3.2 million Iranians and 1.2 million Lebanese are displaced
U.S.-Israel war on Iran is triggering mass displacement and widespread destruction, with millions uprooted and civilian casualties rising sharply across Iran and Lebanon
TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — A deepening humanitarian crisis is unfolding across Iran and Lebanon as the U.S.-Israel war on Iran continues to displace millions and devastate civilian infrastructure.
According to the UN refugee agency UNHCR, up to 3.2 million people have been temporarily displaced in Iran since the war began.
Ayaki Ito, UNHCR’s Director of Emergency and Programme Support, says between 600,000 and one million households have fled Tehran and other major cities, moving toward northern provinces and rural areas.
He warns that the numbers are rising rapidly as insecurity spreads and basic services collapse.
UNHCR says displaced families are struggling to access food, shelter, and healthcare, while refugees already living in Iran, particularly Afghans, remain highly vulnerable due to limited support systems.
The crisis in Lebanon is even more visible. According to Al Jazeera, Israeli air raids since March 2 have killed more than 1,450 people, including 126 children, and wounded over 4,400 others.
Nearly 1.2 million residents have been displaced as bombardment intensifies and evacuation orders expand.
In Kfar Hatta in southern Lebanon, seven people were killed in a single Israeli strike, including a four-year-old girl and a Lebanese soldier, according to the country’s Ministry of Public Health. The attack came a day after Israeli forces ordered residents to evacuate the town, where many displaced families had already taken refuge.
In Toul village in Nabatieh district, a couple were killed while their two children were injured. According to Al Jazeera, entire families have been wiped out in some strikes, with around 25 percent of the victims reported to be women, children, and medical workers.
The Israeli military has expanded evacuation orders from the Litani River to areas north of the Zahrani River, about 40 kilometers from the border, pushing civilians further inland and overwhelming already limited shelter capacity.
Thousands of families are now sleeping in streets, vehicles, and public spaces as shelters reach maximum capacity. For many, this is a second displacement.
According to Al Jazeera, nearly 900,000 people had already been forced to flee during earlier cross-border fighting between October 2023 and November 2024.
That earlier conflict left deep scars. The World Bank estimated damage to residential buildings at around $2.8 billion, with nearly 99,000 homes damaged or destroyed, preventing many families from returning even after a ceasefire.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has now called for urgent negotiations to halt the destruction. He has warned that without diplomacy, the country risks devastation on a scale similar to Gaza.
UNHCR says it is scaling up its response but stresses the urgent need for civilian protection, uninterrupted humanitarian access, and open borders as the crisis continues to expand.
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