In an interview on October 22, Nasser Yassin, Lebanon’s Minister of Crisis Management, revealed the dire needs of the country amid ongoing conflict. He stated that Lebanon requires over $250 million each month to assist 1.3 million displaced individuals due to attacks by Israeli forces. Many of these individuals are taking shelter in public buildings or the homes of relatives, while the government’s response has only managed to address about 20% of their needs, relying heavily on civilian organizations and international aid.
Yassin emphasized that with airstrikes occurring daily, the number of displaced persons is continuing to rise, placing enormous pressure on the government to find solutions for their accommodation. “We need $250 million each month to meet the basic needs of food, sanitation, and educational services for these displaced people,” he noted.
To cope with this crisis, schools, old slaughterhouses, fresh markets, and vacant buildings have been transformed into temporary shelters. “We are repurposing everything, all public buildings… there is still much to be done,” Yassin explained. He expressed concern that if the number of displaced individuals keeps growing, Lebanon may struggle to prevent an influx of illegal immigrants into Europe.
Before the outbreak of the conflict, Yassin served as the Minister of the Environment, focusing on wildfire prevention. However, he now spends most of his time working alongside crisis management teams at the government headquarters.
The crisis team consists of representatives from various Lebanese ministries, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Lebanese Red Cross. They are planning humanitarian efforts that will last between four to six months, though Yassin hopes for an early resolution to the war.
On October 24, an international conference will be held in France regarding the crisis in Lebanon. Yassin revealed that he intends to highlight the urgent need for a ceasefire during this meeting. “We need every member of the international community to step up—at least this time… to courageously speak out about the current situation. A member state of the United Nations is waging war on Lebanon using some of the most aggressive tactics we have ever seen against a smaller nation. This is the message we need to convey.”
In related news, the Israeli military reported on the same day that they had killed three Hezbollah commanders and around 70 armed militants in southern Lebanon over the past 48 hours. The previous day, they confirmed the death of Hashem Safieddine, who was considered a likely successor to the recently killed Hezbollah leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement indicating that their operations involve targeted strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure and personnel, stating, “In the last day, approximately 70 militants were eliminated through ground and air attacks.” The Lebanese government reported that the Israeli offensive has resulted in at least 1.3 million people being displaced and over 2,530 fatalities, with at least 63 lives lost in the past 24 hours alone.
