Lebanon: Flash Update #4 - Escalation of hostilities in south Lebanon, as of 9 December 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

• As of 5 December, 58,835 individuals (52% females) have been displaced from south Lebanon due to the ongoing hostilities along the Blue Line.

• As of 5 December, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has reported a total of 94 killed and 312 people wounded.
  At least 15 confirmed civilian deaths are reported.

• On 6 December, Lebanon lodged a protest to the Security Council over Israel’s attack against a Lebanese army base in south Lebanon earlier this week.

• On 7 December, multiple investigations of human rights organizations found that an Israeli tank shell killed Reuters journalist and injured 6 other reporters on 13 October, in south Lebanon.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Since 8 October, there has been a continued uptick in terms of numbers and geographic scope in the exchange of fire at the Lebanese southern border between armed groups and Israel. The collapse of the humanitarian pause on 1 December between Israel and Hamas prompted a resumption and further intensification of hostilities.
As of 5 December, 58,835 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are seeking refuge across Lebanon, showing a seven per cent increase since 28 November. As of 5 December, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported 94 killed and 312 people wounded. Amongst those, 15 civilian deaths are reported.
Damage has also been inflicted upon private property and public infrastructure. Agricultural land was damaged by widespread fires caused by the incendiary effect of projectiles used. Livelihood opportunities are diminishing in the zone of conflict, and individuals are encountering growing difficulties in fulfilling their basic needs due to the imposition of restrictive measures, including curfews, and rising rental prices. Recently displaced children in shelters are exhibiting significant psychological distress and anxiety, including heightened fear and sleep disorders.
A total of 24 schools remain closed in Nabatieh impacting 4,753 displaced students, while in the South, six schools are closed, affecting 446 displaced children. Due to security concerns, three primary health care centers (PHCCs) remain closed in Marjayoun and Bent Jbeil districts. The PHCCs currently operational within the lines of conflict reported a very low number of patients.
On 5 December, Israeli shelling killed a member of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and wounded three others in the southern village of Odaisseh. This is the first time Israeli forces have killed a LAF soldier since the beginning of cross-border clashes. In a statement, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned about the “rapid and alarming increase” in violence on the border and reasserted that the Lebanese Army “has not entered into conflict with Israel.” The Israeli army released a statement, saying that the LAF were not the target of the strike and that they regretted the incident.
On 6 December, Lebanon lodged a protest to the Security Council over Israel’s attack against the Lebanese army base.
Lebanon has lodged at least five complaints against Israel to the Security Council since 8 October for its targeting of civilians, journalists, olive fields, and its use of white phosphorous.
On 5 December A Syrian worker was killed and two of his family members were injured in a reported Israeli airstrike that targeted a poultry farm in southern Lebanon.
On 7 December, separate investigations by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International determined that Israel’s military shot artillery shells killing one journalist and injuring six others near the Lebanese-Israeli border on 13 October, in what was likely a direct attack on civilians and to be investigated as a war crime.