Ever more tense situation in Lebanon
24/07/2006
With no let up in the Israeli bombings, the situation for civilians in Lebanon worsens every day. Over the weekend, rockets pounded much of Southern Lebanon, hitting the Bekaar Valley and the cities of Tyre and Sidon, where many tens of thousands of refugees had taken cover.
With the numbers of refugees fleeing from the South of the country and the capital Beirut increasing by the minute and supplies of food, water and medicine becoming ever shorter, the situation is beginning to look critical.
SOS Children, which cares for and provides support to over 1000 children through its four Villages and numerous outreach programmes in Lebanon, has begun providing emergency aid to families who have sought refuge in Sidon. Approximately 200 families have taken refuge in school buildings in the town. Families with young children are currently priority and are being provided with milk and other basic foodstuffs. Should the tension continue over the next few days, the distribution of emergency provisions will be extended.
Further north, access to the recently opened SOS Children's Village at Ksarnaba has become virtually impossible. The area around Ksarnaba and the northern reaches of the River Litani has seen fierce fighting and all access roads to the village have been destroyed, however none of the children or staff has been injured.
Fortunately, with it being the summer holidays, there are few children at home in the villages in Sferai (Sidon), Bhersaf (Beirut) and Kfarhay (Tripoli). However, since the SOS Children’s Villages are considered relatively safe havens, many children are being brought back early from their vacations.
SOS Children's national office in Beirut, which was evacuated soon after the attacks began on the city, will remain closed and the nearby youth homes in Sin El Fil have also been evacuated due to the increased bombing activity.
In Syria, SOS Children has begun a small scale emergency programme in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent, providing refugees in the capital Damascus with emergency supplies, medical care and clothing.
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Relevant Countries: Israel, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Syria.