Lebanon: Flash Update #64 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 20 March 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

• Civilians in Lebanon continue to be impacted by military operations across the country.
• 96,037 people remain displaced outside their cadaster of origin, while 961,209 people were back in their cadaster of origin (source: IOM).
• Approximately 20,000 people have newly arrived into Akkar and North Governorates in the wake of the recent escalation of violence in Syria (source: Lebanese authorities)

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Civilians in Lebanon continue to be impacted by military operations across the country, exacerbating protection concerns, impeding safe returns of displaced people, hindering the delivery of humanitarian assistance and further driving needs. Artillery shelling and targeted strikes by the Israeli Army occurred daily during the reporting period, especially near the reported 13 square kilometre area where the Israeli Army maintained its military presence, physical barricades, and signage warning Lebanese populations not to enter the area. The total number of airstrikes increased in comparison to the previous reporting period, with 20 locations targeted between 14 March and 20 March compared to 15 between 7 and 13 March. One UNIFIL peacekeeper was injured in a landmine explosion in Yater (Nabatieh Governorate) on 19 March, highlighting the ongoing risk posed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) in areas of South Lebanon.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, briefed the Security Council on the situation in Lebanon, noting that the cessation of hostilities continues to hold despite continued military activity and the presence of the Israeli Army in Lebanon. She highlighted that this ongoing activity could have serious impacts on the country, including the potential for another escalation. Hennis-Plasschaert urged full implementation of Resolution 1701, commended the Lebanese Armed Forces for deploying in all towns and villages in Southern Lebanon and welcomed the recent formation of the government and the adoption of a promising ministerial agenda, while also drawing attention to funding gaps and warning that progress on recovery and reconstruction were needed to ensure that people felt the “dividends of stability”.

Renewed clashes in El Hermel district (Baalbek-Hermel Governorate) along Lebanon’s eastern and northeastern border with Syria from 16 to 18 March resulted in seven fatalities and 52 injuries, according to the Ministry of Public Health. On 17 March, the Lebanese Defence Minister announced that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, although a brief resumption of cross-border shelling was reported the following day. The Lebanese Army has deployed in affected border areas.

As of 20 March, 96,037 (51 per cent women and 49 per cent men) remain displaced outside their cadaster of origin, while 961,209 people were back in their cadaster of origin, according to IOM’s Mobility Snapshot (Round 81). The figures reflect both an overall increase in the number of those displaced outside their cadaster of origin and an increase in the number of people who have returned to their cadasters of origin in southern Lebanon. The increase in the number of people remaining or newly displaced is attributable to the recent clashes along the border in Baalbek-El Hermel Governorate, which forced individuals to flee their homes. For instance, the number of IDPs in El Hermel District has increased significantly from just 25 in Round 80 to 4,830 in Round 81, as residents have relocated to nearby villages within the district. In southern Lebanon, 2,020 IDPs returned to Marjaayoun, while 1,570 IDPs returned to Sour this reporting period.

Meanwhile, as of 13 March, the government’s Disaster Risk Management reported approximately 91,937 arrivals from Syria in Baalbek-Hermel Governorate, including 34,345 people staying in 200 informal collective shelters and 57,592 within the host community, including 20,000 Lebanese returnees (UNHCR).

Recent hostilities in the coastal governates of Syria beginning in early March continue to cause displacements into Lebanon. As of 20 March, at least 20,000 people have arrived from Syria, seeking refuge mainly in Akkar Governorate (approximately 15,000 people) and North Governorate (approximately 5,000 people), according to Lebanese authorities. Municipal authorities have opened additional collective shelters since 12 March, yet many of these sites are already becoming overcrowded and lack adequate WASH facilities. Most of the new arrivals are Syrian, with some Lebanese families registered. Families report medical assistance, psychosocial support, diapers, milk, and transportation support to join relatives as priority assistance needed. Basic items and hot meals have been distributed as an immediate response (UNHCR).

The Gender-Based Violence Working Group published their GBV Safety Audit for Lebanon, covering July to November 2024 in their analysis of GBV risks, vulnerabilities and needs of women and girls. Intimate partner violence remained one of the most prevalent types of GBV, with economic hardship and displacement driving risks, particularly for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in substandard shelter conditions and situations of economic dependency. Sexual violence was another pervasive form of GBV, with adolescent girls and women with disabilities facing heightened risk. Refugee and displaced girls, especially in rural areas, face greater risks of early-child and forced marriage. The Safety Audit reported significant gaps in GBV prevention and response services, especially in hard-toreach conflict-affected areas, and a lack adequate inclusion for persons marginalized based on diversity, disability, and legal and economic status