The warning came from the office of U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, which said damage to energy and water infrastructure could intensify humanitarian risks as hostilities continue.

Speaking at a press briefing, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the organization was increasingly alarmed by reports of attacks targeting oil infrastructure.

“We continue to raise the alarm over the humanitarian impact of escalating violence across parts of the Middle East, which is driving rising civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructure and growing displacement of people,” Dujarric said.

He added that strikes on oil facilities could have “serious environmental consequences” across the region, with potential immediate effects on air quality, access to safe drinking water and food supplies.

The concerns come after Ministry of Interior Bahrain reported on Sunday that an Iranian drone attack damaged a water desalination plant in Bahrain.

Desalination plants are critical infrastructure for Gulf states, supplying much of the region’s drinking water and supporting economic activity in countries with limited freshwater resources.

Dujarric said the United Nations was urging all parties involved in the conflict to take precautions to protect civilians and essential infrastructure.

“We reiterate again that all possible precautions must be taken to protect civilians from the impact of hostilities and to avoid damage to health facilities, schools, water systems and other essential infrastructure,” Dujarric said.

The warning follows a series of recent attacks on energy installations linked to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Several oil facilities in Iran were targeted by Israeli strikes on Sunday, while Iran has also launched attacks on oil facilities elsewhere in the region.

The warning came as fighting intensified following a U.S.-Israeli air campaign against Iran that began on Feb. 28, prompting Israeli evacuation orders across southern Lebanon and parts of Beirut. The developments have triggered significant population movements both within Lebanon and across its borders, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Mass displacement across LebanonAyaki Ito, the UNHCR’s Director of Emergency and Programme Support, said the agency had formally classified the unfolding situation as a major humanitarian emergency requiring urgent international response.“UNHCR has declared the escalating crisis in the Middle East as a major humanitarian emergency requiring an immediate response across the region and into Southeast Asia,” Ito told a press briefing in Geneva.According to UNHCR estimates, nearly 100,000 people have been displaced inside Lebanon as Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing hostilities forced residents to leave their homes. Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who had previously sought safety in Lebanon have also returned across the border into Syria amid growing insecurity.The agency said the pace and scale of displacement remained fluid and warned that available figures were likely an underestimate because population movements were continuing and many families had not yet been formally registered.

Displacement reported inside IranUNHCR officials also reported early signs of internal displacement in Iran linked to the same conflict dynamics.Ito said roughly 100,000 people had already been displaced inside Iran in the first days of the conflict. UNHCR staff operating in the country have been receiving hundreds of calls each day from people seeking assistance or information on humanitarian support.The agency did not provide details on the precise locations of displacement but said the scale of requests for help indicated that the humanitarian impact of the conflict was expanding rapidly.UN calls for urgent responseUNHCR said the emergency classification allows it to mobilize additional resources, staff and operational capacity to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.Officials warned that the crisis could spread beyond the immediate conflict zone as displacement pressures increase across neighbouring countries already hosting large refugee populations.The agency urged international donors and humanitarian partners to prepare for a sustained response as the conflict continues to drive population movements across the Middle East.