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 severe 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. Despite a reduction in hostilities due to nominal ceasefires, the humanitarian situation remains fragile. Ongoing Israeli attacks continue to endanger civilians, impede the safe return of displaced people, and prolong humanitarian needs.

According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, as of July, more than 4,300 people have been killed and over 12,000 injured in Israeli attacks since March 2, 2026. Among the casualties are at least 253 children who were killed and more than 1,000 who were injured. Israeli attacks have also targeted healthcare facilities, resulting in the deaths and injuries of aid workers on a horrific scale. Since March 2, at least 135 healthcare workers have been killed on duty, and 406 have been injured in Israeli attacks. 

Despite a nominal ceasefire announced in mid-April and extended several times, Israeli attacks and displacement orders continue to take a heavy toll on the Lebanese people. When the ceasefire was first announced, it raised hopes of a return to normal life. However, instead of living safely, civilians continue to be killed, injured, and displaced. Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Lebanon. These airstrikes have caused widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes and essential services. Key facilities have been damaged, disrupting access to healthcare, water, and electricity.

Although the security environment has notably improved since the most recent ceasefire announcement in June, continued military activity in the south perpetuates protection risks, prolongs displacement for those seeking to return and further fuels humanitarian needs throughout the country. Israeli military airstrikes, demolitions and localized military operations in the south and Nabatieh governorates are still being reported.

Amidst this precarious situation, almost 500,000 people remain displaced within Lebanon, including 37,000 people living in 430 collective shelters. Many families are unable to return home due to inaccessibility, destruction or ongoing insecurity. Meanwhile, around 650,000 people have returned to their areas of origin.

Despite the increasing number of returns, people are moving cautiously and reversibly as they evaluate the extent of the damage, safety conditions and access to essential services. Continued support for basic services, shelter, clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO), and early recovery is essential to ensure safe and dignified returns.

At the height of the most recent escalation, over 1.9 million people — more than a third of Lebanon's population — were displaced from their homes. Most of the displaced population was dispersed across host communities or informal settings, often with limited access to basic services. This included over 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), almost 600,000 Syrian refugees and around 164,000 Lebanese nationals who had crossed into Syria after March 2.

According to estimates by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), there are 390,000 women of reproductive age among displaced people and returnees. This includes approximately 16,000 pregnant women, with around 1,800 expected to give birth each month. Many are returning to communities where health infrastructure remains damaged or non-functional.

Since March, UNFPA has provided sexual and reproductive health services, as well as services for victims of gender-based violence, to more than 150,000 displaced and conflict-affected people through health facilities, mobile teams, and safe spaces for women and girls.

However, aid agencies report that health services remain severely strained. Three hospitals and 36 primary healthcare centers are still closed, and at least 17 hospitals have been damaged. Access to maternal and newborn health services is limited in parts of southern Lebanon, particularly in areas affected by 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 called for US$308 million to address critical, life-saving needs. 

In June 2026, the United Nations issued an appeal for an additional 331.5 million to provide assistance to 1.4 million people from June through August. The revised Flash Appeal brings the total request from March through August to nearly $640 million to sustain life-saving efforts. Humanitarian organizations warn that funding shortfalls and access constraints are limiting the relief response. As of July, the revised coordinated appeal is only 42 percent funded, with close to $270 million received.

This significant shortfall in funding limits the ability of humanitarian organizations to maintain essential services and expand their response capacities, especially amid continuous waves of attacks and renewed displacement. 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.

The sharp escalation in violence has reversed recent food security gains and caused a sharp deterioration in Lebanon's food security situation. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released in April 2026, an estimated 1.24 million people are expected to experience crisis-level food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) or worse between April and August of this year.

This is much worse than the period from November 2025 to March 2026, when an estimated 874,000 people experienced acute food insecurity. The IPC attributes this deterioration to conflict, displacement, and economic pressures. While the crisis affects all population groups, it remains particularly severe among displaced and vulnerable populations, such as Syrian and Palestinian refugees.

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, as well as ground invasions. Despite several ceasefire agreements, Israeli military operations in Lebanon persist, including ongoing airstrikes and large-scale ground incursions.

A report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) covering the first three weeks of hostilities found that Israeli forces conducted direct attacks on civilians, including medical personnel; prevented residents from evacuating safely; and targeted infrastructure critical to livelihoods, including agricultural land. OHCHR has warned that similar incidents have continued since the ceasefire began.

Under international humanitarian law, medical personnel, whether military or civilian, and other civilians, including journalists, are protected, as are civilian buildings and objects. Deliberately targeting them amounts to a war crime. The UN human rights office has also documented several incidents in which Israeli strikes hit and, in some cases, leveled multi-story residential buildings, killing entire families.

The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect has warned that the Israeli government appears to be replicating in Lebanon the tactics used to commit atrocities in Gaza. This suggests a parallel campaign of collective punishment, including mass displacement orders, strikes on densely populated areas with little or no warning, and the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure.

These warnings follow those issued in mid-April 2026 by over two dozen UN human right experts who stressed that Israel’s “deliberate destruction of homes is a weapon of war and a form of collective punishment, particularly in Shiite areas in the rural south of the country” and that this conduct “points to ethnic cleansing.”

The renewed escalation 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 had 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.

Since the conflict escalated on March 2, 2026, seven United Nations peacekeepers have been killed in Lebanon. The casualties include four Indonesian soldiers—three killed during late-March strikes on a UNIFIL base and a logistics vehicle, and a fourth who later succumbed to severe injuries—along with two French peacekeepers killed in April, and a Serbian peacekeeper killed in June, 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: 11/07/2026

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