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 2026, the country has an estimated population between 5.2 and 5.6 million people.

The humanitarian situation

Lebanon is facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis following massive Israeli airstrikes and ground operations since March 2, 2026, triggered by a broader regional escalation after the US-Israeli launch of a war on Iran and subsequent rocket and drone launches by Hezbollah.

As of early April, Lebanese authorities report more than 1,500 people, including 130 children, killed and over 4,600 injured, though the toll is expected to rise as rescue efforts and hostilities continue.

The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health also reports that at least 57 healthcare workers have been killed and 145 others injured in Israeli attacks.

Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Lebanon, causing relentless civilian casualties. Airstrikes have caused widespread destruction to civilian infrastructure, including homes and essential services. Key facilities have been damaged, disrupting access to healthcare, water and electricity.

Israeli strikes in Lebanon have already caused widespread displacement. More than 1.2 million people — approximately a fifth of the population — have been displaced, including over 370,000 children and an estimated 13,500 pregnant women. Over 137,000 people, one third of whom are children, are currently seeking shelter in almost 700 collective sites, many of which are schools. Most displaced people are dispersed across host communities or informal settings, often with limited access to basic services.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), over 620,000 of those displaced are women and girls — nearly a quarter of all women and girls living in Lebanon. They are facing escalating risks of gender-based violence, exploitation and isolation, often in overcrowded or unsafe shelters.

Many families lack adequate shelter, with some sleeping in vehicles, public spaces, or on the streets as collective shelters reach capacity. Israeli evacuation orders now cover large areas of southern Lebanon, parts of the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The conflict is placing severe strain on essential services. At least 55 hospitals and clinics have closed due to damage or evacuation orders. Migrant workers—around 200,000 people in Lebanon—are also highly vulnerable, with many left without housing or income.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), more than 200,000 people have crossed into Syria fleeing intense Israeli bombardments. The vast majority, nearly 180,000, are Syrians, including Syrian refugees who had fled Syria seeking safety in the past in Lebanon and now forced to flee again, while more than 28,000 Lebanese also have crossed into Syria. UNHRC is preparing for up to 350,000 people to cross into Syria, depending on the course of the conflict.

In March 2026, the United Nations launched a Flash Appeal to provide life-saving assistance to civilians affected by the escalating hostilities. The appeal targets one million Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria and migrants for three months (from March to May 2026). Prioritizing those with the most severe needs, the appeal calls for US$308 million to address critical, life-saving needs.

Aid agencies urgently need 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. Humanitarian organizations face multiple challenges as the country grapples with widespread destruction and overwhelmed public services.

September 2024 to February 2026

In September 2024, hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah escalated significantly. On September 23, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign in Lebanon, carrying out extensive airstrikes across the country and expanding military operations beyond the border areas. On October 1, 2024, Israeli forces began a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. The escalation resulted in widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, health facilities, and water systems.

The intensified fighting caused significant civilian casualties and mass displacement. Between October 2023 and February 2026, more than 4,260 people were killed and over 17,500 injured in Lebanon by Israeli attacks, with the majority of casualties occurring during a two-month period (October-November 2024). At the height of the crisis, an estimated 1.7 million people were affected by the conflict, including hundreds of thousands who were internally displaced. Many displaced people sought refuge in collective shelters, while others stayed with host communities or in informal accommodation.

After more than two months of intense hostilities, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon entered into force on November 27, 2024. The agreement included provisions for Hezbollah fighters to withdraw north of the Litani River and for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The ceasefire was initially planned as a temporary arrangement and was later extended.

Although the ceasefire led to a reduction in large-scale hostilities, Israel continued to violate the ceasefire through persistent airstrikes, ground operations, and the de facto occupation of Lebanese territory. Airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and other military activities continued along the Blue Line, particularly in southern Lebanon.

These incidents undermined stability and slowed the return of displaced populations. However, between late 2024 and 2025, many displaced people were able to return to their communities, although significant numbers remained displaced due to ongoing insecurity and widespread destruction of housing and infrastructure.

By early 2026, tensions along the Israel–Lebanon border remained high, with periodic military activity and continued humanitarian needs in conflict-affected areas. The damage caused during the 2024 escalation, combined with Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis, continued to place significant strain on public services and humanitarian response capacity.

According to the World Bank, nearly 100,000 housing units in conflict-affected areas were completely destroyed or partially damaged by Israeli attacks. The 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 were severely affected by the war, with at least 160 attacks on health facilities and personnel recorded, resulting in more than 240 health workers killed and nearly 300 injured. The war has had a devastating impact on health infrastructure as one in ten hospitals has been affected by attacks.

