ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Around 5,000 people from Lebanon have entered Iraq through airports and border crossings “without visas” in the last 10 days after the Israeli military started escalating its attacks on the country, an Iraqi official reported on Wednesday.

The displaced Lebanese citizens have entered Iraq through Baghdad and Najaf airports, as well as al-Qaim border crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian border, according to Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri.

Based on directives issued by Iraq Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, “the Directorate of Residence Affairs continues the process of extending the entry visa of Lebanese citizens present in Iraq without the need to travel for a period of thirty days, and extending it again based on the provisions of the Residence Law, while continuing to grant the entry visa free of charge to Lebanese citizen,” Miri said in a statement.

The spokesperson noted that Lebanese citizens can enter Iraq without a visa, with only an entry stamp.

Sudani and other top officials have repeatedly called on relevant authorities to make all necessary efforts to assist the Lebanese people in distress through facilitating their entry to Iraq and continuing to dispatch humanitarian aid.

Iraq has already sent hundreds of tons of medical and humanitarian assistance to Lebanon in recent weeks.

Up to one million people in Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the recent Israeli aggression. Around 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past two weeks.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed his appreciation for the ongoing support and humanitarian aid from the UN and Arab countries, but issued an “urgent” call for more assistance, calling on all sides to stand alongside Beirut.

The Israeli military has announced its plans to launch a ground aggression in southern Lebanon aimed at “dismantling” the Hezbollah and its capabilities near the border. It has in the meantime continued its aerial offensive on Beirut’s southern suburbs.