Beirut, Lebanon, March 9, 2026 —  Escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have forced more than 700,000 people to flee their homes across Lebanon, triggering a rapidly deepening humanitarian crisis. In response to the deteriorating situation, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has issued a Watchlist flash alert on Lebanon, warning that renewed conflict is already driving large-scale displacement and placing enormous strain on families, communities and aid services. 

Lebanon ranked among the top ten countries on the IRC’s 2026 Emergency Watchlist, released in December 2025, which warned that renewed conflict could trigger a new wave of civilian suffering and displacement. The current escalation reflects those warnings becoming reality. 

The violence is compounding Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis, which has already pushed more than 80 percent of the population into poverty. Families are increasingly unable to afford enough food, while essential health and protection services are struggling to keep pace with rising needs. 

Magda Rossmann, IRC Country Director for Lebanon, describes the dire humanitarian situation:  

“What we are witnessing in Lebanon right now is a rapidly evolving humanitarian crisis. More than 700,000 people have already been displaced, yet only around one in five has reached formal collective shelters, while the vast majority are seeking refuge wherever they can, with relatives, neighbors, or in makeshift arrangements. Many families are still on the move, desperately searching for safety. In Beirut, I have seen people sleeping in their cars or on the streets, while others are relying on the generosity of host communities, crowding into homes that were already stretched beyond capacity. 

The scale of overcrowding is stark. In one stadium in Beirut, the footballers’ quarters have been repurposed to shelter families who have fled the violence. In a single locker room of roughly 20 square meters, seven families are living side by side with barely any space or privacy. 

Humanitarian organizations like the IRC are working urgently to respond. We are distributing essential items such as mattresses, blankets and pillows to families who have lost everything. But the needs are growing far faster than the resources available. Without immediate support, many displaced people will be left without the most basic assistance.” 

David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said,

“While much of the debate about the war with Iran has focused on its geopolitical and geoeconomic consequences, far less attention has been paid to the humanitarian toll. Yet that toll is already becoming clear, and it falls into three categories. First, the direct and immediate impact. The International Rescue Committee is not present inside Iran, and cannot testify to the scale of civilian suffering; but in Lebanon, where IRC has a significant program, 700,000 people have been forced from their homes and at least 400 have been killed in recent strikes. This is now the biggest and most visible humanitarian scar. 

Second, the effects on people far beyond the battlefield. The economic damage is mounting. Rising fuel prices and disruptions to fertilizer supplies threaten global food and energy security, particularly dangerous for the millions already struggling to afford basic necessities around the world. 

Third, there are the indirect consequences. As attention and resources shift to the latest war in a world not short of crises, the catastrophic emergencies in places like Sudan and Gaza risk slipping further down the global agenda. That is dangerous, because those crises are not getting better—not only exacerbated by the knock-on effects of this war with Iran, but by diplomatic and financial neglect. It is galling that, according to widespread estimates, the war is burning around $1 billion dollars a day, when the entire global humanitarian appeal has received less than $5 billion so far this year—roughly the equivalent of five days of fighting. Even a fraction of the investment made in war could make a real dent in addressing the humanitarian emergencies that this conflict is deepening.”  

Notes to Editors

The International Rescue Committee issued urgent recommendations to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian aid can reach those most affected by the escalating violence – including: