In recent days, Israel has intensified its offensive in Lebanon, targeting the Hezbollah militia, supported by Iran.
Analysts cited by Sky News say that Lebanon is threatened by a „major humanitarian crisis,” considering that tens of thousands of people are fleeing attacks within the narrow and densely populated country.
Here's what you need to know about the imminent crisis:
Why is Israel attacking Lebanon?
Israel has used Hezbollah's retaliatory attacks for the American-Israeli strikes on Iran as a pretext for a large-scale attack on Lebanon, following its 2024 war against the militia.
Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir stated this week that Israel will "take advantage of every opportunity" to eliminate the threat posed by Hezbollah to its border region and to disarm the militia.
Bezalel Smotrich, an Israeli far-right minister, threatened that certain parts of Beirut "will look like Khan Younis," a city in Gaza destroyed by Israeli attacks.
Which areas of Lebanon are affected
Israeli evacuation orders have been unusually extensive, covering large parts of the country, including the southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, and eastern and southern areas.
The scale of displacement is "unprecedented" in Lebanon, warned Imran Riza, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon.
Approximately 100,000 people were already crammed into just 477 shelters, he told Reuters, with the number expected to rapidly increase. But only 57 shelters have space left.
Regional analyst Elizabeth Tsurkov stated that the majority were Shiite Muslims living in the targeted areas.
Why is this an "unprecedented crisis"?
Tsurkov stated that the events represent "a major humanitarian crisis" due to several factors that have worsened the situation more than in previous wars:
- The space is limited by Israel to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the west, and Syria to the north and east, which blocks Lebanese refugees from the fall of the Assad regime;
- Fewer and fewer Lebanese are renting places to displaced Shiite Muslims, and fewer municipalities are opening public spaces, as Hezbollah officials hiding in Christian and Druze areas have been previously targeted by Israel;
- The Lebanese state is "bankrupt" and unable to provide much assistance to the displaced, while Hezbollah struggles to provide services as it was largely incapacitated in the 2024 war with Israel.