US announces $157 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

ISTANBUL

The United States is providing $157 million in humanitarian aid to troubled Lebanon, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, making the announcement as the country continues to be shelled daily by the Israeli army from the south. from the Lebanese border, killing thousands and sending tens of thousands fleeing their country. houses.

This funding will address “the new and existing needs of displaced persons and refugee populations in Lebanon and the communities that host them,” Blinken said in a statement on Friday.

The aid “will also support those fleeing to neighboring Syria”, he added.

The aid also includes nearly $82 million from the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and $75 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of Humanitarian Assistance ), he said.

Blinken added that of this total amount, USAID has already allocated $11.5 million and, working with Congress, plans to release an additional $63.5 million in the coming weeks “to ensure that the “Lifesaving humanitarian aid can continue to reach the most vulnerable communities in need.” “

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in a cross-border war since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which killed more than 41,800 people, mostly women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in last October.

Since then, at least 2,011 people have been killed, more than 9,500 injured and 1.2 million others displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict and lead to a wider regional war.

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