The war launched by the United States and Israel has killed more than 1,500 people in Iran, a figure considered conservative as official calculations are yet to be released. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that 3.2 million people – over 3% of the population – have been displaced within Iran since US-Israeli strikes began on February 28. Twenty-seven days into the conflict, aid agencies and countries bordering Iran are bracing for a potential refugee crisis as civilians flee the violence.

Devastation within Iran is extensive: 85,176 civilian sites have been damaged, including 282 healthcare facilities, 600 schools, and 64,583 homes. In Tehran alone, the city administration reportedly told local media that nearly 14,000 residential units in the capital have been damaged, with at least 6,000 people accommodated in municipal hotels. Several hospitals, nuclear facilities, refineries, and desalination plants have also been hit, exacerbating the humanitarian toll.

The rapidly expanding war has also triggered a major displacement crisis in Lebanon. The Israeli army has expanded forced displacement orders for residents of southern Lebanon – from the Litani River to north of the Zahrani River, about 40km north of the Israeli border. According to the Norwegian Refugee Council, Israel’s sweeping evacuation orders now cover more than 1,470 sq km, or about 14% of the country’s territory, with over 100 towns and villages under forced evacuation.

Israeli ground troops are increasingly expanding their de facto occupation of parts of southern Lebanon, with Israeli authorities purportedly aiming to create what they describe as a “buffer zone.” The International Organization for Migration reports that the total number of registered displaced people in Lebanon has reached 1,049,328, with 132,742 residing in collective shelters. The pace of displacement has outstripped the country’s shelter capacity, leaving many families unable to secure accommodation and spending nights in streets, vehicles, or public spaces.

Over the past two weeks, more than 250,000 people have left Lebanon, a 40% increase compared to the last two weeks of February, with much of the movement directed toward neighboring Syria. As of March 17, over 125,000 had crossed the border, nearly half of them children. Israel has struck several bridges in southern Lebanon, including key crossings over the Litani River, rendering them impassable. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated that these attacks are “an attempt to sever the geographical connection between the southern Litani region and the rest of Lebanese territory,” alleging they are part of suspicious schemes to establish a buffer zone and solidify Israeli occupation.

Source: www.aljazeera.com