BEIRUT: The United Nations launched a US$308 million flash appeal on Friday (Mar 13) to help Lebanon cope with the fallout of a war that has forced more than a seventh of its population from their homes.
“Solidarity in words must be matched by solidarity in action,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said as he announced the campaign from Beirut.
Israel launched an offensive against Hezbollah last week after the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group opened fire on it on Mar 2, saying it was avenging the killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
Hezbollah has kept up daily rocket and drone attacks, while Israel has expanded its ground operations and air strikes, bombing the capital on Thursday along with other parts of the country on Friday.
Nearly 700 people have been killed in the attacks and more than 800,000 displaced by Israel’s orders for people to leave ever larger swathes of Lebanon.
But aid organisations say funding constraints have already forced them to ration supplies and that substantial new contributions are essential.
“We’re only targeting those who are really on the verge of starvation or in starvation,” said Carl Skau, the World Food Programme’s deputy executive director.
“There isn’t any more margin, so with needs going up, resources will have to come up – and they can certainly not drop,” Skau told Reuters.