Lebanon - Recent

The escalating tensions between Lebanon and Israel have forced tens of thousands of Lebanese residents to flee their homes as the situation worsens, seeking refuge in northern parts of the country.

The death toll from intensive Israeli airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon since Monday has reached 558. The Lebanese government announced measures to shelter 27,000 displaced people and suspension of educational activities until the end of the week due to ongoing Israeli raids.

On Wednesday, the Lebanese caretaker government announced that 360 emergency shelters had been opened across the country to accommodate the growing number of displaced people.

On Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Education issued an urgent notice to open public schools across the country to accommodate residents displaced from the south.

Several secondary schools in Matn -- the district neighboring Beirut -- have been converted into temporary shelters.

One of the shelters is housing over 300 displaced individuals.

In an interview with China Central Television, a displaced person said she fled from home in southern Lebanon on Monday with her family. It took her 11 hours to drive the short distance of merely 70 kilometers, with the highway congested with motorists fleeing the conflict.

She added that her hometown might now be in ruins, but even without a house to return to, she longs to go back home.

Currently, the shelter is providing basic necessities such as food, mattresses, and blankets. More humanitarian aid is needed if the conflict persists.

Both the Lebanese government and various charitable organizations are appealing to Lebanese citizens and the international community for additional supplies of drinking water, food, and daily necessities.

According to data released from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Wednesday, about 90,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since the rapid escalation of the conflict, when Israeli forces launched widespread strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.

Some residents are now facing the prospect of secondary displacement.

The situation remains fluid, with humanitarian needs expected to increase if the conflict continues to escalate.

Shotlist:
Matn District, Lebanon - Recent:
1. Various of makeshift shelter converted from campus, cars;
2. Various of children playing in yard; pile of desks, chairs;
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Om Hussen, displaced person (ending with shot 4):
"At first I didn't want to go, but explosions were getting closer. my relatives and I had children who were asthmatic, and they were in respiratory distress. The children were screaming in fear and we had to grab everything we could and quickly get out of there.";
4. Various of displaced people, rough mattresses;
5. Various of children; food on table.

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