Attachments
Key Figures
1.2 million people are estimated to be affected inside Lebanon according to Lebanese authorities
809,000 people have been internally displaced inside Lebanon according to joint IOM and UNHCR tracking1 as of 20 October
53,400 refugees identified by UNHCR are secondarily displaced inside Lebanon due to the conflict, including 43,000 since 23 September only, 96% being Syrian refugees
425,000 people (around 70% Syrians and 30% Lebanese) are estimated to have crossed from Lebanon to Syria as of 21 October
A regional displacement crisis is unfolding in Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and beyond, which will have serious implications for the region and its people. In addition to the tragic loss of life and massive displacement, Lebanese and Syrians are experiencing a fundamental destabilization of families and communities, compounding the previous multiple crises.
On 23 September, Israel dramatically intensified its airstrikes on Lebanon, the deadliest and most devastating the country has seen in decades. Many people in Lebanon had to instantly flee their homes, with nearly 120,000 people newly displaced within less than a week of the hostilities starting. One quarter of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli military evacuation orders, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. UNHCR estimates that at least 340,000 Syrian refugees were residing in the areas targeted by a considerable number of airstrikes.
Almost immediately after 23 September, a significant number of people started crossing into Syria to flee the violence. Most entered through the Jdaidet Yabous border crossing. UNHCR teams quickly deployed to the border crossings along with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to support new arrivals with their urgent needs. Many had walked for hours to reach the borders, arriving exhausted, injured and scared. The Government of Syria has kept the borders open for Syrians, Lebanese and others fleeing Lebanon. Decongestion at the border was greatly helped by the Syrian Government’s announcement of a waiver of mandatory US$ 100 exchange required of each Syrian for entry, announced on 29 September and extended until the end of October.
On 4 October, Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanon-Syria border at Masnaa/Jdaidet Yabous, leaving a huge crater on the main road used by Syrians and Lebanese fleeing into Syria. Despite the damages, new arrivals continued to walk 4 km through no man’s land towards the Syrian border crossing point Jdaidet Yabous, while UNHCR organized buses to transport the most vulnerable directly to the border. People are continuing to flee into Syria. On 21 October, another Israeli airstrike targeted the Masnaa road connecting Lebanon to Syria.
In Lebanon, with so many people displaced and aid systems overstretched, Syrians and Lebanese will become even more impoverished. Tensions between communities, already highly strained, risk becoming heightened. Many of the displaced are living on the streets, with Syrians facing particular challenges in accessing collective shelters.
In Syria, Lebanese refugees are arriving in large numbers, some needing urgent support, as well transiting to other countries in the region and beyond. Hosting centres have been established by the Syrian authorities to provide shelter options for vulnerable Lebanese families who do not have alternative accommodation. Local capacities are being stretched even further as many Syrians who have fled Lebanon are being hosted by family members and friends who are themselves destitute in a country already devastated by war and economic collapse. Even before the conflict, 90 per cent of Syrians were in need of humanitarian assistance.
Both Lebanon and Syria require a significant and renewed commitment to sustained international support. In Lebanon, through both humanitarian and development actors, immediate support is needed for both Lebanese populations and refugees, the majority of whom are Syrian. In Syria, there is a need not only to provide life-saving emergency relief at the borders, but also to inject much-needed resources for humanitarian early recovery efforts both to boost the capacity of receiving communities and to assist those returning under adverse circumstances to do so in dignity and in a more sustainable manner.
As of 22 October, the rate of new arrivals at the Syrian borders remains steady but has decreased compared to the initial phase of the influx from Lebanon.