After Israeli aggression, Iraq welcomes over 5,000 Lebanese within ten days

Shafaq News/ More than 5,000 Lebanese nationals arrived in Iraq over the past ten days, as the Israeli aggression displaced about a million citizens in Lebanon.

Brig. Gen. Miqdad Miri, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said in a statement, "Iraq has received nearly 5,000 Lebanese citizens in the last ten days through Baghdad and Najaf airports, as well as the al-Qaim border crossing."

Miri explained that the influx follows directives from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, alongside efforts by the Minister of Interior to facilitate the process. “The Directorate of Residency Affairs continues to extend the stay of Lebanese citizens present in Iraq without the need for them to leave the country. Their stay is extended for 30 days and can be renewed again under the Residency Law. Entry visas for Lebanese citizens are granted free of charge.”

He added, "Lebanese citizens can enter Iraq without a visa under previous directives, with entry permitted by stamp alone."

A source at Baghdad International Airport reported last Wednesday that dozens of injured Lebanese individuals had arrived in Iraq for medical treatment after being wounded in Israeli airstrikes.

“Between 50 and 70 wounded Lebanese citizens arrived at Baghdad Airport around 9:00 pm along with their companions for treatment at the hospitals of the Holy Shrine of Imam Hussein,” the source told Shafaq News.

Tensions in southern Lebanon escalated on September 24, following Israeli airstrikes and missile attacks targeting Hezbollah leadership and locations, including the reported assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. The strikes expanded to civilian areas, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

In response, Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for aid to the Lebanese people. This led to a nationwide mobilization of popular support, with religious organizations such as Imam Hussein, Al-Abbas, and Al-Kadhim shrines, alongside other religious bodies, opening offices in all provinces to collect donations.