UNHCR: Lebanon 1 million displaced — 1 in 5 residents — 'real risk of humanitarian catastrophe'

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees warned on 27 March 2026 that Lebanon is at real risk of humanitarian catastrophe nearly a month into the Middle East war. UNHCR representative in Lebanon Karolina Lindholm Billing, speaking from Beirut at a press conference in Geneva, said: 'The situation remains extremely worrying and the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe — is real.' Since March 2, more than 1 million people — 1 in 5 Lebanese residents — have been forced to flee their homes due to Israeli airstrikes, ground operations, and Hezbollah's own civilian exploitation. IDF strikes have targeted Beirut's Dahiyeh suburb repeatedly, the IDF is operating across southern Lebanon with five ground divisions, and evacuation warnings have pushed civilians progressively northward. The 1 million figure represents one of the largest internal displacement crises in Lebanon's modern history.