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For those who fell from the horse of power/ Rama again hits critics within the party

Prime Minister Edi Rama has once again targeted critics wi...

UN: Tens of thousands displaced due to attacks in Lebanon

2024-09-24 14:52:38, Kosova & Bota CNA

UN: Tens of thousands displaced due to attacks in Lebanon

Long lines in Damour, south of Beirut, as residents leave southern Lebanon on September 24, 2024. Source: AFP

Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in Lebanon as Israel continued to carry out attacks, the United Nations said on September 24, calling the events "very alarming".

"We are deeply concerned about the serious escalation of attacks we saw yesterday," said UN refugee agency spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh.

"Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes yesterday and overnight and their number is expected to increase," he added to reporters in Geneva.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 558 people on Monday, including 50 children and 94 women, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Health. At least four health workers were killed and 16 doctors were injured, the World Health Organization said.

Israel and Hezbollah — the Lebanese group designated a terrorist organization by the United States — have exchanged cross-border fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began on October 7.

But the September 23 bombings in Lebanon marked the biggest escalation so far since the 2006 war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Several UN agencies were working to speed up the delivery of aid to Lebanon to address the situation, which was dire even before the latest escalation.

"This is a region that was already devastated by war and a country [Lebanon] that knows all too well what suffering is," Saltmarsh said.

He emphasized that even before the September 23 attacks, there was displacement of the population in Lebanon from the southern part of the country.

"The situation is very alarming. It's very chaotic. The number of civilians killed is unacceptable", he stressed.

Monday's attacks came after Israel attacked Beirut on Friday, killing dozens of people, including two Hezbollah commanders. Days before, also, the group's telecommunication equipment was hit by a series of explosions. For these explosions, which killed 39 people and injured almost 3,000 others, Hezbollah has blamed Israel. However, Israel has not commented on this case./ REL