Lebanon: Flash Update #15 - Escalation of hostilities in south Lebanon, as of 03 April 2024

HIGHLIGHTS

• 93,393 individuals (52% females) have been displaced from south Lebanon due to the ongoing hostilities, as of 2 April (source: DTM).

• 331 people have been killed and 947 wounded, with at least 66 confirmed civilian deaths, nearly half of them females, as of 2 April (source: OHCHR, MoPH).

• On 27 March, a series of Israeli airstrikes struck Tyre district in southern Lebanon, killing 11 civilians.

• The World Health Organization (WHO) in Lebanon condemned the repeated targeting of frontline health workers, highlighting the deaths of 17 health workers since October 2023.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Lebanon witnessed a renewed and dramatic rise in tensions in late March 2024, with Israeli airstrikes penetrating deeper into the country than at any point since the 2006 war. Civilian casualties also surged, with 11 deaths reported in southern Lebanon, including 10 health workers.

To date, at least 66 civilians have been killed since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023. In total, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health reported 331 killed and 947 people wounded since 8 October 2023 due to the hostilities.

As of 2 April, 93,393 people have been internally displaced and are seeking refuge across Lebanon, with 96 per cent originating from Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, and Tyre districts.

On 22 March, the Government of Lebanon formally lodged a complaint with the United Nations Security Council over alleged Israeli interference with navigation systems at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, jeopardizing civil aviation safety.

On 25 March, an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle near the Syrian border killed a Syrian civilian who was reportedly delivering food supplies.

On 26 March, the Israeli army confirmed conducting its deepest airstrike inside Lebanon since the 2006 war. This attack targeted a location more than 110 km from the country’s southern border, in the northeastern town of Zboud (Baalbeck district).

On 27 March, a series of Israeli airstrikes struck Tyre district in southern Lebanon, killing 11 civilians. A strike in Hebbarieh targeted the Emergency and Relief Center of the Islamic Health Authority, killing seven paramedics. Earlier the same, a strike in Tayr Harfa village killed two paramedics, and later on the same day, another strike, on a cafe in Naqoura, killed two civilians.

Following these attacks, the World Health Organization (WHO) in Lebanon condemned the repeated targeting of frontline health workers, highlighting the deaths of 17 health workers since October 2023. The Humanitarian Coordinator (HC) for Lebanon, Imran Riza, also issued a statement expressing deep concern over the ongoing attacks on health facilities and workers in the south of the country, stressing that civilians and health care must be protected.

Since 3 April, aid organizations have carried out more than 23 missions in hard-to-reach parts of southern Lebanon to assess needs, meet with local communities, and deliver essential supplies, even as ongoing hostilities along the border continue to displace people, disrupt access to basic services, and hinder aid delivery. Those remaining in the 10-km zone along the border face severe shortages of food, medicine, and medical equipment. Additionally, access constraints, including those imposed by local authorities in some parts of southern Lebanon, and the shortfall in new funding further complicate the delivery of humanitarian response. Despite these challenges, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is working with humanitarian partners to improve access and meet the urgent needs of vulnerable Lebanese citizens, refugees and migrants.

COORDINATION AND PREPAREDNESS

Led by the Prime Minister, the Presidency of the Council of Ministers oversees national preparedness and response efforts, supported by the National Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit. At the sub-national level, Governors coordinate with local authorities for preparedness and emergency response. Meanwhile, UN and NGO partners under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator and in complement to the government-led response, continue to accelerate response and preparedness activities. As outlined in the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) contingency plan, humanitarian partners are implementing a three-month emergency response to the humanitarian consequences of the escalation in Southern Lebanon, under the 2024 Lebanon Response Plan (LRP), with specific funding requirements of US$ 72.4 million identified to support up to 200,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance, including up to 140,000 IDPs and 60,000 individuals remaining in frontline areas. Despite the limited available funding, humanitarian actors continue to provide life-saving assistance to meet the needs of the most vulnerable affected communities. However, support for people remaining in frontline areas remains limited due to many challenges, including funding, access, and security constraints.

On 4 April, the Prime Minister of Lebanon and the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) for Lebanon co-convened an Ambassadorial-level briefing for humanitarian and development partners, with the support of the Supreme Council of Defense, National Disaster Risk Management (NDRM), Minister of Environment, and OCHA. The briefing, which also engaged relevant ministries, the Governor of Nabatieh, Ms. Huwaida Turk, operational partners from the UN and NGO community, provided a platform to share a comprehensive needs analysis and foster common understanding of the impact of hostilities on vulnerable populations, provide an overview of the national response plan and priorities for immediate response, recovery, and reconstruction, and for the humanitarian community to present its emergency response plan for southern Lebanon, developed by the HCT through its Contingency Plan and encompassed within the draft LRP .

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND RESPONSE

• Some 84 per cent of the 93,393 registered IDPs are currently living with host families, while 12 per cent are renting houses. Another two per cent have relocated to secondary residences. Around two per cent are housed in 18 collective shelters.

• Of the 84 per cent in host settings, 22,598 are co-living with host families, while 55,954 reside separately. Notably, 18 per cent of the 78,552 individuals in host settings are living in overcrowded conditions according to IOM.

• 1,472 people displaced are hosted in 18 collective shelters, with five located in Tyre, seven in Hasbaya, four in Nabatieh, one in Saida, and one in Bekaa.