One month after hostilities intensified in the region and in Lebanon, Syria has seen a sharp rise in people crossing the border from Lebanon. Between 2 and 27 March, more than 200,000 people entered Syria through the three official crossing points, according to Syrian authorities.
Over the past week, hostilities intensified with continued strikes on civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of key bridges and transport roads in southern Lebanon, significantly restricting movement and humanitarian access.
Following an initial hearing at Israel's High Court on 23 March, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and 18 other leading humanitarian organisations reaffirm our decision to proceed with the petition we filed in February 2026 before the High Court, challenging Israel's ban on 37 humanitarian organisations from operating in Palestine.
The economic vulnerability of refugees markedly deteriorated throughout 2025, with the proportion of those reporting an inability to meet half of basic needs increasing from 44% in Q2 to 72% in Q4.
Escalating hostilities in the region in late February triggered an increase in cross-border movements from Lebanon into Syria. Between 2 and 27 March, over 202,477 individuals crossed into Syria through the three official border crossings, according to Syrian authorities.
In just three weeks, more than 370,000 children have been forced out of their homes in Lebanon, an average of at least 19,000 girls and boys displaced every single day.
Since 2 March, an estimated 620,000 women and girls have been forced to flee their homes.This represents nearly one quarter of all women and girls in Lebanon, and more than half of those displaced – including Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian, and migrant communities.
Heavy rains that began on 14 March triggered widespread flooding across northern Syria, initially affecting Idleb and Aleppo governorates before extending eastwards into Ar-Raqqa, Al-Hasakeh and Deir-ez-Zor.
Nearly a month into a rapidly escalating conflict, Lebanon is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis. Since 2 March, following intense Israeli strikes and widespread evacuation orders, more than 1 million people – one in five residents – have been forced to flee their homes.
Following the full-scale invasion of Lebanon launched on 2 March 2026, Israeli airstrikes have continued at high intensity in Beirut’s southern suburbs and across villages in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The cost of living continues to outpace income growth; despite policy measures seeking to enhance purchasing power, current wage levels meet only around one‑third of basic household needs.
More than 130,000 people have crossed into the Syrian Arab Republic and over 1 million people have been displaced inside Lebanon since early March, as the war in the Middle East drives growing cross-border movements and displacement across the region.
Since the beginning of March 2026, the escalation of hostilities across Lebanon has driven a rapid and severe deterioration in the humanitarian situation. Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and expanded ground operations continue to intensify in scale, frequency, and geographic scope, affecting areas that had previously remained less exposed.
Between 02 and 16 March 2026, a total of 327,280 movements were recorded across 10 (out of 16) official border crossing points (BCPs) and unofficial crossing areas.
As of 17 March, more than 125,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria, according to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix in Syria. Around half are children.
