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Mar 16, 2026
Israel’s bombing of Lebanon has displaced more than one million people across the country, the Lebanese government announced on Monday.
The milestone, representing one-fifth of the country’s population, came on the same day the Israeli military launched what it described as a "limited and targeted" operation in the country’s south against the militant group Hezbollah.
The displacement has been triggered by numerous Israeli evacuation orders and waves of intensive bombing covering widespread areas of southern Lebanon, parts of the Bekaa Valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut, often forcing thousands to flee at short notice along single roads to safety.
At least 886 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since March 2, according to Lebanese authorities...
Israel has been bombing Lebanon “almost daily” since a tenuous ceasefire was struck after the last conflict between the two sides, according to the United Nations...
A joint statement from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Britain issued on Monday warned that a significant Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon would have "devastating humanitarian consequences."..
Meanwhile, Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said that displaced Lebanese residents would not be able to return to their homes south of the Litani River until northern Israel was considered safe.
"Hundreds of thousands of Shiite residents of southern Lebanon who have evacuated or are evacuating their homes in southern Lebanon and Beirut will not return to areas south of the Litani line until the safety of northern residents is ensured," he said in a statement.
Quote:
March 19, 2026
The fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, for now, runs parallel to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. But Lebanon will become a main arena when the campaign against Tehran ends.
Israel began planning its operation in Lebanon months ago when it became apparent that, since the November 2024 cease-fire, Hezbollah had not depleted its rocket and missile arsenal, rebuilt its command structure and restored its ability to fight, and that, despite promises, the Lebanese government had not fully disarmed the terrorist group. On March 2, after Hezbollah joined the Iranian counterattack and fired at the Galilee, Israel seized the opportunity to go on the offensive...
Washington now has an opportunity to save Israel from itself and create a clear distinction: Fight Hezbollah, yes; punish all of Lebanon in doing so, no. The Trump administration should rein in Israel’s military operation, make serious efforts at bolstering the Lebanese state and military so that they can crack down on Hezbollah and broker a security arrangement that could even lead to peace.
Israel’s interventions in Lebanon, dating back to 1978, have been recurrent and costly.
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23 hours ago
"There's a real concern that actually this is precisely the kind of situation that pushes more people from the Middle East to look to flee the region and head to Europe," Barnes-Dacey [director ECFR] said.