A humanitarian flight operated today from the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) base in Brindisi has landed in Lebanon, as part of the new air bridge launched for the country by the European Commission through its Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). The flight is carrying relief supplies made available by the European Union and Ireland, alongside more than 10 tonnes of aid provided by Italy.
The materials respond to needs identified on the ground by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which has taken charge of the assistance and will distribute it, through shelters and response centres, to families displaced by the conflict.
The operation highlights Italy’s cooperation with the European Commission in delivering a rapid response to emergencies, while further strengthening the increasingly central role of the UNHRD base in Brindisi as a humanitarian hub for addressing international crises and emergencies. This marks the second humanitarian flight to Beirut carrying Italian aid in support of Lebanon, following the first operation on 19 March, which delivered approximately 30 tonnes of essential relief supplies.
The initiative also forms part of Italy’s prompt humanitarian response for the Lebanese population, amounting to EUR 10 million, of which EUR 4 million has been allocated to OCHA and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and EUR 6 million earmarked for an immediate emergency call managed by the AICS office in Beirut. The programme will be implemented through Italian civil society organisations active in the country and is expected to reach approximately 220,000 beneficiaries.