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Lebanon Sees Mass Displacement Amid Israel And Hezbollah Conflict
Over 500,000 displaced as Israel escalates attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Beirut Lebanon by Unsplash
Over half a million people have been forced from their homes in Lebanon after renewed fighting erupted between Hezbollah and Israel in the wake of the United States and Israel’s war with Iran, Lebanese officials said.
Speaking at a press briefing on Sunday, Lebanon’s Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said that 517,000 people had registered as displaced through an online platform run by the ministry since clashes resumed earlier in the week. Among them, 117,228 people are currently being housed in government-operated shelters.
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The announcement came as Israel broadened its military operations across Lebanon, launching strikes for the first time into central areas of the capital Beirut. The escalation has significantly intensified the conflict, which has resulted in 394 deaths in Lebanon within a week, including 83 children, 42 women and nine rescue workers, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
In the early hours of Sunday, an Israeli drone struck a hotel room in the Raouche district, a coastal neighborhood in Beirut known for tourism and now sheltering many civilians displaced by the fighting.
Lebanese health authorities reported that the strike killed at least four people and injured 10 others.
Israel said the operation targeted and killed five senior commanders from the Quds Force, the external operations division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Raouche had previously avoided major damage during the last war between Israel and Hezbollah, which concluded with a ceasefire in November 2024, although Israel continued to carry out frequent violations of the agreement.
Separately, the Israeli military reported that two of its soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon, marking the first Israeli fatalities since hostilities resumed.
The army identified one of the soldiers as Master Sergeant Maher Khatar, 38, from Majdal Shams. A second soldier was also killed in the same incident.
The latest round of fighting began Monday after Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei during joint Israeli-U.S. air strikes carried out last month.
Israel responded with extensive air raids across southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs. At the same time, Israeli ground troops have advanced into southern Lebanon, capturing elevated positions close to the border.
Israeli tanks and armored bulldozers have also been seen assembling near the frontier, increasing concerns about the possibility of a broader ground invasion.
Hezbollah has continued firing rockets and deploying drones toward northern Israel and said its fighters clashed with Israeli forces near the border town of Aitaroun on Sunday.
Reporting from Ramallah, journalist Nour Odeh said there were rising concerns in Israel about the growing frequency of attacks launched from Lebanese territory.
“There is no advance warning for northern communities. Residents often have only seconds to reach shelters, and discussions are underway about evacuating some of these areas,” she said.
According to Odeh, Hezbollah has been capable of targeting cities including Nahariya and Haifa while continuing to engage Israeli forces.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the country had been drawn into a destructive conflict it did not initiate, warning that the scale of displacement could lead to “unprecedented” humanitarian and political consequences.
Israel said its military has killed around 200 Hezbollah fighters since hostilities resumed. Hezbollah has not released figures regarding its casualties.
Editor’s Note:
This report summarizes official statements from Lebanese and Israeli authorities on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, including displacement figures and casualty reports. Numbers are preliminary and may be updated as the situation develops.
