A day after Hamas launched its 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, Hezbollah joined the conflict, citing support for the Palestinians,[1][2] by firing on Shebaa Farms,[2] Safed, Nahariya,[3] and other Israeli military positions.
The rapid and sudden influx of refugees into the city resulted in significant numbers of hotels and shelters being filled to occupancy, localized shortages in food supplies, and an "enormous gridlock of traffic" coming from south of Beirut.
[23] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that hundreds of civilian cars and buses attempting to escape Lebanon across the Lebanon–Syria border were stalled in queues extending for several kilometers.
In addition, it reported that many Lebanese civilians in large crowds that included women, children, infants, and those injured from Israeli attacks, reached the Syrian border on foot while carrying whatever they could.
[25] In November 2023, the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund implemented its reserve allocation of up to four million USD in support for its partners to help aid Lebanese civilians who were displaced or were trapped in conflict zones.
[19] The UNHCR stated that it would scale up support based on the growing amount of displaced people in need, and would work with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to provide food, water, essential supplies, and guidance to refugees at border crossings into Syria.