Linked to the military escalation across the Middle East, hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel intensified sharply on 2 March 2026. The surge in violence represents the most serious deterioration in security conditions since the November 2024 ceasefire, deepening an already severe humanitarian and socio-economic crisis and placing immense strain on families, communities, and overstretched aid services.

Within the first week of the latest escalation, hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon have once again been forced from their homes.  More than 822,000 people, including nearly 300,000 children, have registered as being displaced. And about 128,000 people are sheltering in nearly 600 collective sites across the country. The overall number of people displaced is likely higher. 

According to Lebanese authorities as of 11 March 2026 more than 600 people have been killed and at least 1580 people wounded. In the first seven days of the current conflict, 20 per cent of the casualties were children.

Airstrikes and missile exchanges have caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings, schools, health facilities, and essential services.

Prior to the crisis, an estimated 3 million people in Lebanon already required assistance, including refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities due to conflict-related incidents, spillovers from Syria, socioeconomic vulnerability, and/or other drivers, including water scarcity and drought-like conditions. Approximately 961,000 people were facing acute food insecurity, while health, water, and social protection systems were already operating under significant strain.

Several collective shelters, primarily public schools, were opened initially across the country to host displaced populations, with many being at full capacity within the first days of the crisis. Additional displaced families are sheltering in informal locations such as mosques, community halls, and unfinished buildings, placing greater demand on water, sanitation, waste management and fire safety systems.

The health system is experiencing growing pressure as casualty numbers increase. The closure by 11 March of 47 primary health care centres and five hospitals in the South and Beirut’s Southern suburbs will significantly impact the provision of health care services in conflict affected areas. The evacuation of two hospitals in Beirut’s southern suburbs following the 5 March displacement order, coordinated by the Ministry of Public Health and the Lebanese Red Cross, in addition to reported attacks affecting healthcare personnel and facilities, has placed additional strain on health system capacity. Electricity supply and fuel availability remain fragile, and disruptions to fuel distribution risk affecting hospital operations, water pumping stations, and electricity generation.

Lebanon is at the same time one of the countries hosting the largest number of refugees per capita and per square kilometer in the world, according to UNHCR.

The UN and partners have appealed for US$308.3 million to fund a government-led response and rapidly scale up aid for a three-month period – from March to May 2026. The appeal prioritizes people with the most severe needs, aims to support up to 1 million people, including affected vulnerable Lebanese, displaced Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants.