If the Middle East war spreads, it could create a “permanent” refugee crisis, Turkey’s top diplomat warned Tuesday as Lebanon said Israel’s bombardment had displaced over a million people. “If the war… spreads, there is a possibility this will turn into a permanent refugee crisis with refugees seeking shelter outside the borders of their countries,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint news conference with his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand. “This needs to stop as soon as possible.” Lebanon was dragged into the Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei during the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Bakanımız @HakanFidan, Kanada Dışişleri Bakanı Anita Anand ile Ankara’da görüştü. pic.twitter.com/kAlMVXd5ZD — T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı (@TC_Disisleri) March 17, 2026 Since then, more than one million people have registered as displaced, the Lebanese authorities said on Monday, representing more than a sixth of its entire population. The news came as Israel’s military said it had launched a limited ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. “The humanitarian situation is deeply concerning in Lebanon and has the potential to worsen if there is a ground offensive there,” Anand told the news conference. Fidan said the war “could lead to permanent damage.. between countries of the region” pointing to the conflict “spreading across Lebanon and things also becoming much more complicated in Iraq.” He said Turkey had been “working very hard diplomatically since the outbreak of the war to prevent these crises from escalating,” saying he would travel to several countries in the region on Wednesday. Anand said Canada appreciated Turkey’s diplomatic efforts and its “role as an interlocutor in the current Middle East conflict” while also expressing its resolute opposition to Iran’s “reprehensible” strikes on regional nations. “Canada absolutely condemns those retaliatory strikes. Those retaliatory strikes must stop, whether they are in Doha or even against this very country,” she said. © Agence France-Presse
If the Middle East war spreads, it could create a “permanent” refugee crisis, Turkey’s top diplomat warned Tuesday as Lebanon said Israel’s bombardment had displaced over a million people. “If the war… spreads, there is a possibility this will turn into a permanent refugee crisis…
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Reports indicate that ongoing hostilities involving Iran, Israel, and the United States have contributed to increased displacement and humanitarian pressures across the Middle East. These developments have reportedly placed significant strain on regional aid infrastructure and stability, although the full scale of the impact remains subject to evolving assessments.
On March 9, 2026, refugees were observed crossing from Iran into Armenia at the Meghri border checkpoint. These individuals were carrying personal belongings while transiting the border during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Reports suggest the Iran conflict could potentially contribute to a new international refugee crisis, though specific outcomes remain unverified. Authorities anticipate that humanitarian impacts may extend across the Middle East and into other regions, pending further assessment of the situation.
International organizations have reported a civilian death toll between 1,030 and 2,362 in the 2026 Iran War, a range that may be incomplete due to restricted journalist access and an internet blackout. The accuracy of these figures is further complicated by reports that a significant portion of victims were initially unidentifiable.