Lebanon: Political Agreement Fails to Secure Ground Safety, Leaving 700,000 Displaced at Risk of Debt and Continued Violence, Warns NRC

Lebanon: Political Agreement Fails to Secure Ground Safety, Leaving 700,000 Displaced at Risk of Debt and Continued Violence, Warns NRC

The newly signed Trilateral Framework Agreement has failed to translate into real peace on the ground and has not established the necessary conditions for the safe return of civilians. The official warning was issued by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which denounced ongoing military operations, housing demolitions, and continuous drone surveillance as factors that perpetuate trauma and prevent more than 700,000 internally displaced persons from returning to their communities.

According to the humanitarian organization, the temporary decline in large-scale bombardments masks a daily reality of violence and severe restrictions. The maintenance of "closed military zones" declared by Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory, combined with widespread contamination from unexploded ordnance, physically blocks thousands of families from accessing their properties south of the Litani River.

$1.3 Billion Destruction and Livelihood Crisis

The economic impact on the civilian population is one of the most alarming findings in the NRC report. Preliminary assessments indicate that direct damage to residential buildings in the southern region already exceeds $1.38 billion. This massive destruction comes less than two years after the major 2024 escalation, compounding crises in a country where the state's financial response capacity has completely collapsed.

"A temporary reduction in violence does not mean peace when basic rights and minimum habitability conditions are denied," said Maureen Philippon, NRC’s Country Director in Lebanon. "Families attempting to return voluntarily find entire villages without power, without roads, and with destroyed water tanks. Civilians are being pushed into severe debt just to try to survive and carry water in plastic jerricans."

 

Urgent Appeal for Humanitarian Response

In light of the collapse of basic infrastructure—including water networks, health centers, and schools—the NRC emphasizes that high-level political agreements in Washington are ignoring the practical reality on the ground. The council makes an urgent appeal to the international community to:

1. Demand an immediate halt to artillery fire, intimidating overflights, and the demolition of civilian structures.

2. Urgently fund demining operations and the clearance of unexploded ordnance along return routes.

3. Direct unconditional financial support toward housing reconstruction to prevent the over-indebtedness of an already vulnerable population.

ABOUT THE NRC:

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organization that protects and assists people displaced by conflict in over 30 countries. In Lebanon, the organization works to provide shelter, legal assistance, water, sanitation, and education to refugees and war-affected communities.