The February 2026 airstrikes on Iran triggered a rapid escalation of risks across the region, intensifying gender-based violence (GBV) exposure in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while further degrading already fragile protection systems and service delivery structures.
Following a significant escalation in hostilities across the Middle East region beginning on 28 February 2026, cross-border movements into the Syrian Arab Republic (hereafter referred to as Syria) have increased, specifically from neighbouring Lebanon.
Continued escalation and geographic spread of hostilities Conflict continues to intensify across Lebanon, with airstrikes, artillery fire, and ground operations reported in the South, Nabatiyeh, Tyre District, and Beirut’s southern suburbs, while evacuation warnings and strikes have expanded to new areas, including in West Bekaa.
At around 2pm on Sunday 5th April, Israeli forces struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, only meters from Rafik Hariri Public Hospital, where MSF is supporting with an ER doctor.
Israeli forces struck a densely populated residential area in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sunday afternoon, about 300 feet from Rafik Hariri Public Hospital, where Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting with an ER doctor.
As of early 2026, 16.5 million require assistance, while over 1.4 million refugees and 1.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned since December 2024.
During his recent visit to Lebanon on 31 March, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, engaged Government officials, first responders and affected families impacted by the escalation.
As the Syrian Arab Republic (hereafter referred to as Syria) enters a new year, the impact of the shift in power over a year ago (8 December 2024) continues to shape the country.
The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope, has concluded a visit to Lebanon with an urgent call for significantly increased international support to help the country confront rapidly escalating humanitarian needs.
IOM Yemen DTM’s Rapid Displacement Tracking (RDT) tool collects data on estimated numbers of households forced to flee on a daily basis from their locations of origin or displacement, allowing for regular reporting of new displacements in terms of estimated numbers, geography, and needs.
Since the UN truce in April 2022, at least 339 children have been killed due to shelling, gunfire, landmines and other explosive remnants of war, while a further 843 have been injured.
The hostilities which have been ongoing for close to one-month have already claimed the lives of 1,238 people in Lebanon, including most recently rescue workers, journalists and a UN peacekeeper.
Health care in the Middle East and wider region has come under attack about once every six hours on average since conflict escalated a month ago across Lebanon, Iran, and Israel, Save the Children said.
Following a significant escalation in hostilities across the Middle East region beginning on 28 February 2026, cross-border movements into the Syrian Arab Republic (hereafter referred to as Syria) have increased, specifically from neighbouring Lebanon.
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.
