The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Main road connecting Lebanon to Syria closed to vehicles after Israeli strike, says UN refugee agency
The major road connecting Lebanon to Syria was hit by Israeli airstrikes overnight near the key Masnaa border crossing where tens of thousands have been fleeing Lebanon into Syria in the past two weeks, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
Speaking from Amman to journalists in Geneva, UNHCR spokeswoman Rula Amin said that the large crater left by the shelling “put a halt on traffic, effectively closing off the route for vehicles at this crossing”. According to the UN agency’s senior adviser for the Middle East, people walked across the destroyed area, desperate to flee Lebanon.
Although three other border crossings remain operational, the closure of the Masnaa route will likely significantly impact even more people's ability to flee the fighting in Lebanon. Israeli operations intensified overnight as the military ordered the immediate evacuation of more than 30 villages in the south.
Syria returnees’ dilemma
Around one million people are estimated to have been displaced in Lebanon since October 2023, amid intensifying exchanges of fire either side of the UN-patrolled Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel, following the outbreak of war in Gaza. “The conflict is intensifying,” said Mathieu Luciano, Head of the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office in Lebanon. Speaking from Beirut, he said that tens of thousands of Lebanese and Syrians are leaving the country, both through legal and irregular means. “Between 21 September and 3 October, approximately 235,000 people had crossed into Syria overland, including 82,000 Lebanese and 152,000 Syrians,” said Mr. Luciano, citing last night’s figures from the Lebanese authorities.
Many Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been displaced by war for a second time and face a difficult dilemma about returning home. “It's either staying in Lebanon with the growing risk on their lives or taking the decision to go back and cross the border to Syria with all the other risks in mind,” said UNHCR’s Ms Amin, as she noted their concerns over safety and security, as well as the lack of work, housing and basic services. “From the numbers of people we have been seeing, it seems that at this point they felt that the risk from the bombings is higher,” she added.
Since October 2023, the UN refugee agency has distributed more than 223,000 items for individuals in need and cash assistance to 70,000. The response also includes carrying out repairs or support for collective shelters, with emergency medical care provided in a network of 42 hospitals across Lebanon.
Shelters full
With more displacement each day, Lebanon’s collective shelters are full in Beirut, leaving hundreds of people stranded and sleeping in the open.
IOM data indicates that as of 2 October, 400,000 were displaced in the last two weeks alone, amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Lebanon, including ground incursions in the south. “Of these, more than 165,000 are living in 800 collective shelters across the country. These are schools that the Government has urgently opened,” said IOM’s Mathieu Luciano.
Humanitarians speaking in Geneva expressed particular concern for the plight of Lebanon’s 180,000 migrant workers – many of whom are female domestic staff - who have been left destitute by the mass displacement.
“We are receiving increasing reports of migrant domestic workers being abandoned by their Lebanese employers, either left on the streets or in the homes as their employers flee,” explained Mr. Luciano. “They come from Ethiopia, from Kenya, from Sri Lanka, Sudan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and they too have been deeply affected by the violence in the country.”
Lebanon's health ministry reported 37 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll to more than 2,000 since October 2023.
Ends
Story: “Lebanon bombardment – UNHCR, IOM” – 04 October 2024
Speakers:
- Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor UNHCR for the Middle East and North Africa (speaking from Amman)
- Mathieu Luciano, IOM's Head of Office in Lebanon (speaking from Beirut)
TRT: 03’05”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 04 October 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
-
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley.
- Wide shot of the podium with speakers at the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor UNHCR for the Middle East and North Africa: “The Israeli airstrikes overnight, targeting the road in the no-man's land at the Masnaa border crossing, has put a halt on traffic, effectively closing off the route for vehicles at this crossing. And this is the main entry point for tens of thousands of people, it has been the main entry point for those people in the past week.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room: journalists and TV screens.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor UNHCR for the Middle East and North Africa: “Syrian refugees in Lebanon and elsewhere in the region were telling us that they still had many concerns or what we call obstacles, that are preventing them from taking the decision to return. And this did include safety and security, lack of livelihood, lack of housing, lack of basic services and access to these services.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Rula Amin, Senior Communications Advisor UNHCR for the Middle East and North Africa: “It's either staying in Lebanon with that growing risk on their lives or taking the decision to go back and cross the border to Syria with all the other risks in mind. But it seems, from the numbers of people we have been seeing, that at this point they felt that the risk from the bombings is higher.”
- Wide shot: journalists in the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Mathieu Luciano, IOM's Head of Office in Lebanon: “As of 2 October, IOM has identified over half a million internally displaced persons with 400,000 displaced in just the last two weeks. Of these, more than 165,000 are living in 800 collective shelters across the country. These are schools that the Government has urgently opened.”
- Wide shot of the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Mathieu Luciano, IOM's Head of Office in Lebanon: “Tens of thousands of Lebanese, but also Syrians, are leaving the country, both through legal and irregular means. Between 21 September and 3 October, 235,000 individuals crossed into Syria by land: 82,000 Lebanese and 152,000 Syrians and these are the figures from the Lebanese authorities, from yesterday night.”
- Medium shot of speakers at the podium in the press conference room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Mathieu Luciano, IOM's Head of Office in Lebanon: “I want to take a moment to highlight the plight of Lebanon's 180,000 migrant workers, many of whom are female domestic workers. They come from Ethiopia, from Kenya, from Sri Lanka, Sudan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and they too have been deeply affected by the violence in the country. We are receiving increasing reports of migrant domestic workers being abandoned by their Lebanese employers, either left on the streets or in the homes.”
- Close shot of journalists.
- Medium shot of a cameraperson and control room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
In suspected Russia plague death, testing and monitoring underway – WHO
The death of a lab worker in Russia’s Siberia region has sparked concerns about plague being the cause, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, adding that it was following the situation closely.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on Ukraine.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday provided and oral update to the 63rd session of the Human rights Council on the human rights situation in Haiti.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated delays in bringing lifesaving medicines, prosthetics and more from Israel into Gaza risk having devastating consequences on Palestinians who urgently need them in the wartorn enclave, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. “A truck full of non-priority supplies or the right supplies arriving too late, doesn't save lives. That's the question that actually matters," said Dr Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the OPT.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival – WHO
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UN
Civilians in Iran are continuing to feel the consequences of months of conflict and military escalation, the UN’s top official in the country has said, as loss of life, damage to civilian infrastructure and mounting economic pressures leave many facing continued uncertainty.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Aid agencies in Yemen highlighted the growing hunger emergency sparked by renewed fighting between Houthi opposition forces and Government troops, after mobile health clinics reported that hundreds of children displaced by the violence are suffering from the most deadly form of malnutrition.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Displacement on the rise in Yemen as fighting continues - UNHCR
As hostilities worsen in Yemen, more people have been fleeing their homes, further intensifying the humanitarian crisis within the region, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OHCHR , UNFPA , UNOG , UNHCR , WHO
Yemen’s humanitarian crisis growing by the hour amid spike in displacement
Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting have described fleeing for their lives amid shelling and gunfire, aid agencies reported on Friday, while highlighting the dramatic increase in humanitarian needs in the country and in Djibouti, where thousands have sought shelter.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office issued on Friday a report documenting a shocking pattern of sexual violence amid Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | WMO
As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
ends
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in DR Congo continues to spread across the vast country despite some success in containing it, aid officials said on Tuesday, in a renewed call for international support to help responders on the ground.