The UN’s agency for children, Unicef, has warned that hundreds of thousands of Lebanese children are at risk of developing chronic mental health issues due to persistent conflict in the country and mass displacement, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, Unicef estimates that more than 770,000 children are enduring “heightened distress from repeated exposure to violence, loss and displacement”.

“Without urgent support, the psychological scars of this compounded crisis may stay with them for years, affecting not only their wellbeing, but their future and the future of the country,” said Unicef regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Edouard Beigbeder.