ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US government on Thursday pledged $535 million of additional humanitarian assistance for Syria, encouraging other countries to do the same, as UN agencies are warning of a new displacement crisis after thousands of people have fled Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
"[W]e urge other donors to join us in stepping up to fill the significant funding gaps so partners can continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable," read a US statement after an announcement by Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The US has provided more than $18 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, including $1.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2024, re-emphasizing it is support for the Syrian people.
"This new assistance comes amid increasingly dire humanitarian needs, with 16.7 million Syrians requiring assistance within Syria and more than five million Syrian refugees across the region," it added.
The Syrian Red Crescent on Thursday said in posts on X that volunteers have provided support to Lebanese and Syrian families at border crossings near Damascus, Tartus, and Homs "to alleviate suffering and address immediate needs."
The UNHCR said in a statement on Wednesday, citing Lebanese authorities, that more than 27,000 people from Lebanon were displaced in the last 48 hours, and over 700 people have been killed, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
"Hundreds of vehicles are backed up in queues at the Syrian border. Many people are also arriving on foot, carrying what they can," the UN's refugee agency stated.
Around 1.5 Syrian refugees are hosted by Lebanon and 11,000 from other countries, according to the UN.
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said in the statement that the Middle East "cannot afford" a new displacement crisis.
“It is yet another ordeal for families who previously fled war in Syria only now to be bombed in the country where they sought shelter," he said. "We must avoid replaying these scenes of despair and devastation."
Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati told Rudaw in New York on Thursday that he hopes a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah proposed by the United States and France will be implemented.
