Minister: 1.2 million people displaced in Lebanon by Israeli attacks

In quotes carried by Lebanon’s National News Agency he said: “We are racing against time to house them, and there are now more than 870 shelters, especially in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, where schools have reached their maximum capacity.”

On the prospect of a pause in the conflict, he noted, “[There are] some ideas that could constitute an entry point to support the diplomatic track regarding Lebanon’s request for a ceasefire, and to stop the machine of destruction and killing to which it is being subjected.”

“There are Arab initiatives, including those presented by Egypt, Qatar, and other countries, and France always calls for a ceasefire, but it is clear that the Israeli side does not care about international laws and resolution.”

“We are activating Lebanese diplomatic work at home and abroad to raise awareness of what is happening in Lebanon and focus on how to protect the country and the Lebanese [people],” he continued.

Israel has launched massive airstrikes since Sept. 23 on Lebanon that have killed more than 1,100 and injured over 3,000, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The top leadership of the Lebanese group Hezbollah was killed in the Israeli assaults, including leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,700 people, most of them women and children, following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October.

More than 1,900 people have been killed and about 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.