Sidon, Lebanon – A campaign to get humanitarian aid into Lebanon was gearing up Sunday. Officials were trying to speed the delivery of food, medicines, blankets and generators down bomb-shattered roads to the south. Tens of thousands have fled the war zone, packing into the southern port city of Sidon and other areas.
The sea-lift evacuating Americans and Britons from Lebanon was nearing completion. Some 12,000 Americans and 4,500 British citizens have left. British officials said they had no more citizens asking to go.
The top U.N. humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, called for at least $100 million in immediate aid but said billions of dollars would be needed to repair the damage from the conflict.
At least 381 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 20 soldiers and 11 Hezbollah fighters, according to security officials. At least 600,000 Lebanese have fled their homes, according to the World Health Organization. Israel’s death toll stands at 36, with 17 people killed by Hezbollah rockets and 19 soldiers killed in the fighting.
