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Middle East: UN doubles Lebanon aid appeal amid Israel war
Middle East: UN doubles Lebanon aid appeal amid Israel war
Natalie Muller with Reuters, AFP, AP and dpaPublished 06/05/2026Published June 5, 2026last updated 06/05/2026last updated June 5, 2026The UN says it is seeking an additional $331.5 million to tackle a worsening humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Israel is carrying out fresh strikes on the south of the country. Follow DW for the latest.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EuIoWhat you need to know
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The UN has more than doubled its aid appeal for Lebanon to meet what it describes as a "deteriorating" humanitarian crisis
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Israel's air force has carried out more strikes on southern Lebanon after issuing a series of evacuation warnings
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The UN World Food Program says rising fuel prices and transport costs arising from the Middle East conflict are pushing millions closer to hunger
Read below for a roundup of news related to the Iran war and the wider Middle East on June 5, 2026.
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Skip next section READ — Germany's Iran war lessons after 100 days06/05/2026June 5, 2026READ — Germany's Iran war lessons after 100 days
Christoph HasselbachThe war waged by the US and Israel against Iran has now lasted 100 days. In that time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has drastically changed his stance on the conflict.
Initially, he appeared taken aback by the US-Iraeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
No prominent legal scholar has since claimed that these attacks are covered by international law, nor has any member of the German federal government. Yet the phrase "violation of international law" has not yet crossed Merz's lips.
Instead, he referred to the the Iranian government as a "terrorist regime," and said "categorizing the events under international law will have relatively little effect," adding that the US and Israel had "good reasons" for the attacks.
Then, at the end of April, Merz appeared to make an abrupt about-face. Speaking to students, he said the United States had "no convincing strategy" in the Iran war and argued that Iran's leadership had "humiliated" Washington.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EvF5Skip next section Lebanon tells Iran to stop treating country as 'bargaining chip'06/05/2026June 5, 2026Lebanon tells Iran to stop treating country as 'bargaining chip'
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has urged Iran to stop treating his country as a "bargaining chip" in its negotiations with the United States to end the Middle East war.
Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah have been fighting each other since early March, after the Tehran-backed militant group fired rockets at Israel in response to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
"If I may address a word to Iran, it is this: have mercy on our south, stop treating it and its people as merely a bargaining chip to improve the terms of your negotiations," Salam told a press conference on Friday.
Separately, in an interview with US broadcaster CNN, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told Iran not to interfere in his country.
"It's not your country, it's our country ... It's not your job to interfere into our country," Aoun said, adding that "they are using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with the United States. It's unacceptable."
He also told Hezbollah that diplomacy was the only way to end the conflict with Israel, saying there was "no other way but to sit and talk, no other way to solve this problem and to save what's left except through negotiation and diplomacy."
https://p.dw.com/p/5EvOlSkip next section Iran says fired 'warning missiles' at US warships in Gulf of Oman06/05/2026June 5, 2026Iran says fired 'warning missiles' at US warships in Gulf of Oman
Iran's military says it fired warning missiles and drones at two US destroyers in the Gulf of Oman, forcing the vessels to leave the area, according to Iranian state media.
The operation was in response to "maritime misconduct and harassment, as well as the hijacking of commercial vessels and oil tankers by the terrorist naval forces of the United States," the military said.
The US Central Command denied Iran's claims in a post on X.
"Iranian forces did NOT attack or fire at US Navy warships. Doing so would be a gross violation of the ceasefire," Central Command said.
It added that its forces "continue to operate freely in regional waters" and were enforcing the US counterblockade on Iranian ports.
Earlier, US forces said they had intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight and said they would continue to block "vessels providing material support to Iran."
Tensions remain high in the waters around Iran, where the US is imposing a blockade on Iranian ports and Tehran is largely preventing ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EvTqSkip next section Lebanon parliament speaker: Hezbollah will withdraw if Israel pulls back06/05/2026June 5, 2026Lebanon parliament speaker: Hezbollah will withdraw if Israel pulls back
Lebanese Parliament Speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri says the Iran-backed group will withdraw from southern Lebanon if Israeli troops agree to leave the country.
"I agree to ... Hezbollah's withdrawal from south of the Litani River in parallel with an Israeli withdrawal from the areas it occupies," Berri, who acts as a mediator on behalf of Hezbollah, said in a statement.
He added that there must also be "a complete and comprehensive ceasefire without conditions."
Israel and Lebanon's government agreed to a conditional truce in Washington this week. But that deal was rejected by Hezbollah, who demanded a full Israeli withdrawal.
Israeli forces have staged their deepest incursion into Lebanon in two decades.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EvCTSkip next section WATCH — Iran war piles pressure on Germany06/05/2026June 5, 2026WATCH — Iran war piles pressure on Germany
Matthew MooreFor Germany, the fallout from the Iran war has been considerable. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent energy prices up, denting the country's already fragile economic recovery.
Temporary relief measures announced by the government have done little to calm the public's frustrations — approval ratings are at historical lows.
Meanwhile, the far-right AfD party has seen its popularity soar. DW has been to Merseburg in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD is on course to win upcoming regional elections. Watch the full report below.
