The Saudi Arabian air bridge relief initiative to Lebanon commenced today, Sunday, with the first aircraft loaded with urgent medical, relief, and food supplies landing at Rafic Hariri Airport in Beirut.
The first Saudi plane carried over 40 tons of relief supplies to support those affected by the war in Lebanon, according to reports from Al Arabiya and Al Hadath. Accompanying the aid aircraft was a Saudi relief team focused on rescue operations.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted a year ago when the group began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war. The fighting has intensified in recent weeks with Israel bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley, and deploying ground forces across the border, resulting in significant casualties among senior Hezbollah leaders. In response, Hezbollah has fired rockets deep into Israel.
The Lebanese government reports that since September 23, nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced due to Israeli attacks. Yesterday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that the death toll since the start of hostilities had reached 2,255. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the current number of displaced Lebanese exceeds the number during the previous major war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, when about one million people fled their homes.
