A member of the French contingent serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands guard on an armoured vehicle at the centre for the distribution of humanitarian aid among the displaced people, in the southern Lebanese village of Bourghliyeh.
| Photo Credit: AFP
The UN on Friday (June 5, 2026) more than doubled its aid appeal for Lebanon as the country reels from Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hezbollah, saying nearly $640 million was needed over six months.
Three months into the war, the United Nations warned that a “humanitarian catastrophe” was looming in Lebanon, with a quarter of its population needing aid.
“Communities across Lebanon have faced an appalling situation due to the escalation of hostilities,” Imran Riza, the UN’s resident humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Beirut.
He said Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people and injured over 10,000 others since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the wider Middle East war on March 2, firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader.
“We have witnessed too many casualties, widespread and repeated displacement, destruction of housing and basic service infrastructure, and far-reaching psychological trauma,” he said, calling for assistance to be scaled up.
“The toll on civilians is alarming and worsening by the day.”
The UN had appealed for $308 million in March to support a massive emergency response led by Lebanon’s government through to the end of May.
On Friday it said that another $331 million would be needed through the end of August.
“Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability,” the appeal said, warning that “affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities, and essential services are under increasing strain”.
Published – June 05, 2026 11:17 pm IST
