Editor-DN
Beirut:
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday that intense Israeli attacks have forced up to a million people from parts of Lebanon in what is likely to be the worst displacement crisis in the small country’s history.
“The estimated number is much higher and could reach as high as one million” — about a sixth of Lebanon’s population, Mikati told reports.
“This is the biggest displacement movement that can happen in Lebanon,” he said.
On Friday, Israel killed Hezbollah’s powerful leader Hassan Nasrallah in a move that threatens to destabilize Lebanon and the wider region.
Since Monday, heavy Israeli attacks in Lebanon’s east, south and south Beirut have killed hundreds and forced many to flee their homes.
Earlier this week, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said “more than 200,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon” and more than 50,000 have fled to neighboring Syria.
The deadly attacks came as Israel shifted the focus of its operations from Gaza to Lebanon, nearly a year after a cross-border firefight with Hezbollah over the Gaza war, which the group says is an ally of Hamas. Working in support.
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