GENEVA: The World Health Organization is finding alternative routes to deliver emergency medical supplies from its Dubai hub to crisis zones such as Lebanon
via long overland journeys, an official said, but rising fuel costs could hamper shipments if the war in Iran persists.
The global health body’s aid shipments from the UAE were previously completely frozen as air, sea, and land routes were restricted by the Iran conflict, which began on Feb. 28 with US-Israeli air strikes.
Iran responded by firing drones and missiles at energy and other infrastructure across the Gulf, while Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the regional war by firing on Israel in support of Iran.
To tackle the shipment problems, the UAE has provided funding to truck supplies like insulin and emergency kits to Lebanon — where over 3,000 people have been wounded — via Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, as well as funding to charter flights to other hotspots like Kabul, Afghanistan, said the WHO official.
