UN: More than 76,000 displaced in Lebanon as Israel border clashes escalate

More than 76,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon due to the military escalation between Hezbollah and Israel in the border region in the south of the country, coinciding with the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, according to figures reported by the International Organization for Migration, a UN agency.

The border area between Lebanon and Israel has been witnessing daily exchanges of shelling since the outbreak of the war between the Israeli state and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 7.

In a new report on Thursday, the International Organization for Migration stated that the escalation across the borders between Israel and Lebanon has led to the displacement of 76,018 people within the south, including the border region, the capital Beirut, and the nearby Baabda area. It noted that nearly 81 percent are currently residing with their relatives.

The organization added that only two percent of the displaced stay in 14 collective shelters distributed in the south, especially in the coastal city of Tyre (south) and Hasbaya (southeast). The rest have rented apartments or moved to live in other houses they own farther from the tense border regions.

The exchange of shelling on the border has resulted in the death of at least 175 people on the Lebanese side, including 129 members of the Hezbollah.

AFP