Lebanon: Flash Update #62 - Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 6 March 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

● Ongoing military activity and the widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services continue to hinder the safe return of displaced individuals.

● 95,834 people remain displaced outside their cadaster of origin, with 953,697 back in their cadaster of origin (IOM).

● Children in Lebanon continue to suffer the devastating impact of the conflict, despite the cessation of hostilities (UNICEF).

● Use of the Humanitarian Notification System (HNS) has significantly decreased as access has improved across Lebanon and partners can more easily deliver assistance.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Ongoing military activities and the widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, and essential services—both during the conflict and after the cessation of hostilities—continue to hinder the safe return of displaced individuals. These challenges also restrict access to humanitarian aid, recovery efforts, and protection services, leaving affected populations in prolonged vulnerability. The number of airstrikes has decreased from the last reporting period, with five reported in the South and Bekaa Governates, including a road connecting the Lebanese and Syrian border, between 28 February and 6 March (in comparison to 21 airstrikes reported between 21 to 27 February). Despite this decrease in airstrikes during the reporting period, the number of people displaced outside their cadaster of origin remains steady as the Israeli Army maintains presence in what is estimated to be 10 sq kilometres in the South.
This military presence disallows the return of Lebanese populations, while some villages been partially damaged or totally destroyed, creating unsafe living conditions to return to for those displaced. The Israeli Army maintains its presence at five strategic points and media reports indicate that the Israeli Army is enforcing four so-called buffer zones along the Blue Line within Lebanon, within which no Lebanese presence is accepted.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented 59 conflict-related civilian facilities in Lebanon since the start of the cessation of hostilities and through 5 March 2025, including nine women and ten children. There were no civilian fatalities identified during the reporting period.
As of 7 March, 95,834 (51 per cent women and 49 per cent men) remain displaced outside their cadaster of origin, while 953,697 people were back in their cadaster of origin, according to IOM’s Mobility Snapshot (Round 79). Both figures reflect a decrease in the number of those displaced outside their cadaster of origin (3 per cent decrease) and increase in the number of people who have returned, though these numbers are likely to continue to fluctuate as returning households confront destroyed homes and barriers accessing essential services and assistance in severely conflict-affected areas.
Nearly half of those who remain displaced are from Bint Jbeil district, which was also the area most heavily affected by displacement at the beginning of the escalation hostilities in late 2023. Meanwhile, 1,991 of the displaced remain in 22 collective sites.
IOM conducted an Intention Survey in January 2025 to assess perceptions, intentions, and challenges faced by internally displaced persons (IDPs) to better understand barriers to return and recovery. The survey shows that 62 per cent of respondents reported that their short-term intentions (1 month) are to remain in their current displacement location while 11 per cent intended to return to their area of origin.
In the medium term (3 months), 34 per cent planned to stay and 28 per cent intended to return. Property loss or damage and safety security concerns were the main reasons for IDPs to remain in their current areas of displacement. For those intending to return, reuniting with family (39 per cent) and repairing and living in their area of origin (37 per cent) were the primary reasons for returning. Approximately half of displaced communities surveyed reported that financial and material assistance for housing repairs was a key support needed for return, followed by rental (40 per cent) and food (21 per cent). Overall, the findings suggest that, without significant improvements, a large portion of displaced households will likely remain in their current locations, unable to return due to ongoing challenges such as insecurity, lack of basic services, and damaged infrastructure.
As of 5 March, Baalbek Disaster Risk Management Unit (DRM) reported approximately 90,500 new arrivals from Syria since December 8, including 32,950 staying in 183 informal collective shelters and 57,600 hosted in the community, including 20,000 Lebanese returnees (UNHCR).
A recent UNICEF report reveals the devastating and ongoing impact of the conflict in Lebanon on children, even after the November 2024 cessation of hostilities agreement. The assessment shows that 79 per cent of respondents reported the need for urgent support, mainly for health services, education, nutrition and psychosocial assistance. Approximately half of children under 2 years of age in BaalbeckHermel are experiencing severe food poverty, meaning they consume two or fewer of the eight food groups considered critical for healthy growth and development, and 45 percent of children under 2 in Bekaa suffer from extreme food deprivation, a dramatic increase from 28 per cent in 2023. The crisis extends beyond infants with nearly half of children under age 18 in Bekaa and one-third in BaalbeckHermel reporting that they consumed only one meal the day before the survey. Nationwide, the rate was 30 per cent. An overwhelming majority of caretakers reported children to be coping with anxiety (72 per cent) and depression (62 per cent). Over half a million children are out of school with vulnerable families cutting health and education expenses first. Child labor and early marriage are rising as humanitarian funding declines, further stripping vulnerable families of critical support while pushing them deeper into hardship.