LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Israel's incursion into southern Lebanon and ongoing airstrikes have killed more than 2,300 people. The stated goal of Israel's attacks is to push Hezbollah away from its northern border. Though Israel is striking across the country, and despite U.S. pressure to stop attacks on Beirut, it hit again this morning in a southern suburb. These attacks have caused a growing humanitarian disaster not just for Lebanese people, but also for some 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled civil war in their own country. Now some are returning home, and Lebanese people are making the journey as well. Tanya Evans is the International Rescue Committee's country director in Syria, and she's here to tell us more about this unfolding humanitarian disaster. Tanya, welcome.
TANYA EVANS: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me, Leila.
FADEL: How many people have fled Syria from Lebanon for safety?
EVANS: At the moment, best estimates are around 280,000-plus, but we need to acknowledge that these are truly estimates. Where there are crossing points and there are humanitarian actors on the ground being able to register individuals, that registration is taking place. But there are people crossing multiple parts of the country using various means to be able to get in and through the country to their intended destination. So we are truly working with estimates here.
FADEL: How desperate is the situation right now in Lebanon for people to flee to Syria, which is still in a state of civil war?
EVANS: I mean, absolutely, we need to recognize right now that people from Lebanon are being forcibly displaced, but they are, in effect, fleeing one crisis and finding themselves in another crisis. The situation in Syria continues to be an ongoing crisis. And 14 years in, we're seeing a continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, which just speaks to the fact that the desperation of these individuals right now as they flee Lebanon is critical.
FADEL: Now, your estimate found that about 60% of those crossing into Syria are children. What are they going through right now?
EVANS: We have some teams on the ground who are at crossing points and are conducting rapid health assessments and rapid protection assessments. What our teams are seeing is heightened elevation of anxiety, high levels of trauma. We're providing immediate psychological first aid but also having to refer critical cases to our mental health facilities. We're also starting to increasingly see signs of malnutrition, and so really children and women are really greatly affected by the situation at the moment.
FADEL: Now, people are trying to get to somewhere safe. Israel has targeted some of the crossing points to stop what they say is weapons smuggling into Lebanon. How is that affecting the flow of refugees?
EVANS: So the individuals who are fleeing into Syria and who are fleeing ongoing escalations, we really don't know where they're going. So our understanding at the moment is that numbers are still ongoing. Individuals are still crossing through. It becomes a heightened risk for them, crossing through these points. But they are still crossing, so the desperation remains. And although these areas are now being targeted, individuals are still looking for means to be able to cross into Syria and flee Lebanon.
FADEL: And how is your organization responding to this flow of people, and what do you need in terms of assistance from the international community?
EVANS: Humanitarian actors on the ground are supporting at various crossing points and also beginning to start supporting in areas where we do know individuals are moving to. Across the northeast of Syria right now, which is where we have stood up our initial response, we are hearing for calls for greater cash support for individuals. We know that reports are showing that individuals are having to spend large amounts of money being able to get to their intended destinations, and once they get there, they have no money left to be able to meet their basic necessities. So people we're speaking to are telling us that they need cash to be able to meet their immediate needs. We know that there are health needs, and there will continue to be increasing protection needs as the situation continues.
Our call and our ask right now is for continued prioritization and funding for the response in Syria. The needs on the ground have been increasing year on year for the last 14 years. And so with individuals fleeing now into Syria, we're just seeing an even further worsening of the situation on the ground, and so funding needs continue to remain a high priority.
FADEL: Tanya Evans is the International Rescue Committee's country director in Syria, and she joined us this morning from Amman, Jordan. Thank you so much, Tanya.
EVANS: Thank you very much. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
