The United Nations refugee agency said Thursday that intensifying hostilities across the Middle East had caused “significant population movements” as more than 330,000 people were forcibly displaced, mostly within their own countries.
UNHCR was told that the conflicts along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan have forced thousands of families to flee.
“We also urgently call for dialogue and de-escalation because the violence is intensifying,” it said.
In Iran, longtime host to 1.65 million people forced to flee, mostly from Afghanistan, an estimated 100,000 people left Tehran in the first two days after the Israeli and US strikes last Saturday, according to estimates.
“However, so far there has been no major increase in cross-border movements from Iran related to recent events,” it added.
Meanwhile, in Lebanon, more than 84,000 people have taken shelter in nearly 400 collective locations, the agency said, citing government reports. More than 30,000 people, mostly Syrians, but also some Lebanese, have crossed into Syria since the escalation with Israel began.
The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan remains tense amid active conflict along the border, the agency said, with reports of internal displacement in both countries, including an estimated 115,000 people in Afghanistan and 3,000 in Pakistan.
“It is imperative that all civilians who need to move or cross borders to find safety be granted safe passage,” it said.
