The staff of UNHCRthe UN Refugee Agency, is activating emergency devices from Iran and Afghanistan to Lebanon and Syria to assist people forced to flee their homes as The regional crisis is worsening.
Many of the affected countries are already hosting millions of refugees and internally displaced people. With its extensive presence on the ground, UNHCR ensures it is prepared to play a central role in the humanitarian response.
UNHCR is closely monitoring the situation inside Iranwhere it has operated since 1984 and is the largest UN agency, with offices in Tehran and five other points in the country. For now, UNHCR cannot confirm how many people are internally displaced, although it recognizes that the scenario is changing and that it is ready to act if governments request it.
Iran currently hosts 1.65 million refugees and people in need of international protection. Despite logistical challenges, UNHCR keeps its reception centers and helplines open, and continues to support essential services such as health, education and social protection. All personnel present in the country are located.
Even before this new escalation, refugees in Iran were already suffering the consequences of an extremely deteriorated economic situation. High inflation and rising costs of living had undermined already precarious incomes, while limited access to employment kept many families on the brink of subsistence. In addition, stricter immigration controls and deportations increased the feeling of insecurity, forcing some Afghans to return in very difficult conditions.
UNHCR is reviewing and strengthening response capacity at the main Iranian border points and calls on all countries to keep their borders open to those fleeing the attacks, warning that forced returns would constitute an act of repression.
In recent days, several media outlets have reported movements on the border between Türkiye and Iran. On Monday, the crossings remained within normality. The situation also remains stable at the Islam Qala Pass between Afghanistan and Iran, and movements on the Armenian border have been limited.
Afghanistan, under pressure
UNHCR also expresses its concern about the situation inside Afghanistanwhere the protection of civilians, including refugees and returnees, must remain a priority. Since October 2023, some 5.4 million Afghans have returned from Iran and Pakistan, many of them against their will. So far in 2026, more than 232,500 people have returned to the country (146,206 from Pakistan and 86,253 from Iran).
Massive and precipitous returns significantly increase protection needs and threaten to further destabilize Afghanistan and the region, even favoring new displacements.
Los Recent clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have also caused new displacements in the provinces of Kunar and Nangarharareas already affected by last year’s earthquake and hosting a high number of returnees.
Although UNHCR and its humanitarian partners are prepared to respond to an increase in arrivals, available resources are seriously compromised following recent large returns and funding cuts. By 2026, UNHCR needs $454.2 million to protect and assist displaced people in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asia, but as of the end of February it had only received 15% of the total.
Inside Afghanistan, both the Omari transit center near the Torkham Pass and the Takhtapul reception center near the Spin Boldak Pass have been hit by attacks. Currently, the Torkham crossing remains closed, while Spin Boldak remains open for the return of Afghans.
UNHCR hotlines in Pakistan and Afghanistan remain operational, offering advice and information to refugees and others in need of international protection.
Exodus from southern Lebanon
The situation is also complicated in Lebanonwhere UNHCR registers a sharp increase in displacement in the south, Bekaa Valley and southern suburbs of Beirut, following evacuation orders issued by Israel to residents of more than 53 locations amid intense bombing in the country.
On Monday, around 30,000 people were taking refuge in collective centers enabled by the Government. Many others spent the night in their vehicles, on the side of the road or stuck in traffic jams as they left southern Lebanon.
UNHCR shows its concern about the escalation of tension on the border between Lebanon and Israel and calls for the protection of the civilian population, while closely monitoring the situation and coordinating the response with authorities and partner organizations. Your teams are distributing basic relief items to displaced families who arrive at the shelters set up by the Government in different parts of Lebanon.
At the same time, Crossings into Syria from Lebanon have intensified. Syrian authorities reported on Monday the arrival of about 11,000 people, a figure higher than the daily average. UNHCR teams are present at border crossings and have prepositioned supplies to deal with a possible massive arrival.
Preparations in the rest of the region
In Irakthe agency maintains surveillance in coordination with border authorities, without significant changes for the moment, but ready to assist both Iranian nationals and Afghan refugees.
Throughout the region, UNHCR has emergency supplies ready to be deployed quickly from its regional and national reserves, including those stored in Termez (Uzbekistan), a point strategically located near Iran. The material available includes family tents, blankets, mats, kitchen utensils, buckets, jerrycans and solar lamps.
If a broader response were necessary, emergency economic aid would be the main form of assistance in many countries in the region. The systems and mechanisms to expand it rapidly are already operational in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Türkiye and Pakistan, among others. UNHCR also maintains an emergency response team ready to activate when necessary.
