Around 860,000 displaced people return in Lebanon as damaged homes and funding gaps persist

An 18 August 2026 UN update estimated that around 860,000 people displaced by the conflict in southern Lebanon had returned. Many could not move back into their own damaged homes, however, and were staying nearby in rented accommodation or with temporary hosts. They were waiting for rubble to be cleared, houses to be repaired and essential services to resume. The return figures did not mean displacement had ended: around 360,000 people remained away from home, including at least 22,000 living in collective shelters. UNHCR highlighted the need for temporary housing that keeps families near their communities.

A late-June agreement mediated by the United States required Hezbollah’s full disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Clashes nevertheless continued, and Israeli airstrikes over the weekend preceding the update sent hundreds of families north again. Damage extended across homes, schools, health facilities, agricultural land and community infrastructure. Water, electricity and health services were strained or not functioning in some areas. Over 700,000 people were affected by damage to southern Lebanon’s water infrastructure, underscoring the difficulty of restoring daily life alongside housing.

The Lebanese Government, supported by humanitarian organisations including UNHCR, was providing protection, shelter assistance, financial support and psychosocial counselling. Agencies reported that shortages of funding constrained the scale of their work. The inter-agency Flash Appeal sought $639.9 million and was 48 percent funded. Separately, UNHCR’s Lebanon operation had received 24 percent of its $472.3 million requirement for 2026. Those figures describe two different funding requirements. The UN said humanitarian needs remained substantial, with damaged infrastructure and continuing insecurity limiting prospects for sustained return and recovery.