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.

Lebanon's complex humanitarian crisis

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 14 years into the Syria crisis, the Lebanese government estimates that the country hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees (some 700,000 are registered), making Lebanon the second-largest host country after Turkey.

Since the collapse of the Assad government on December 8, 2024, 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. Since December 2024, some 400,000 Syrians have crossed back to Syria via or from Lebanon. However, new arrivals in Lebanon of tens of thousands of Syrians have also been monitored.

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.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, between November 2025 and March 2026, some 874,000 Lebanese residents, Syrian refugees, Palestine refugees and post-December 2024 arrivals from Syria are experiencing IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse). This includes 22,000 people experiencing large food gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition, classified in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 851,000 people in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis).

Lebanon LocationThe security situation

Since its independence, Lebanon has experienced several periods of political instability interspersed with economic growth linked to its historical role as a regional center for finance and trade. However, this status has significantly diminished since the onset of the country’s severe economic crisis in 2019, which involved simultaneous currency, debt, and banking crises.

Lebanon’s 1975–1990 civil war was followed by decades of political instability. Sectarian power-sharing remains a defining feature of the country’s political system. Lebanon operates as a parliamentary republic based on the 1943 National Pact, which allocates key political positions among religious communities, including a Christian president, a Shia speaker of parliament, and a Sunni prime minister.

Developments in neighboring Syria have significantly affected Lebanon’s political, economic, and social environment. Over the past fifteen years, the Syrian conflict has placed considerable pressure on Lebanon’s already fragile infrastructure and public services. Syrian forces occupied Lebanon between 1976 and 2005 and historically exerted strong influence over Lebanese political affairs.

Tensions between Hezbollah — a major Lebanese political party and armed group — and Israel have been a central feature of Lebanon’s security landscape for decades. The two sides fought a major war in 2006 that caused widespread destruction across Lebanon and resulted in more than 1,000 deaths.

Following the 2006 conflict, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1701, which called for a cessation of hostilities and established a buffer zone between the Blue Line — the United Nations-recognized demarcation line separating Lebanon and Israel — and the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The resolution also expanded the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission.

Hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel intensified again following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Cross-border exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and armed groups in Lebanon caused significant displacement on both sides of the border. Prior to September 2024, more than 110,000 people had been displaced from southern Lebanon, while approximately 60,000 residents of northern Israel were displaced due to rocket and drone attacks.

On September 23, 2024, Israel launched large-scale airstrikes across Lebanon, marking the most significant escalation of hostilities since the 2006 war. Israeli attacks expanded beyond border areas and included strikes in northern Lebanon and Beirut. On October 1, 2024, Israeli forces began a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. The escalation caused widespread destruction and thousands of casualties.

A ceasefire agreement entered into force on November 27, 2024, reducing the intensity of large-scale hostilities. However, violations of the ceasefire were frequently reported, including airstrikes, artillery exchanges, and cross-border attacks. Monitoring of the ceasefire was supported by UNIFIL and international diplomatic efforts.

Since March 2026 the security situation deteriorated again when a new wave of hostilities erupted as part of a broader regional escalation. Beginning on March 2, 2026, Israel launched intensive airstrikes across southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley following renewed attacks by Hezbollah.

The renewed fighting has triggered a large-scale humanitarian crisis. Within the first weeks of the escalation, hundreds of people were killed and thousands injured, while massive displacement occurred across the country. More than 1,2 million people have been forced to flee their homes in a matter of days, adding to earlier displacement caused by previous phases of the conflict.

Hostilities continue along the Blue Line and in other parts of Lebanon, including airstrikes, artillery shelling, and targeted attacks on on both armed groups and civilian infrastructure. The escalation significantly increases risks for civilians and further strains Lebanon’s already fragile political and economic environment.

In late March 2026, three Indonesian UNIFIL peacekeepers were killed in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon. UNIFIL has launched a formal investigation to determine the origin of the projectile and roadside explosion, but has not officially named a responsible party. Intentionally attacking personnel, installations, material, units, or vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission is a war crime.

Lebanon’s ongoing economic collapse and weak governance have contributed to rising insecurity and social tensions. Competition for basic services, employment, and resources has increased pressure on communities, while crime rates and social unrest have also risen.

Significant human rights concerns have been reported in Lebanon, including political interference in the judiciary, restrictions on freedom of expression and the media, intimidation or prosecution of journalists, censorship, and limitations on internet freedom. Additional concerns include corruption, reports of forced returns of refugees to unsafe conditions, discrimination against vulnerable groups, and the existence of laws criminalizing consensual same-sex relations.

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: 07/04/2026

Tags