US announces $157M in humanitarian assistance for Lebanon
UN peacekeepers walk past flags during a Reuters visit to Camp Shamrock where Irish and Polish peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are stationed, near Maroun al-Ras village close to the Lebanese-Israeli border, in southern Lebanon November 29, 2023. (Reuters Photo)
The United States will provide nearly $157 million in new humanitarian assistance to support populations affected by conflict in Lebanon and the region, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
“This funding will address new and existing needs of internally displaced persons and refugee populations inside Lebanon and the communities that host them. The assistance will also support those fleeing to neighboring Syria,” the State Department said.
More than 41,000 people killed by Israel since Oct. 7
Since the onset of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in Oct. 2023, Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes against Hamas officials and Qassam members in Lebanon. One of the most notable strikes was the Jan. 2, 2024, assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas’ deputy leader, in a drone strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed over 41,800 people, most of them women and children since last October.
At least 2,011 people have since been killed, over 9,500 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.
The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.
