Attachments
Operational Context & Analysis
Since 8 October 2023, daily exchange of fire between Israel and armed groups in Lebanon has significantly intensified, characterized by large-scale displacement and loss of civilian life and causalities, damage to infrastructure, destruction of agricultural land and livestock, and the disruption of basic services including healthcare centers, water facilities, and schools in Lebanon. While the scope of impact had previously centered on south Lebanon, the rapid and sustained escalation of multi-faceted attacks by Israel across Lebanon since mid-September 2024—including sustained airstrikes against densely populated urban areas in Lebanon’s capital Beirut—has displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese,
Syrians, Palestinian refugees, refugees of other nationalities, and migrants in under one month. As of 21 October 2024—one year from the onset of hostilities—the UN estimates that over 809,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon in the past year, and over 425,000 Lebanese, Syrians, and other population groups have been displaced across the border into Syria since the mid-September 2024 escalation.
This deteriorating security situation compounds Lebanon’s ongoing socioeconomic and political crises, whereby limited state capacity to provide basic services has become further strained. Moreover, the crisis comes atop the protracted displacement of 1.5 million Syrian refugees (per government estimates), whereby many challenges faced by Syrians have been compounded by a constrained protection environment in recent years, including increased administrative measures impacting access to residency, livelihood, and shelter.