UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched a $325 million humanitarian appeal on Friday to support Lebanon as it responds to the displacement crisis caused by the war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.
“I am pleased to join all of you today as we launch a Flash Humanitarian Appeal of $325 million to support the people of Lebanon,” Guterres said during a conference attended by representatives of UN agencies and donor countries at the Lebanese prime minister’s office.
The appeal “will sustain and expand life-saving assistance over the next three months — including food, clean water, health care, education, protection and other vital services”, he added.
This handout picture released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on March 13, 2026, shows Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (R) receiving United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the governments palace in Beirut.(Photo by Dani Assi / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyyeh on March 13, 2026. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on Israel and Hezbollah to “stop the war” at the start of a visit to Beirut, saying it was “no longer the time of armed groups”. The UN will launch an urgent humanitarian fundraiser on March 13, to assist the more than 800,000 people registered as displaced in Lebanon. (Photo by KAWNAT HAJU / AFP)
Israeli soldiers work on the belts for their tanks at a staging area in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on March 13, 2026. The Israeli defence minister on March 13, said Lebanon will suffer increasing damage to its infrastructure as Israel targets Hezbollah, after the military destroyed a bridge over the southern Litani river. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP) /
