NEW YORK: UN independent experts warned on Friday that a rapidly escalating displacement crisis in Lebanon could spiral into a humanitarian emergency after intense Israeli airstrikes and evacuation warnings forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
The experts stressed that civilians must never be treated as targets or collateral damage, noting that attacks against civilians or civilian objects, including homes and essential infrastructure, are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.
They said in a statement that ordering civilians to evacuate does not absolve parties to a conflict of their legal obligations.
“Warnings must be effective, civilians must have a genuine possibility to reach safety, and those displaced must be ensured adequate protection and assistance,” they added.
The experts cautioned that when homes are destroyed, communities are shattered and return is rendered impossible, displacement risks becoming a long-term human rights crisis rather than a temporary protective measure.
“Forced displacement may also amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes under international law,” they said.
“Within days, tens of thousands of civilians have once again been forced to flee their homes, many with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.”
More than 700,000 people have been displaced across Lebanon since attacks began in early March, including about 200,000 children, with more than 100 villages in the south affected.
The experts include Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Occupied Territories; Paula Gaviria, UN special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; and George Katrougalos, UN independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.
Thousands of displaced Lebanese are seeking refuge in public buildings, schools and overcrowded shelters, while others have spent nights in cars or along roadsides as they fled bombardment and evacuation warnings, the experts said.
“Behind every number is a family terrified and forced to flee in fear,” they said, warning that collective shelters are filling rapidly, essential services are under strain, and many people remain on the move without adequate protection or assistance.
“Without urgent support, the situation risks deteriorating into a full-scale humanitarian emergency,” they added.
The experts described Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon as a “flagrant violation” of the UN Charter, international humanitarian law and human rights law, and said it must cease immediately.
“The Israeli invasion violates Lebanese national sovereignty, only serves to destabilise the region further, and pushes all actors away from a political resolution, which is the only path to solve this crisis,” they said, adding that the attacks appear to form part of a broader pattern of assaults against civilian populations in the region, and calling for an international investigation into their causes and impacts.
The experts urged all parties to respect international humanitarian law, protect civilians and allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, stressing that accountability is essential and warning that impunity continues to fuel the crisis in the Levant.
