The United Nations has reported that more than four million people have been internally displaced across the Middle East since the recent military escalation between Iran, Israel, and the US began.
More than three million people have been displaced in Iran since the United States and Israel launched a war against the country last month, with the United Nations (UN) warning of a humanitarian crisis worsening the longer the war goes on.
Ayaki Ito, the UNHCR Director of Emergency, has said that between 600,000 and 1 million Iranian households are now temporarily displaced inside Iran due to the ongoing conflict.
The figures represent up to 3.2 million people, most of whom have had to flee from Tehran and other large urban areas towards the north of the country or rural areas to seek safety.
“This figure is likely to continue rising as hostilities persist, marking a worrying escalation in humanitarian needs,” Ito said.
More than 1,300 people have been killed across Iran due to US-Israeli strikes, according to the latest figures from Iranian officials.
Among those affected in Iran are refugee families from Afghanistan, who represent a particularly vulnerable demographic, given their “already precarious situation and limited support networks.”
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UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric also highlighted how the Middle East hosts the largest populations in need of humanitarian aid globally.
Displacement in Lebanon
In Lebanon, the situation also remains volatile and at risk of escalation as neighbouring Israel has conducted ground raids into southern Lebanon. The Israeli military also issued evacuation orders for areas in Lebanon, citing rising tensions with Hezbollah as a result.
Government estimates state that over 816,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon, including families and young children, with more than 125,000 taking shelter in 600 collective centres.
The actual number is expected to be much higher.
The crisis in Lebanon escalated following the Lebanese militant Shia group Hezbollah involving itself in the war by striking Israeli military sites on March 2 in response to the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.
Israel has retaliated with airstrikes and limited ground incursions, which have all intensified the humanitarian emergency in Lebanon.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the Israeli attacks have killed over 687 people, including 98 children, and injured a further 1,774.
