(Adnkronos) – The Italian foreign ministry’s overseas aid agency will channel 10 million euros to help at least 750,000 people who have fled their homes since Israel earlier began retaliatory missile strikes last week targeting pro-Iran group Hezbollah in Beirut’s southern suburbs and the south of the country, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Thursday.
“We have decided on funding through our international aid agency to support the civilian population of Lebanon who are in need at this time,” Tajani told reporters.
“The sum amounts to 10 million euros,” Tajani said.
The Italian funds will go to NGOs operating in Lebanon that will prioritise health, food security, shelter, initial reception and sanitation services and other sectors, following the Lebanese government’s indications, Tajani noted.
Tajani’s announcement came a day after United Nations World Food Programme chief Cindy McCain appealed to donors for fresh funds to help the agency continue to support Lebanon’s 750,000 people displaced by the Israeli strikes since early March.
Israel and the United States began strikes on Iran’s military sites in late February, attacks to which Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on the Gulf and what the International Energy Energy Agency calls the biggest disruption to global energy supplies in history.
Iran has said it will not let oil through the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy trade route, until US and Israeli attacks cease.
