UN says nearly 50,000 return home in south Lebanon

Nearly 50,000 people have returned home in Lebanon, though more than 100,000 remain in collective shelters across the country, the UN said Thursday.

“Nearly 50,000 people have now returned to their homes in Nabatieh and South governorates,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters, citing data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “However, more than 106,000 people remain in collective sites across the country, with many others seeking shelter elsewhere.”

Dujarric said humanitarian partners “warn that continued insecurity, widespread destruction, limited access to basic services are continuing to prevent many people from returning home.”

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) observed 143 trajectories of projectiles on Thursday, with 19 attributed to Israeli forces and the remainder to Hezbollah, said Dujarric.