Humanitarian Priorities for Lebanon

Statement from Refugees International Vice President for Program and Policy Hardin Lang:

Lebanon is facing its gravest escalation of violence since the 2006 war. The UN reports that some 1,600 people have been killed and over 9,000 injured by Israeli military attacks in Lebanon over the last year, and Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel and the Golan Heights have displaced 80,000 Israelis and resulted in several fatal incidents. The U.S. government has a unique ability - and thus a unique responsibility - to press for an immediate de-escalation before the situation spins further out of control. Allowing this conflict to persist will pose grave dangers to Lebanese civilians, to the many refugees who have sought protection there, and to the humanitarian organizations that serve them. It is also imperative that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) take immediate steps to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), in particular by establishing a viable humanitarian deconfliction process.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah reached a new peak on September 23, when Israel launched a sweeping military operation including one of the most intense air raids in recent memory. Those strikes reduced swathes of southern Lebanon to rubble, targeted dozens of towns across the country, and killed UN humanitarian personnel. An IDF ground invasion is now unfolding in the country's southern regions. This latest bout of conflict threatens to destabilize Lebanon further, compounding the pressures of a country already buckling under economic and political turmoil.

Displacement within Lebanon has now surpassed the levels seen during the 2006 conflict. By September 29, Lebanese authorities reported more than 1 million people have been uprooted from their homes or otherwise impacted by the hostilities. The United Nations is tracking some 350,000 people on the move. Civilians have fled areas that have borne the brunt of Israeli airstrikes and now the burgeoning ground incursion. The exodus has concentrated in the country's south and Beirut's densely packed southern suburbs. Most fled without basic necessities and have sought refuge in already stretched host communities and emergency shelters. Israel has issued evacuation orders for communities across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa valley.

The crisis is further exacerbating the plight of Lebanon's substantial refugee population, which includes an estimated 1.5 million displaced Syrians and over 200,000 Palestinian refugees. Since the latest escalation, more than 170,000 Syrians and 63,000 Lebanese have crossed into Syria, including a significant number of Lebanese citizens seeking refuge from the intensifying conflict.

In the past few days, numerous health facilities have been damaged and at least 38 health workers have been killed. The recent IDF strike on a relief center in central Beirut marks an alarming escalation in the targeting of those providing vital services. Such assaults constitute a blatant disregard of International Humanitarian Law, jeopardize critical care, disrupt humanitarian efforts, and undermine the safety of aid workers and civilians alike.

This surge in hostilities comes as Lebanon remains mired in a prolonged economic and political crisis. The country's GDP has shrunk by more than half in the last few years and the south of the country in particular is mired in poverty. Lebanon's ability to respond to this humanitarian emergency is virtually non-existent. The state, weakened by years of financial collapse, political paralysis, and COVID-19, cannot provide basic services let alone manage a crisis of this magnitude. Humanitarian relief will depend heavily on civil society and international aid agencies. There is a clear and urgent need to scale the capacity for international humanitarian action inside Lebanon.

The IDF has launched this offensive without establishing a functioning coordination and deconfliction mechanism for humanitarian agencies. The lack of such a mechanism is already limiting the humanitarian response. In Gaza, the IDF's failure to maintain a functional deconfliction mechanism contributed directly to the deaths of hundreds of humanitarian and UN workers. This experience cannot be repeated in Lebanon. The IDF knows how to manage deconfliction when it wants to - and it has done so previously in Lebanon. During the 2006 war in Lebanon, a humanitarian deconfliction mechanism was established with the IDF; no aid workers were killed or injured during the response and more than 90 percent of planned convoys were able to deliver to those in need. A direct channel must be established as a matter of urgent priority with the IDF northern command in Haifa and Tel Aviv.

Recommendations

Call for immediate ceasefire: Israel and Hezbollah should immediately cease all hostilities. Israel should withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. Hezbollah should commit to halting rocket attacks across the border. Displaced communities on both sides of the border should be allowed to return to their homes in safety and security.

Respect for international humanitarian law: Israel should cease further strikes against civilian infrastructure and populations, and Hezbollah should halt indiscriminate rocket fire. It is also imperative that the Beirut airport, the maritime ports, and the country's road systems not be targeted in the midst of hostilities. These are essential arteries for allowing people to seek safety and for delivering aid to those in need.

Guarantee freedom of movement: UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs must enjoy freedom of movement across the country to move humanitarian aid to where it is needed. Aid agencies need access to warehousing and transportation to bring aid to the displaced.

Establish a deconfliction mechanism: The IDF - especially its Northern Command - should establish a real-time deconfliction mechanism for humanitarian efforts in Gaza with support from the United States and UN Headquarters. Israel previously participated in a similar mechanism during the 2006 war in Lebanon, which could serve as a potential model.

Activate a UN-wide scale-up: The emerging nature and scope of the crisis in Lebanon suggests that the UN should declare a systemwide scale-up to surge staff and resources quickly. These responses provide the fastest path for administrative, financial, and logistical mobilization within the UN, and to ramp up leadership, staffing, and funding.

Establish a maritime aid corridor: If the fighting drags on, donors should support the United Nations to establish a maritime aid corridor from Cyprus to Beirut. This will be essential to move aid into Lebanon at the scale required to meet the needs of the civilian population. A maritime aid corridor was established during the 2006 war in Lebanon and was essential to the overall humanitarian response.

Fund the UN flash appeal: Donors should consider the UN Flash Appeal for Lebanon, which calls for some $426 million to support a humanitarian response for Lebanon a floor rather than a ceiling should the violence continue to expand.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Etant Dupain at [email protected].

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