Flash Appeal: Lebanon, Covering the period January-March 2025 (January 2025) [EN/AR]

Crisis Overview

Two months of conflict escalation, preceded by 11 months of continued hostilities – the largest in scale the country has seen since 2006 – has had catastrophic impacts across Lebanon. According to the Ministry of Public Health, 4,047 people were killed, including 290 children and 790 women, by 4 December 2024. While relative calm was restored following the announcement of a cessation of hostilities, the situation remains fragile, and Lebanon continues to grapple with an increasingly complex humanitarian situation.

Population movements have been fluid and complex, as people affected by the conflict escalation respond cautiously to unfolding events. In 2024, Lebanon was estimated by its government to be hosting 1.5M displaced Syrians (who fled the crisis in Syria), 23,026 Palestinian Refugees from Syria, 200,000 Palestine Refugees in Lebanon and over 11,200 refugees of other nationalities. IOM also identified 175,947 migrants (70 per cent women) in Lebanon.

The intense conflict, between 8 October 2023 and 24 November 2024, displaced at least 899,725 people (51 per cent female and 49 per cent male) within Lebanon (DTM). By 25 November, 190,102 people were registered in 1,177 collective shelters and 3,316 were registered in 11 UNRWA emergency shelters. UNHCR identified over 105,000 refugees who were secondarily displaced in Lebanon, while an estimated 562,000 people (37 per cent Lebanese and 63 per cent Syrians) had left Lebanon to Syria, and 41,442 Lebanese nationals crossed into Iraq. Some 25,000 migrants were also forced to flee their homes and workplaces (IOM).

Since the announcement of a cessation of hostilities, and as of 26 December, 819,693 people displaced within Lebanon were reported as being back in their cadasters of origin, with the largest number of return movements recorded in Nabatieh, Sour and Baalbek districts. Meanwhile, 160,900 people remained displaced outside their cadasters of origin, mainly in Aley, Saida, Beirut and Chouf districts (DTM). An estimated 4,485 displaced people remained in 45 collective shelters (DRM). Cross-border movements into Lebanon are also being observed, with 90,000 people crossing into Lebanon from Syria as of 19 December (UNHCR), including an estimated 38,000 hosted in 159 informal collective shelters (mostly Syrians), 32,000 Syrians outside collective shelters and 20,000 Lebanese returnees from villages along the Syria/Lebanon border. The Government of Lebanon has recorded around 10,000 Syrians returning to Syria through official border crossing points, as of 12 December. Movements continue daily through both formal and informal border crossings. Some of these returns appear to be temporary, as individuals travel back to Syria to check on family members or assess the condition of their properties.

Many displaced people who are returning to their communities from collective shelters or other locations where they had sought refuge are facing the reality of destroyed infrastructure and limited access to essential services. Nearly 100,000 housing units have been either completely destroyed or partially damaged in conflict affected areas, amounting to US$2.8B in losses (World Bank). The recent wave of destruction has also exacerbated explosive ordnance contamination in conflict affected areas. Meanwhile, many are not able to return to more than 60 localities in southern Lebanon, following continued warnings from the Israeli Army.

The conflict, which impacted one in ten hospitals and killed 241 health workers while on duty, has taken a devastating toll on health infrastructure, resulting in overwhelming health needs (WHO).
The widespread destruction to health, water and sanitation infrastructure heightens the risk of disease outbreaks. Thousands with traumatic injuries urgently require reconstructive surgery, while mental health consequences are profound. The conflict interrupted education for more than two million children. Over 397 schools and university branches were closed due to insecurity and/or damage, and approximately 599 educational establishments repurposed as shelters.

Food security conditions have deteriorated significantly due to reduced agriculture productivity, inflation, and disrupted supply chains. Some 130 municipalities suffered damage to agricultural land and assets, while cereal production steeply declined to 40 per cent below average. Already, nearly one-quarter of the Lebanese population suffers from poor food consumption patterns, whilst about half of Syrian refugees are experiencing acute food insecurity (FAO/WFP).

Lebanon’s economic and financial outlook is worrying, as 14 months of conflict significantly worsened the country’s economic and financial crisis. According to the World Bank, the country's real GDP growth for 2024 has been reduced by at least 6.6 per cent, and the conflict has amounted to economic losses estimated at $5.1B. These setbacks exacerbate what was already a dire economic situation: over the past five years, Lebanon has experienced a prolonged contraction exceeding 34 per cent of real GDP, effectively erasing 15 years of economic growth.

In support of the Government-led emergency response, the humanitarian community is extending the Flash Appeal launched on 1 October (October -December 2024), for another three months (from January to March 2025) to enable partners to rapidly deliver principled and effective humanitarian assistance. The appeal calls for an additional $371.4 M to deliver urgent life-saving assistance and protection to one million Lebanese, Syrians, Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria, and migrants directly impacted by the recent escalation of hostilities and displacement.

This Flash Appeal is fully complementary to, and supportive of, the Lebanon Response Plan (LRP) 2025, which remains the primary planning framework for the humanitarian and stabilization response, co-led with the Government.

The LRP covers immediate and medium-term needs across all vulnerable population groups, including Lebanese, refugees and migrants, including through support to Lebanese institutions and public services amid the multifaceted crisis. It is therefore imperative that funding to the LRP continues and increases during this period of crisis, alongside funding for the Flash Appeal. For an overview on response achievements to date in 2024 under the LRP please see here.