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Israeli Airstrikes Force Evacuations in Lebanon Amid Escalating Conflict
As Israeli airstrikes continue to intensify across various regions in Lebanon, entire border towns in the southern and northern Bekaa regions (eastern Lebanon) have been evacuated.
The United Nations Refugee Agency announced today that 25% of Lebanon is currently under direct Israeli military evacuation orders. A representative from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Lebanon reported that multiple challenges are hindering the delivery of humanitarian goods to the country.
Furthermore, a senior official from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that over 400,000 Lebanese children have been displaced in the past three weeks alone, warning of a potential "lost generation" in this small country already grappling with multiple crises, particularly economic, and now burdened by the threat of war.
Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action, who visited various schools transformed into shelters for displaced families yesterday, stated, “What shocked me is that this war has lasted three weeks but has already affected an extraordinarily large number of children.” He added, “As we sit here today, half of the children are deprived of education. Their public schools are either inaccessible, damaged due to the war, or being used as shelters,” according to the Associated Press.
He further stressed, "The last thing this country needs, in addition to everything it has endured, is the risk of losing a generation." These alarming warnings from international organizations come as Israel has escalated its campaign against Hezbollah since September, conducting heavy airstrikes in various areas, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, the south, the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon), and even the north.
Israel has also launched what it described as "limited ground operations" in the south, attempting to penetrate several towns. Thus far, these airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 civilians.
The conflict that has erupted since October 8 between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has led to the displacement of approximately 1.2 million people from their homes, with most fleeing over the past three weeks.
