UN food agency fears an escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border can cripple aid efforts in Lebanon

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

DEKWANEH, Lebanon (AP) — The United Nations food agency’s deputy executive director says if the monthslong conflict playing out on the Lebanese-Israeli border continues to escalate, the agency won’t be ready for the spike in nutritional needs across crisis-hit Lebanon. The UN World Food Program provides aid to over 158,000 people in Lebanon affected by the hostilities. But the agency does not have the funding to address growing needs “should the situation further escalate and further deteriorate,” Skau told The Associated Press Wednesday. Clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces began on Oct. 8, a day after Israel started bombarding the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ deadly rampage in southern Israel. The tensions between the two sides continue to intensify.