The mass exodus from the south of Lebanon, triggered by Israel’s latest attacks, threatens to overwhelm the country, according to social minister Haneen Sayed. “It pushes the system to its limits” she told the German news agency RN in Beirut. “No nation can absorb such a huge burden when 20 percent of the population is on the move”.
Israel continues to drop shelling and to issue evacuation warnings for certain Lebanese areas, meaning every alert sparks a new wave of displacement. Official Lebanese figures show that more than a million people-roughly one‑fifth of the population-have fled as a result of the strikes, while Lebanon is already grappling with an entrenched crisis. Sayed remarked that “the war could not have come at a worse time for us”. The economic slump persists, and international aid has noticeably decreased; Gulf donor countries are similarly preoccupied with their own crises. “We are grateful for the help, but it falls far short-no one knows how long the conflict will last” she added.
The minister also condemned Israel’s proposal to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon. “A second occupation of our land would be devastating for Lebanon” she warned. “We are doing everything to prevent it”. Ultimately, many outcomes hinge on the broader conflicts involving Israel, the United States, and Iran-what she described as “the overarching war of which we unfortunately are a part”.