Iran war piles pressure on Germany
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https://p.dw.com/p/5Ev8JSkip next section Middle East war pushing millions more people into hunger: UN06/05/2026June 5, 2026Middle East war pushing millions more people into hunger: UN
The UN's World Food Program (WFP) has warned that soaring oil prices are worsening food security and pushing millions more people toward acute hunger.
The Iran war has caused the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for transporting global oil and gas supplies. That's led to rising fuel prices and transport costs.
In March, the WFP said if oil prices were to remain around $100 (€86) per barrel until the end of June, an estimated 45 million more people worldwide would face acute hunger.
Three months on, "the negative scenario is unfortunately materializing," Jean-Martin Bauer, the director of WFP's food and nutrition analysis service, told the AFP news agency.
"The closure of Hormuz is translating into increased hunger," he said, adding that the cost of staples like rice and wheat were climbing.
"Unfortunately, the pessimistic projections that were made earlier this year are coming to pass, and we need to act," he said.
Households in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka are among the hardest hit.
The WFP said nearly 320 million people were already considered acutely food insecure at the start of 2026. It projected that 2.5 million more people would be unable to afford basic food supplies by the end of the year.
Iran war drives food insecurity in war-torn Sudan
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https://p.dw.com/p/5EuuzSkip next section WATCH — Shipping risks on the rise due to wars and trade crises06/05/2026June 5, 2026WATCH — Shipping risks on the rise due to wars and trade crises
Dan HirschfeldGlobal shipping disruptions are intensifying as conflicts in key trade routes like the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz force companies to reroute vessels.
Ships such as the 400-meter Al Zubara now travel longer, more dangerous routes around the Cape of Good Hope, adding up to two weeks to journeys.
The growing number of geopolitical hotspots — including conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Asia — poses serious risks to maritime safety, trade efficiency, and crew welfare. Hundreds of vessels stranded in blocked waterways face shortages of food and water, says the International Transport Workers' Federation.
Watch DW's full report below.
Shipping risks on the rise due to wars and trade crises
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https://p.dw.com/p/5Eus8Skip next section Israel strikes southern Lebanon after telling residents to leave homes06/05/2026June 5, 2026Israel strikes southern Lebanon after telling residents to leave homes
Saim Dušan Inayatullah EditorIsrael's air force has carried out air strikes in southern Lebanon after issuing orders for the residents of nine villages to leave their homes.
Lebanon's state news agency reported that six people were killed.
"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and move away from the villages and towns by at least 1,000 meters into open areas," the army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X.
The Israeli statement prompted hundreds of families to leave the village of Anqoun and the area of Aarnaya, near the southern port city of Sidon.
The strikes came a day after Hezbollah rejected the latest US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government. The Iran-backed group demands Israel withdraw completely from Lebanon.
In recent days, Israeli troops have pushed deeper into the country than at any time since the end of Israel's 1982-2000 occupation.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said at least three people were also killed in Israeli strikes on the southern city of Tyre overnight.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EurjSkip next section UN doubles aid appeal for Lebanon to nearly $640 million06/05/2026June 5, 2026UN doubles aid appeal for Lebanon to nearly $640 million
The United Nations has more than doubled the amount of funding it says is needed to help Lebanon tackle a humanitarian crisis as the war between Israel and Hezbollah enters its fourth month.
In a fresh appeal on Friday, the UN said it was seeking an additional $331.5 million (€285 million) to reach 1.4 million people in need of aid.
The UN had appealed for $308 million in March to support a massive emergency response led by Lebanon's government through to the end of May.
As of May 31, it said it had received only $185.9 million, which was used to provided assistance to 680,000 people.
It said it would more than double the initial appeal amount, bringing the total to $639.9 million, in order to reach all of the estimated 1.4 million people in Lebanon who need aid.
"The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is severe and deteriorating," the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said.
"Repeated displacements, insufficient shelter capacity and limited prospects for safe return are deepening vulnerability," it added, warning that "affected people are rapidly exhausting their coping capacities, and essential services are under increasing strain."
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war at the start of March when the Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.
Israel responded by sending troops into Lebanon and launching a major bombing campaign.
More than 3,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since early March, with nearly a million displaced, according to Lebanese authorities. Israel says 26 of its soldiers and four civilians have been killed in Hezbollah attacks over the same period.
https://p.dw.com/p/5EuSkSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/05/2026June 5, 2026Welcome to our coverage
Natalie Muller | Dmytro Hubenko EditorAs the war between Israel and Hezbollah grinds on, the UN is appealing for an extra $331.5 million (€285 million) to provide humanitarian assistance to people in Lebanon. That's more than double an earlier appeal issued in March.
Israel continued to bomb targets in southern Lebanon on Friday, killing six people, Lebanon's state news agency reported.
The strikes come a day after the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah rejected the latest US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government.
Meanwhile, the UN's World Food Program has warned that rising fuel costs resulting from the Iran war are pushing millions of people closer to hunger. It said households in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka are among the worst affected.
All this and more is coming up in our Middle East coverage. Stay tuned!
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