The densely populated Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh has become an urban front line in Lebanon, hit by hundreds of Israeli airstrikes since the escalation on March 2.
The neighborhood has also faced recurrent displacement orders forcing many residents to flee repeatedly; the latest was issued on June 1, when the Israeli military threatened to carry out strikes on the area.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are on the ground in Dahiyeh working to restore essential services as community members face ongoing uncertainty and military threats. As part of MSF’s emergency response, we are operating mobile clinics to provide medical care, supporting primary health care centers, and delivering water and sanitation services to more than 30,000 people.
Dahiyeh residents face destruction and displacement
Once a vibrant urban area, Dahiyeh now bears the lasting impacts of repeated Israeli attacks. The destruction has severely impacted roads, public services, and water infrastructure, leaving thousands of residents without reliable access to essential services and exposing communities to increasing health risks. Most health care facilities in the area have been affected by the conflict: Primary health care centers and hospitals have lost staff to displacement, sustained damaged, or shut down due to insecurity risks. This further restricts people’s access to care.
As essential services become harder to reach or cease functioning, vulnerable people like children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing conditions are particularly at risk. Jamila, a displaced mother, spent two months living in tents just outside of Dahiyeh with no income and no support, with her 14-year-old son Wissam. “I went for days without food or water,” she says. “I could not even bathe.”
Her situation is far from exceptional: Across Dahiyeh, thousands of displaced families have lost their homes and support systems, making recovery seem out of reach.
MSF scales up emergency response
In response to the escalation, MSF scaled up its emergency intervention in March, operating nine mobile clinics to deliver medical care directly to communities that no longer have access to health facilities. These mobile units provide a range of essential services, including medical consultations for mental health support, acute and chronic conditions, sexual and reproductive health, and vaccination. Over the past six weeks, our teams have conducted more than 2,730 medical consultations.
MSF has had to put half of our mobile clinics on hold, however, due to security concerns and new population movements outside Dahiyeh. We plan to resume these mobile clinics as soon as conditions permit.
Patients meet with MSF's mobile clinic teams in Beirut. Lebanon 2026 © Juliette Mas/MSF
In addition to the mobile clinics we operate, MSF is supporting the rehabilitation of six primary health care centers damaged by Israeli strikes. We are also distributing non-food items and hygiene kits to people affected by the violence and displacement.
Our teams are also working in close coordination with municipalities to restore access to safe water and improve sanitation for more than 30,000 people. Water and sanitation support helps to reduce the immediate risks of disease outbreaks and improve people’s living conditions.
Barriers to recovery and safe return
Many families across Lebanon have been forced to flee their homes multiple times since March, while others remain in precarious conditions. As the Israeli army’s forced displacement orders continue to uproot people, serious concerns persist about whether residents can safely return to their place of origin. The widespread destruction of public services — particularly water systems, health care facilities, and other essential infrastructure — poses major obstacles to recovery. Without reliable access to these services, returning home is neither viable nor safe for many families.
“MSF’s capacity to bring medical care closer to communities is essential,” says Guilherme Bothelo, coordinator for MSF’s Beirut emergency project. Bothelo explains that this support is meant to be temporary, “while local health authorities regain and sustain their ability to provide care independently.”
“The situation in Dahiyeh illustrates the urgent need to address both immediate humanitarian needs and the longer-term consequences of the escalation in Lebanon,” adds Bothelo. “As Israeli strikes intensify significantly in the south of the country and in the Bekaa, we fear that such situations will multiply, forcing more people to leave their homes and further eroding the conditions for a dignified life across entire communities. This would place even greater pressure on an already weakened health system strained by successive crises.”
