Middle East
Lebanon’s ambassador to Baghdad, Ali al-Habhab, talking to reporters in a press conference in Baghdad on Monday. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Lebanese ambassador to Baghdad commended Iraq on Monday for its humanitarian response to Lebanon amid escalating conflict.
"There are no official statistics on the number of Lebanese refugees in Iraq," Ambassador Ali al-Habhab said at a press conference in Baghdad. "They are still within reasonable limits."
Regarding the number of wounded among them, Habhab said: “It does not exceed 40 wounded so far.”
Hundreds of Israeli strikes on September 23 in Lebanon killed 356 people and injured 1,246, according to the Lebanese health ministry.
On the same day, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani announced plans to establish air and land routes to deliver aid, including fuel for hospitals, to Lebanon, and to receive the injured in Iraqi hospitals.
“The stances of the honorable and most humane peoples are represented by the Iraqi people, government, religious authority and people…” Habhab said.
The Iraqi migration ministry said on Monday that they had received 144 Lebanese citizens, some of whom were wounded, and that their “staff provided all necessary facilities.”
The UN on Monday, citing Lebanese officials, reported more than 1,600 people have been killed and 8,000 wounded in Lebanon by Israeli bombardments since October 2023.
Sudani also spoke on Monday with the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament Nabih Berri.
The Iraqi premier reiterated the country’s commitment to “supporting the resilience of the Lebanese people in their ordeal” and providing “all humanitarian and service assistance necessary to help them overcome the effects of the war and destruction,” according to a statement from Sudani’s office.
The UN also is warning of continued waves of displacement. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR reported on Monday that 100,000 displaced persons have reached neighboring Syria.
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