“Intensifying hostilities in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut are worsening the impact of the conflict on civilians and the critical infrastructure on which they rely. Evacuation notices affecting large areas across the country are triggering significant waves of internal displacement.
People are sheltering in the open air—by the roadside, along the shoreline—living under the sound of warplanes overhead, fearing for their lives and the safety of their loved ones. Many areas affected by evacuation notices have become ghost towns, except for when residents risk returning to check on their homes and belongings between daily rounds of strikes. Some have chosen to remain in the impacted areas despite the danger, not because they feel safe, but because they simply have nowhere else to go.
Civilians, whether they leave or stay, are protected under international humanitarian law. An evacuation notice does not absolve parties to the conflict of their obligations under the rules of war, including to spare all those who are not taking part in the fighting.
Importantly, civilians also have a right to return to their homes once it is considered safe. The rules of war must be respected, to ensure that civilians have something to return to. Hospitals, schools, water and electricity networks must be protected so they can serve these populations when they come back. The use of heavy explosive weapons should be avoided in populated areas.
The way the conflict is waged today will have immediate and long-lasting consequences for the lives of civilians even after hostilities end.”
For more information about the ICRC’s response in Lebanon, please see our latest operational update.
