The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) announced that it is rapidly scaling up emergency food assistance across Lebanon. This is necessary as escalating Israeli military strikes push the country deeper into a food security crisis.
Food prices soar as southern markets collapse under bombardment
WFP Country Director Allison Oman warned via video link from Beirut. He said what they are witnessing is not only a displacement crisis, but it is rapidly becoming a food security crisis.
🔴 #Lebanon: WFP teams are on the ground, delivering assistance directly to communities affected by the ongoing escalation, helping ease the burden when they need it most.
The number of people displaced in the country grows by the day.
Hear more from WFP’s Khalid Ismail 👇 pic.twitter.com/a8Zxgy0iIZ
— World Food Programme (@WFP) April 8, 2026
Prices of basic goods have soared since the latest escalation began on March 2. The WFP reported that vegetable prices have jumped more than 20 percent, while bread prices have risen by 17 percent.
“What we’re now seeing is a very worrying combination: prices are rising, incomes are disrupted, and demand is increasing as displacement continues for many families,” Oman stated.
World Food Program convoys reach 150,000 people
A fragile two-day-old ceasefire has halted US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. However, it has failed to calm Israel’s parallel war against Iran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
Oman described a two-layered crisis. In the south, more than 80 percent of markets have completely collapsed.
Additionally, in Beirut, remaining markets face mounting strain. Many traders in conflict-affected southern areas report that less than one week of essential food stocks remain.
Heavy bombardment since March 2 has made food delivery to hard-to-reach southern areas increasingly difficult. Although the previously struck Qasmiyeh Bridge is now operational, movement remains severely restricted.
Ten WFP convoys have reached the south, providing aid to an estimated 50,000 to 150,000 people in urgent need of humanitarian support.
“This escalation is pushing vulnerable communities even closer to the edge,” Oman said.
She warned that around 900,000 people across Lebanon now face food insecurity due to the latest escalation.
In January, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) called on business leaders to invest their knowledge, capabilities, and resources in addressing global hunger. The agency issued this call at the World Economic Forum (WEF26) in Davos, Switzerland.