Iraq approves Lebanese schools for displaced students amid ongoing crisis

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Minister of Education, Ibrahim Namis Al-Jubouri, approved a proposal on Thursday to establish Lebanese schools in Iraq for students displaced by the crisis in Lebanon. The decision followed a meeting with Lebanese Ambassador Ali Al-Habhab, during which Al-Jubouri reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to accommodating displaced Lebanese students until conditions improve in their homeland.

Al-Jubouri confirmed that the Lebanese schools would be built in provinces with high numbers of displaced Lebanese families, ensuring students’ education would not be disrupted. The move comes in response to the arrival of over 11,000 Lebanese families in Iraq, with more than 100 Lebanese students already enrolled in Iraqi schools.

In a separate statement, Adnan Al-Sarraj, an advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, revealed that the Iraqi government has allocated emergency funds for displaced Lebanese families. “The government has designated specific funds for our Lebanese guests who have lost their belongings and finances,” Al-Sarraj told Al-Ghad TV. He noted that the funds have yet to be distributed, with the amount per family still undecided.

While Iraq has provided political and humanitarian support to displaced Lebanese families, the country avoids direct military involvement in the conflict with Israel. Iraqi militias, including Kataib Hezbollah and Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, have claimed responsibility for drone strikes on Israel, escalating the conflict in Gaza.

Fears of a broader regional war have increased following Israel’s intensified airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, killing more than 1,300 people. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that nearly 700,000 people in Lebanon have been displaced since October, with most finding shelter with relatives or in collective facilities.