According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees and internally displaced persons in the Middle East is growing. The ongoing conflict is forcing people to leave their homes.
In Iran, where refugee centers continue to operate, access to them is becoming problematic due to the deteriorating security situation. Thousands are seeking help through UNHCR hotlines, while Afghan refugees are facing serious mobility restrictions, rising food prices, and loss of income sources.
The situation in Lebanon is also dire: about 700,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, and more than 117,000 of them are housed in collective centers, which are nearing their maximum capacity.
UNHCR has provided assistance to tens of thousands of displaced persons, supplying them with essential items.
At the same time, more than 70,000 Syrians and several thousand Lebanese have crossed the border into Syria, while Afghan refugees continue to return home from Iran.
Turkey remains under the observation of UN staff, especially in the Van — Ağrı — Hakkari border area. Although checkpoints are operational, the flow of cross-border traffic has decreased to 1,300 people per day.
Movement continues at the border between Armenia and Iran near Agarak, with small groups of people crossing the border in both directions.
According to UNHCR, the total number of displaced persons and returnees in the region has already exceeded 25 million, and the current crisis is only exacerbating this situation.
Amid ongoing bombings and drone attacks across the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) expresses concern about health threats to the population related to Israeli and U.S. strikes on oil infrastructure in Tehran, as well as Iran's retaliatory actions against Gulf countries.
“Black rain and acid rain pose a real health threat, especially to the respiratory system,” noted WHO representative Christian Lindmeier at a briefing in Geneva.
“We are in contact with hospitals and local authorities, and Iranian authorities have already issued a warning urging people to stay indoors,” he added.
