UNITED NATIONS, March 12 (Xinhua) -- More than 4.1 million people have been internally displaced in Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon and Pakistan since the beginning of the recent escalation in the Middle East, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

Additionally, some 117,000 people have sought refuge in another country, Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for the UN secretary-general, told a daily briefing, citing the UN Refugee Agency.

Dujarric said that, according to UN humanitarians, the Middle East region is home to some of the largest numbers of people in need of humanitarian assistance globally. "The recent escalation risks deepening civilian suffering and causing further damage to already fragile civilian infrastructure."

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners are continuing to provide humanitarian aid to people impacted across several countries and remain ready to ramp up response in support of national authorities where needed, he said. ■