Israeli attacks displace over 1 million in Lebanon as ground offensive begins

2026-03-16 - 19:42

Israeli attacks have displaced more than one million people in Lebanon, Lebanese authorities said Monday, as Tel Aviv began a ground offensive in the Arab country. A statement by the Disaster Risk Management Unit at the Prime Minister's Office said that 1,049,328 people have been displaced by the assaults since March 2, representing a staggering humanitarian toll from the expanding conflict. Casualties and shelters It added that 132,742 people are now registered in shelters across the country. According to the statement, the Lebanese death toll from the Israeli attacks has reached 886 people and 2,141 others injured. The figures highlight the devastating impact of the campaign on civilian populations, with hundreds of thousands forced from their homes and seeking refuge in overcrowded facilities. Conflict escalation The Israeli army expanded airstrikes across Lebanon, including the capital Beirut, on March 2 following a cross-border attack by Hezbollah amid regional escalation in the wake of a joint offensive by the US and Israel against Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said early Monday that the army has begun a ground offensive in Lebanon, marking a significant escalation in the conflict. Occupation context Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some of them for decades and others seized during the most recent war between October 2023 and November 2024. The ground offensive threatens to expand Israeli control and further displace civilian populations already devastated by weeks of bombardment. Regional context The Lebanon campaign is part of broader regional escalation since the US and Israel launched joint attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, killing over 1,300 people including former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has retaliated with strikes targeting Israel and Gulf states, while Hezbollah's involvement has opened a northern front displacing over a million Lebanese.