Lebanon’s government is making contingency plans for a scenario where hundreds of thousands of citizens displaced by Israeli military operations may be permanently unable to return to their communities, according to the country’s social affairs minister.
Minister Haneen Sayed made these remarks following statements from Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, who announced plans to demolish all residential structures near Lebanon’s border with Israel and prevent 600,000 people who evacuated southern Lebanon from going back to their towns.
The conflict has forced more than one million Lebanese citizens from their residences, while another 1,200 have lost their lives in Israeli military strikes since March 2, when the Lebanese militant organization Hezbollah entered the regional war by launching attacks into Israel.
“Long-term displacement is something we are concerned about, of course. We hope it does not happen, but as a government, we have to prepare and think about it,” Sayed stated during her Tuesday interview.
Lebanese officials are exploring various solutions, including rental assistance programs and identifying “physical places where people might go,” though the government has no immediate plans to build refugee camps, the minister explained.
“And it all depends on how much of a land grab the Israelis will insist on, and of course, it’s totally unacceptable for us. I mean, this is a huge violation of our sovereignty, and we will do everything we can to ensure that this doesn’t happen, whatever we have in our means,” Sayed emphasized.
Israeli officials have indicated they plan to maintain military control over southern Lebanon extending to the Litani river, located approximately 30 kilometers north of the Israeli-Lebanese border. This territory represents nearly ten percent of Lebanon’s total landmass.
HUMANITARIAN AID FALLS SHORT OF REQUIREMENTS
Currently, approximately 136,000 displaced individuals are housed in group shelters, while the remaining population stays with family members or, in limited instances, lives without shelter.
Extended displacement could spark social unrest among Lebanon’s varied population groups, as existing political and religious divisions have intensified due to Hezbollah’s involvement in the broader regional conflict.
“We already have a very large number, and the space is getting tighter in terms of where people can go,” Sayed noted.
Several communities that previously welcomed displaced families during the 2024 Hezbollah-Israel conflict, including offering schools and government facilities, have shown less willingness to help during the current crisis, she reported.
“This is another challenge – ensuring the social cohesion, making sure that people still love each other, if you will. And I mean, I fundamentally do believe the Lebanese have that. And with most of the examples, fantastic examples of the hospitality all over. But at the same time, people’s resources are stretched,” the minister said.
Sayed’s department is attempting to develop three-month advance planning to ensure displaced families receive essential services, but insufficient funding continues to pose difficulties.
The 2024 conflict, which lasted slightly more than two months, saw the United Nations collect $700 million for Lebanon’s humanitarian response, while various nations provided over 110 cargo flights of assistance, according to Sayed.
As Lebanon enters the second month of renewed fighting, it has obtained only $30 million from the UN’s current funding request, with an additional $60 million pledged by international donors. Just seven assistance flights have been delivered.
“We’re not even close. In the last war, within the first month, there must have been at least 50 flights that had already come in,” Sayed observed.
She explained that some of Lebanon’s regular Gulf state donors are now directly involved in the conflict in ways they weren’t during 2024, and noted that rising oil costs are reducing the effectiveness of available aid.
The minister indicated that current assistance covers roughly 30 percent of her ministry’s requirements.
“Of course, we’re trying all our efforts to make sure that we can at least cover all those that are in shelters. And then the other question, of course, will be the timing. I mean, how long this will last?”
