Nearly 1 million Lebanese people have been forced to leave their homes.

Nearly 1 million Lebanese have fled their homes after just one week of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the United Nations has warned, with shelters now out of capacity, creating a dire emergency, The New York Times reported.

As Hezbollah continues to fire rockets into Israel and clash with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the situation for civilians continues to deteriorate. UN officials say families have been forced to flee more than 100 villages and towns.

Meals are distributed to displaced people taking shelter at a school in Beirut on 9/10. Photo: TNYT

In a sign of the expanding scale of the war, Israel's evacuation order now covers about a quarter of Lebanon.

On 9/10, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned in Arabic in an online post: “People of South Lebanon, beware!”. He said the Israeli army is continuing “attack Hezbollah sites in and around your village, for your safety, do not return home until further notice”.

More than 600.000 of Lebanon's 5,4 million people have been forced to flee within the country and another 300.000 have fled abroad, according to the United Nations. Half of Lebanon's public schools have been converted into temporary shelters.

The war began more than a year ago, with Israel not only fighting Hamas in Gaza but also facing Hezbollah in the north. The conflict has left tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israelis fleeing bombs, many leaving everything behind to save their lives. Once peaceful areas are now devastated, with millions fleeing in droves.

Earlier, Israel carried out airstrikes on densely populated areas near Beirut, which are controlled by Hezbollah, as well as an attack near the Iranian embassy in Syria. Goverment Lebanon says more than 800 of its 990 shelters are full, and those that remain are often too remote for residents to reach. Some have just one or two toilets for hundreds of people, and lack electricity, lighting and safe areas for women and children.

Against this backdrop, tensions between Israel and Iran continue to escalate. The tit-for-tat actions between the parties not only prolong the war but also dim hopes for a peaceful solution. Efforts by the international community to broker a ceasefire have yet to yield positive results, directly pushing millions of people into misery.

The European Union has announced that it will send three planes of humanitarian aid to Beirut. However, with the escalating fighting showing no signs of stopping, the lives of Lebanese people are still being disrupted every day, every hour.