UN coordinator warns of heavy civilian toll in Lebanon as air strikes surge; $308M flash appeal far short

Imran Riza, the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Lebanon, said from Beirut that a fresh wave of air strikes has inflicted ‘‘a huge civilian tragedy’’ across Lebanon, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and driving unprecedented displacement.

"We woke up today this morning to news obviously of the ceasefire...and then somehow, the events of today have been dramatically...different," Riza said, describing hours of explosions and ambulances sweeping through Beirut. He cited Ministry of Public Health figures that put the death toll since the March escalation at about 1,530 people, including roughly 130 children, and said 461 children have been injured.

Riza said displacement has reached "some close to 1.2 million," roughly one in five people in Lebanon, with 138,000 sheltering in 678 collective sites (mostly schools) and more than 800,000 dispersed across host communities or informal settings. He added that an estimated 110,000–140,000 people in the south have either chosen to remain or are effectively trapped.

The coordinator warned that damage to essential services has worsened the humanitarian emergency. "The pressure on the health system...is not just simply…