Lebanon — humanitarian situation

Lebanon continues to experience fragile humanitarian conditions following the cessation of hostilities agreement reached in June 2026, though recent weeks have seen renewed violence despite the ceasefire announcement. Since the escalation began on 2 March 2026, at least 4,335 deaths and 12,277 injuries have been recorded, with an additional 355 people killed and 276 injured since the 19 June ceasefire OCHA. As of mid-August, approximately 351,558 people remain internally displaced across Lebanon, a substantial decrease from peak levels, while 834,651 people have returned to their areas of origin IOM, OCHA. However, these returns remain uneven and fragile, constrained by damaged housing and infrastructure. Around 22,800 internally displaced persons, more than 53 percent of whom are women and girls, continue to reside in 232 collective shelters OCHA. New displacement events were reported as recently as 5 August, indicating ongoing instability OCHA. Cross-border dynamics have also been significant, with substantial movements between Lebanon and Syria. Since March 2026, DTM identified 123,620 arrivals from Lebanon into Syria, though approximately 29,467 Syrian and Lebanese nationals have since returned to Lebanon following the April ceasefire announcement IOM. Separately, since January 2025, 672,699 Syrians known to UNHCR have returned to Syria from Lebanon and been inactivated from UNHCR records, with 88 percent of these returns occurring spontaneously UNHCR. This includes 11 percent who returned under duress in late 2024. Protection concerns remain acute as the mandate of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon UNIFIL approaches its scheduled end in December 2026. Human Rights Watch has called for the Security Council to ensure an international force remains in southern Lebanon to protect civilians and deter human rights abuses by the Israeli military and Hezbollah, noting that attacks on the population and mass displacement continue despite the ceasefire HRW. Humanitarian partners have expressed concerns about assessment timing and response gaps, with an Emergency Rapid Needs Assessment lessons learnt review indicating that government clearance processes delayed assessment launches by weeks to months after the escalation, reducing the relevance of findings UNHCR.