has shifted its military focus from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombing has resulted in over 700 deaths, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Most of these fatalities occurred on Monday, marking the deadliest day of violence since Lebanon’s civil war from 1975 to 1990.
Grandi mentioned that “relief operations are underway, including by UNHCR, to assist all those in need, in coordination with both governments.”
