Lives being upended on massive scale in Lebanon, says UN refugee agency

Lebanon faces a humanitarian crisis as over 667,000 people have been displaced amid the escalating Middle East conflict, with thousands seeking shelter on streets, in cars, or with relatives, the UN reports.

Olivia Le Poidevin/Reuters

10 March 2026 at 10:15:05

Lives being upended on massive scale in Lebanon, says UN refugee agency

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defence inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone.

Stringer/Reuters

Lives have been upended on a massive scale in Lebanon amid a wider conflict in the Middle East, with more than 667,000 people now registered as displaced within the country - an increase of 100,000 in just one day - the UN refugee agency said on Tuesday.

Lebanon was dragged into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran this month when militant group Hezbollah launched rockets and drones into Israel, which has responded with heavy bombardment across ‌the ⁠country.

Some 120,000 people are staying in government designated shelters, while others are still looking for somewhere to stay, the UNHCR said, citing government figures.

"Many others are staying with relatives or friends or still searching for accommodation, and we see cars lined along the street with people sleeping in them and also on the sidewalks," said Karolina Lindholm Billing, UNHCR representative in Lebanon.

-Olivia Le Poidevin/Reuters