MIDDLE EAST LIVE 17 March: Crisis impact ripples across region
- UNAA
- Mar 16
- 4 min read
17th March 2026
The crisis in the Middle East continues, with strikes and counterstrikes reported across the region as the humanitarian toll rises. UN agencies warn that health systems are under growing strain, children are increasingly affected by violence and displacement, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes - especially in Lebanon. Despite mounting logistical and security challenges, UN agencies are scaling up emergency aid.
HIGHLIGHTS
Escalation continues across the region: Strikes and counter-strikes persist across the Middle East, with rising civilian casualties, displacement and damage to critical infrastructure.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has renewed his call for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East, stressing that “diplomacy must prevail”.
Humanitarian crisis deepens in Lebanon: Displacement surges across Lebanon as airstrikes continue and health systems come under severe strain, with hospitals closing and casualties mounting.
Global aid at risk from supply chain disruption: WFP warned that relief operations could face the most severe jolt since COVID, as shipping, fuel and logistics costs surge.
Health systems and food security under pressure: Rising energy prices are driving up fertilizer and food costs, while conflict-related damage and access constraints constrict healthcare.
Displacement spreads: Millions remain uprooted, including large-scale displacement in Iran. Cross-border movements are also on the rise, straining already stretched humanitarian systems.
Lebanon: UN envoy warns Security Council of deepening crisis
In a closed meeting of the Security Council, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned that the country has been drawn into a dangerous escalation, with a mounting civilian toll and growing instability.
Briefing alongside UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix on the implementation of resolution 1701, she cautioned that military action will not bring lasting solutions.
“Ongoing military actions will not bring about lasting solutions,” she said, urging renewed diplomatic efforts and stronger support for State institutions, including the national army.
She also stressed the need for a comprehensive national strategy to address armed groups and stabilize the country.
Gaza: Rising risks to civilians amid ongoing strikes
The UN relief coordination office, OCHA, warns that continued Israeli strikes and shelling in residential areas across Gaza are increasing risks for civilians.
The office reiterated that civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected under international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Kerem Shalom/Kerem Abu Salem remains the only operational crossing for aid and commercial goods.
While UN teams were able to collect food, medicines and other supplies there yesterday, additional crossings must be opened to scale up the humanitarian response, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York.
Lebanon: Over one million people now displaced
Humanitarian agencies are expanding assistance across Lebanon as displacement continues to surge, according to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA.
UN agencies and partners have delivered more than 1.1 million hot meals and 38,000 ready-to-eat kits, along with shelter supplies, hygiene kits and hundreds of thousands of litres of clean water to families forced to flee.
More than one million people are now registered as displaced, including nearly 300,000 children, with many sheltering outside formal sites.
UN agencies also raised alarm over attacks on healthcare, after paramedics were reportedly killed in recent strikes. They stressed that humanitarian access must be protected and civilians, including medical workers, must not be targeted.
UNIFIL reports continued escalation along Lebanon-Israel ‘Blue Line’
The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) reports continued exchanges of fire across the Blue Line which separates southern Lebanon and northern Israel, including rockets, missiles, artillery and airstrikes in both directions.
Peacekeepers also observed a build-up of Israeli forces north of the demarcation line, including dozens of military vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and tanks near Khiam, as well as reinforcements near Kfar Kila.
Displacement across the Middle East region: Key figures
Iran: Kids out of school as strikes escalate
We’re hearing that the situation across Iran is dire, with an alarming heavy loss of life adding to the “strain” people continue to face, with the war in its third week.
“Daily life in Tehran has been profoundly disrupted: children are not attending school, and many businesses have temporarily closed as a precaution due to the ongoing strikes,” says Vincent Cassard, Head of Delegation in Iran for UN partner, ICRC.
Deadly airstrikes also strain Lebanon's entire health system
Airstrikes and bombardment continue across southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs and the Bekaa region, causing further displacement and civilian casualties, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since 2 March, nearly 3,000 casualties have been reported, including 850 deaths and more than 2,100 injuries, with children accounting for around 15 per cent. Hospitals and health services are under severe pressure, with five hospitals and dozens of primary care centres closed.
Strikes have also damaged key infrastructure, including roads and a bridge, raising concerns about access to essential services and humanitarian aid delivery.
Displacement continues to outpace shelter capacity, with over 830,000 people registered as displaced, many forced to sleep in overcrowded or unsafe conditions.
Iran school strike under investigation
A top independent human rights probe said today that it is in the “early stage” of an investigation into a strike on an Iranian school which took place on the first day of the war, reportedly killing at least 168 people, many of them girls.
Max du Plessis from the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran was speaking in Geneva, on the sidelines of the Human Rights Council, which appointed the expert body in 2022 to document deteriorating human rights conditions in Iran.
Experts appointed by the Human Rights Council work in an independent capacity. They are not UN staff and are not paid for their work.
Like to get involved? Become a Member of UNAA
Like to Find Out more about UNAA
or make a valuable donation to UNAA's work
Comments