Lebanon Crisis

Lebanon Map
Source: OCHA/ReliefWeb

The country

Lebanon is a country in the Middle East that gained independence from France in 1943. The country borders the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Syria. Its capital is Beirut. Lebanon covers an area of 10,400 square kilometers. As of 2025, the country has an estimated population between 5.2 and 5.8 million people.

The humanitarian situation

In September 2024, hostilities in Lebanon were massively escalated by Israel, with thousands of airstrikes carried out widely across Lebanese territory. On November 27, a fragile ceasefire agreement came into effect. The escalation of the war caused significant civilian casualties and injuries, and triggered mass displacement, with more than 1.7 million people forced to flee. Before the recent deterioration of the situation throughout Lebanon, the country was already in the grip of a protracted humanitarian crisis.

More than 1.6 million people were newly displaced following the latest Israeli military escalation in Lebanon. This added to the more than 111,000 people who had been forced to flee southern Lebanon since October 2023.

With the support of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, Israel and Lebanon signed a ceasefire agreement in November after more than 13 months of conflict. Under the agreement, which came into force on November 27, Hezbollah troops will move north of the Litani River and Israeli troops will withdraw from southern Lebanon. The agreement foresees an initial two-month cessation of hostilities. Thousands of Lebanese troops and blue helmets from the UN Observer Mission, as well as an international panel, will monitor the implementation of the agreement.

Overall, Israeli attacks had displaced or otherwise directly affected by the crisis an estimated 1.2 million people, including 400,000 children, in the neighbouring country, many of whom are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. While Lebanese authorities speak of 1.2 million people affected, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has confirmed some 880,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). 

After more than two months of fierce hostilities, the ceasefire announcement brought hope to civilians across the Middle East country who have borne the brunt of the conflict. A month after the ceasefire was announced, more than 800,000 people have begun to return to their homes, with most heading to the south. However, many displaced people are unable to return to their communities due to damage and destruction, as well as restrictions imposed by the Israeli army. In December, some 160,000 people remained internally displaced. 

More than 528,000 Lebanese and Syrians had fled Lebanon for Syria in desperation as Israeli airstrikes continued. More than 33,000 others had crossed into Iraq. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) had scaled up their support to the mounting number of displaced people. As of December, authorities estimate that around 90,000 people have entered Lebanon from Syria.

Thousands of displaced persons faced complex challenges as they seek stability in the aftermath of conflict amid continued violations of the cessation of hostilities.

Inside Lebanon, some 190,000 displaced people were staying in more than 1,100 shelters, 85 percent of which were at maximum capacity. The number of displaced people far exceeded the assistance being provided, and the need for essential items in collective shelters was growing. Four times as many displaced people were living outside formal shelters, many of them highly vulnerable and at risk of homelessness and precarious housing.

Since October 2023, more than 4,040 Lebanese, including at least 275 children, have been killed and more than 16,600 wounded, the majority in the course of two months. Since September 23, Israel had intensified and expanded its indiscriminate and large-scale aerial bombardment of Lebanon, reportedly killing more than 3,100 people and injuring more than 13,600. Israeli forces carried out relentless airstrikes throughout Lebanon, including Beirut. On October 1, Israel began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. 

Civilans wear bearing the brunt of this latest phase of the conflict. The recent escalation along the Blue Line, a demarcation line, had caused widespread destruction of towns and villages in southern Lebanon. Essential services, including health care, were severely strained, with growing shortages of medical supplies and challenges to humanitarian access due to security concerns.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health services have been severely affected by the war, with at least 160 attacks on health facilities and personnel recorded, resulting in at least 241 health workers killed and 295 injured. As of December, three hospitals and 19 healthcare centers are still closed. 

Due to insecurity, eight hospitals were completely shut down and seven partially operational, while nearly half - 98 out of 207 primary health centers and clinics in conflict-affected areas - were closed, further hampering access to critical health services and making it even more difficult for civilians to receive essential health care in the surrounding areas. 

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), children were increasingly at risk of health problems as essential services were disrupted by the bombing. Waterborne diseases such as diarrhea were reported, exacerbated by damage to at least 45 water facilities affecting nearly 500,000 people. With 400,000 children displaced, the risk of disease spreading in overcrowded shelters was real, underlining the urgent need for humanitarian assistance as families struggled without adequate shelter and hygiene supplies.

