Cross-border clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified since October 7, 2023, according to multiple reports. On February 28, Israel and the US carried out a coordinated attack against Iran, and Israel and the US attacked targets in Lebanon, major media outlets report. After the attack, Iran launched several counterattacks against Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, and Israel, according to major media reports. The full extent of these Iranian counterattacks, including specific targets and damage, remains unclear.
A blast hit a UNIFIL position and wounded three peacekeepers on Friday, the third such incident in a week, UNIFIL said. A peacekeeper was killed on Sunday evening when a projectile of unknown origin exploded in a UNIFIL position, according to UNIFIL. An explosion of unknown origin destroyed a peacekeeping vehicle, killing two more Indonesian troops on Monday, UNIFIL reported. The UN Security Council is set to convene an emergency session on Tuesday at the request of France after three UN peacekeepers were killed in southern Lebanon, multiple reports indicate. UNIFIL said two personnel were killed Monday in an explosion, and another died late Sunday when a projectile hit their position. It is unclear who was behind the projectile and explosion that killed the three peacekeepers, as investigations are ongoing, the UN stated. All three peacekeepers killed were from the Indonesian army, according to UN sources. The three deaths bring to 97 the number of UNIFIL peacekeepers killed by malicious acts since the mission began in March 1978, research from five sources shows. In total, more than 330 UNIFIL personnel have died while on duty — the highest toll of any UN peacekeeping operation, according to multiple reports. Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono condemned the attacks and asked for an emergency UN Security Council meeting and investigation. The Indonesian Ministry of Defence said two other soldiers were seriously injured.
A UN security source told AFP that Israeli fire was the source of Sunday's attack, while a mine may have caused Monday's blast. Israel's military denied responsibility for Monday's incident. The Israeli army said it is reviewing reports to determine whether the deaths resulted from Hezbollah activity or Israeli fire. Israel has repeatedly struck targets in southern Lebanon and Beirut, multiple reports indicate. Israel has moved thousands of troops across the border into Lebanon, with heavy fighting on the ground for at least three weeks, according to research from five sources. The current status of these Israeli troop movements and ground fighting in Lebanon, beyond these reports, is not fully known.
Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes killed 23 people and wounded 98, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Overall death toll includes 125 children and 91 women since Israel launched intense airstrikes across Lebanon after Hezbollah fired rockets on March 2, the Lebanese health ministry reported. Israeli strikes have wounded 4,138 others since March 2, according to the same source. Among those killed are 53 health workers, the Lebanese health ministry said. Israeli strikes have targeted 83 emergency medical service facilities, the ministry confirmed. The exact total casualty figures in Lebanon since the conflict escalation remain uncertain, as different sources report varying numbers, such as over 2,350 killed since October 2023 versus these specific counts since March 2.
Lebanon was dragged into the conflict when Iran-backed Hezbollah shot rockets at Israel in retaliation to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the war, multiple reports indicate. There is disagreement over the specific date of Hezbollah's rocket attacks, with some sources citing a vague 'beginning of the war' and others specifying March 2, creating uncertainty about the exact trigger and timeline of the conflict escalation. UNIFIL is deployed in south Lebanon near the Israeli border, where Israel and Hezbollah have been at war for a month, research from five sources shows.
As of 17 October 2024, IOM identified nearly 779,613 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lebanon, the IOM said. More than 300,000 Lebanese and Syrians have fled Lebanon to Syria, according to multiple reports. The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has triggered mass displacements from Lebanon into Syria, with UNHCR reporting more than a quarter of a million people have fled. This discrepancy in displacement numbers—over 300,000 versus UNHCR's more than 250,000—affects the scale of the humanitarian crisis and resource allocation needs, with a difference of at least 50,000 people. In southern Lebanon, Israel's fight against Hezbollah has led to hundreds of thousands of displaced people, research from two sources indicates. More than two million Syrians are currently in Lebanon and Jordan, according to multiple reports.
According to UNOCHA, at least 3 million people in Lebanon require humanitarian assistance, one third of them children. There is a critical shortage of food, clean drinking water, sanitation, and educational opportunities in Lebanon, research from two sources shows. Women and girls are particularly affected by the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, according to multiple reports. IOM requires $65,150,000 in funding for humanitarian response in Lebanon, the IOM said. IOM's vision includes supporting vulnerable individuals in Lebanon against humanitarian needs and socioeconomic hardship, the organization stated. Lebanon's economic collapse ranks among the worst globally in the last century, causing severe inflation and unemployment, research from five sources indicates.
Over half of the Lebanese population is living below the poverty line, according to the World Bank in 2022. An estimated 90% of Syrian households in Lebanon in 2023 are living in extreme poverty, research from five sources shows. The Russo-Ukraine war has disrupted grain supplies, causing food insecurity in Lebanon, multiple reports indicate. 45% of Lebanese households are struggling to afford food, the WFP reported in 2023.
Lebanon's presidential vacuum has contributed to local clashes and destabilization, research from five sources shows. The US embassy in Beirut said Iran and its aligned armed groups may intend to target universities in Lebanon. The specific universities in Lebanon that the US embassy warned may be targeted remain unidentified. The US embassy urged US citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available.
Austria allocated €22 million from the Foreign Disaster Relief Fund for humanitarian assistance in crisis regions, particularly Lebanon, the Austrian Federal Government said. Austria provides funding to UN organisations and Austrian aid agencies, not to individuals or governments, according to the Austrian government. In Lebanon, UNHCR provides psychosocial support and rehabilitates shelters for Syrian refugees and host communities, reaching more than 47,000 people, research from two sources indicates.
Total casualties since October 2023 are more than 2,350 killed and 10,782 injured, according to multiple reports. According to the UN, 97 force members have been killed in violence since UNIFIL was first established.