Press Release: Lebanon Emergency: Risk of a Mass Exodus in Southern Lebanon
Paris – March 4, 2026
As the military situation in Lebanon worsens, the Israeli government has called on residents living south of the Litani River (see map below) to evacuate their homes.
Since Monday, nearly 60,000 people have already left southern Lebanon, and this evacuation order could lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands more civilians.
This new crisis is reigniting the trauma of September 2024, when more than a million people were displaced across the country. Today, many fear that these departures will become permanent and that they will never be able to return to their lands.
In some villages, residents are reluctant to leave despite the risks. In Alma el-Chaab, a Christian village in the south, residents have so far refused to evacuate, whereas in 2024 only four or five people had remained there.
In Beirut and other parts of the country, Christian communities are already preparing to take in displaced people, just as they did during previous crises. Churches, community centers, and organizations are making arrangements to house families, regardless of their religious or ethnic background. But given the scale of the expected displacement, local solidarity may not be enough. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing in a hurry, often unable to take even the bare necessities with them.
L’Œuvre d’Orient is alarmed by the risk of a prolonged exodus and the humanitarian catastrophe that would result from a massive displacement of a population already severely weakened by successive crises.
“Our partners on the ground are already working to take in displaced people and treat the wounded, but the needs will quickly exceed their capacity,” explains Vincent Gelot, country director for L’Œuvre d’Orient in Lebanon.
L’Œuvre d’Orient is launching a special fundraising campaign to support local communities working to provide shelter for displaced people and deliver humanitarian aid.
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