Israeli airstrikes had not only intensified, but also expanded into previously unaffected areas and targeted critical civilian infrastructure. The densely populated capital, Beirut, had been increasingly targeted by Israeli airstrikes. There had been repeated reports of critical civilian infrastructure being hit, including hospitals, clinics, ambulances, schools and residential buildings being destroyed or damaged. According to the World Bank, 99,000 housing units have been partially or completely damaged

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) continues to respond to the urgent needs of people affected by the ongoing conflict. Since September 23, WFP has reached more than 500,000 people with cash or food assistance, including 4.5 million meals. Among them are people seeking refuge in shelters, those who have been displaced to safer areas, and residents who remained in conflict zones.

Since late 2019, Lebanon has been facing a complex humanitarian crisis due to several large socioeconomic shocks, ongoing political instability, and the steep deterioration of the economy. Hyperinflation, the depreciation of the Lebanese Pound (LBP), and lack of livelihood opportunities have exacerbated poverty and fueled hunger. Lebanon remains the world’s biggest refugee-hosting country per capita. 

More than 13 years into the Syria crisis, the Lebanese government estimates that the country hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees (814,715 are registered), making Lebanon the second-largest host country after Turkey. Since the collapse of the Assad government on December 8, the security and humanitarian situation in Syria has remained volatile and dynamic, and it remains unclear how the situation will evolve in the short and medium term. 

According to UNHCR, the socioeconomic downturn in Lebanon has led to an exponential rise in extreme poverty and protection risks for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. 90 percent of refugees live in extreme poverty. In addition, 209,000 registered Palestinian refugees are in the country, including 180,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and 31,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria.

The country’s financial and economic crisis is one of the most severe economic breakdowns globally since the mid-nineteenth century, according to the World Bank. The political and economic crisis in Lebanon has led to widespread poverty among the population, the collapse of public services and growing tensions that are exacerbated by the war against Ukraine and the global food crisis. 

Poverty is the root cause of hunger in the Middle Eastern country. Over 80 percent of people in Lebanon are living in multidimensional poverty, which reflects deprivation across areas including healthcare, electricity, water, sanitation, transportation, connectivity, and means of income.

IPC's (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) latest acute food insecurity analysis indicates that between April and September 2024 1.26 million people in Lebanon, including Lebanese and refugee populations, faced crisis levels of hunger or worse and are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance to reduce food gaps, protect and restore livelihoods, and prevent acute malnutrition. This included 85,000 people in IPC Phase 4 (emergency) and 1.18 million people in IPC Phase 3 (crisis). 

A total of 683,000 Lebanese, 510,000 Syrian refugees, 55,000 Palestine refugees in Lebanon and 13,600 Palestine Refugees from Syria in Lebanon are estimated to be in IPC Phase 3 (crisis) or worse between April and September 2024, meaning they have large food consumption gaps reflected in very high acute malnutrition. High levels of food insecurity are perpetuated by a further deterioration of the economic situation, the devaluation of the Lebanese pound, persistent inflation, and insufficient humanitarian aid.

The United Nations estimates that 2.3 million people in Lebanon were in need of humanitarian assistance in 2023, including 2 million Lebanese, 209,000 Palestine refugees, and 90,000 migrants. In addition, some 90 percent of the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in the country continue to require humanitarian aid.  Therefore, a total of 3.65 million men, women, and children living in the country required humanitarian assistance in 2023. 

The humanitarian community focuses on providing essential short-term support to most vulnerable people affected by the economic crisis to meet their critical needs in terms of health care, food, nutrition, education and water.

On October 16, 2024, the Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed a case of cholera, highlighting the escalating health risks amid the ongoing conflict., and marking the first case since the October 2022-June 2023 outbreak was declared over. The 2022-2023 outbreak was the first in Lebanon in more than 30 years and was driven by economic decline and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, resulting in 8,007 suspected cases, 671 laboratory-confirmed cases, and 23 deaths.

Lebanon LocationThe security situation

Since its independence, Lebanon has experienced several periods of political turmoil interspersed with prosperity built on its historical position as a regional center for finance and trade, although that status has significantly diminished since the beginning of Lebanon’s economic crisis in 2019, which includes simultaneous currency, debt, and banking crises. 

