Nearly 700,000 displaced in a week in Lebanon amid escalating conflict: UN refugee agency

Nearly 700,000 people have been displaced across Lebanon in just over a week as the conflict escalates, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday.

Karolina Lindholm Billing, the UNHCR representative in Lebanon, told reporters in Geneva that the crisis has rapidly uprooted families following intensified airstrikes and evacuation warnings issued on March 2 for residents in more than 53 villages and densely populated areas.

"Lives have been upended on a massive scale," she said.

According to Lebanese authorities, more than 667,000 people have registered on the government's online displacement platform, an increase of over 100,000 in a single day, with numbers continuing to rise.

About 120,000 displaced people are currently sheltering in government-designated collective sites, Billing noted, while many others are staying with relatives or searching for accommodation after fleeing their homes with few belongings.

The violence has also triggered cross-border movement into neighboring Syria. Syrian authorities report that over 78,000 Syrians and more than 7,700 Lebanese have entered Syria since the escalation began, she said.

Billing said many families are experiencing repeated displacement after previous hostilities in 2024, leaving civilians traumatized and fearful.

UNHCR, the representative said, has delivered around 168,000 emergency relief items to more than 63,000 displaced people across over 270 shelters but warned its Lebanon response is only 14% funded.

"Every day this conflict continues, more suffering is inflicted on hundreds of thousands of civilians, while Lebanon and the region are further destabilized," she warned.

"Civilians must be protected at all times, and safe, unhindered humanitarian access must be guaranteed so aid can reach those who need it most," she concluded.