The country's 1975-90 civil war was followed by years of social and political instability. Sectarianism is a key element of Lebanese political life.  Lebanon is a parliamentary republic based on the 1943 National Pact, which apportions governmental authority among a Christian president, a Shia speaker of the Chamber of Deputies (parliament), and a Sunni prime minister.

The Syrian conflict has affected the country economically and socially. Over the past 13 years, the conflict has further strained the country’s already weak infrastructure and ability to deliver social services. Neighboring Syria has historically influenced Lebanon's foreign and domestic policies, and its military occupied Lebanon from 1976 until 2005. Hezbollah - a major Lebanese political party and militia - and Israel continued attacks and counterattacks against each other after Syria's withdrawal, and fought a brief war in 2006. 

Since October 7, 2023, hostilities along the Israel-Lebanon border between armed groups - including Hezbollah - and the Israeli military were having a devastating impact on civilians. Prior to September 2024, more than 110,000 people in Lebanon had been displaced by the fighting from the south; at least 60,000 people were displaced in northern Israel due to ongoing violence and rocket attacks by Lebanese armed groups.

In the early hours of September 23, a large-scale military operation launched by Israel in Lebanon resulted in the deadliest exchange of fire across the Blue Line since October 2023. Israeli attacks extended into regions previously untouched by the conflict, including airstrikes in northern Lebanon. The escalation of hostilities has had a devastating impact on civilians.

On September 23, Lebanon experienced its deadliest day since the end of the country's civil war in 1990. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks now stands at more than 4,400, while more than 16,600 people have been injured since October 8, 2023. Most of the deaths and injuries were recorded in a ten-week period.

Hezbollah and Israel had been engaged in hostilities, mostly confined to southern Lebanon and northern Israel, since October 2023, following attacks by Palestinian armed groups into Israeli territory. As of September 10, the total death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon had risen to 589, with more than 2,500 injured.

The latest upsurge in violence followed an increase in cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israeli forces along the Blue Line and two days of terrorist attacks in Lebanon using deadly explosions from wireless devices that killed at least 37 people and maimed or injured more than 3,400.

Following the weeks-long war between Israel and Lebanon in 2006, which caused widespread destruction throughout Lebanon and killed some 1,100 people, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701. It established a buffer zone between the Blue Line in southern Lebanon, a demarcation line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights, and the Litani River in Israel. Among other things, Resolution 1701 called on both Israel and Lebanon to support a permanent cease-fire and a comprehensive solution to the crisis.

Since October 10, several UN peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) have been injured after being deliberately targeted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Intentionally directing attacks against personnel, facilities, material, units or vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission is a war crime.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), humanitarian agencies urgently need at least US$426 million to sustain the ongoing humanitarian response and to meet new needs created by the escalation. As of December 31, the Lebanon Flash Appeal was 78 percent funded. 

Aid agencies urgently need these funds to provide essential relief items such as food, medicines and shelter for the immediate relief effort in Lebanon and to support existing relief services for the affected population. Despite the ceasefire, many people – including Lebanese, migrants and refugees from southern Lebanon – require urgent attention, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Humanitarian organizations face multiple challenges as the country grapples with widespread destruction and overwhelmed public services. 

The unprecedented economic collapse and weak governance in Lebanon had already led to an increase in tensions and security incidents, often driven by competition for basic services and commodities. Crime rates remained high, and incidents of hate speech and stigmatization of communities were reported to have multiplied. Government institutions and services, which were already suffering from years of underinvestment prior to the intensification of the crisis, are now on the verge of collapse.

Significant human rights issues are reported in Lebanon including serious political interference with the judiciary, serious restrictions on free expression and media, violence, threats of violence or unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists, censorship, and the existence of laws criminalizing libel, and serious restrictions on internet freedom. 

There are also reports of refoulement of refugees to a country where they would face a threat to their life or freedom, serious high-level and widespread official corruption, existence or use of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex persons, and the existence of the worst forms of child labor.

Donations

Your donation for the Lebanon emergency can help United Nations agencies, international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their local partners to rapidly provide water, food, medicine, shelter and other aid to the people who need it most.

You may also consider an unearmarked donation to organizations that are active in the country.

To find other organizations to which you can donate, visit: Humanitarian Crisis Relief, Refugees and IDPs, Children in Need, Hunger and Food Insecurity, Medical Humanitarian Aid, Vulnerable Groups, Faith-Based Humanitarian Organizations, and Human Rights Organizations.

Further Information

Last updated: 01/01/2024

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