Lebanon

2026 response

Across Lebanon, MSF is running several mobile clinics to reach displaced people. Teams in Saida, Lebanon's third largest city in the south, provided more than 70 medical consultations and psychological first aid sessions in one day. On March 6, another mobile clinic began operating in Barja, in the Chouf area of Mount Lebanon — where an estimated 10,000 people are sheltering; in just a few hours, MSF teams there conducted 72 general consultations, 11 sexual and reproductive health consultations, and 13 mental health support sessions. MSF sent a third mobile clinic to Bebnine, in Akkar, northern Lebanon, treating more than 50 displaced people from the south on its first day of activities. 

On March 7, MSF launched additional mobile clinics in Beirut and the Bekaa region to support internally displaced people. Teams also prepared mental health helplines to provide psychological support to people who are on the road or unable to reach services.

In Beirut, Bekaa, and Chouf, MSF teams have distributed 350,000 liters of water and over 7 metric tons of essential relief items like blankets and hygiene kits to thousands of displaced people, including children and the elderly. In Nabatiyeh and South governorates, MSF has had to suspend on-the-ground activities due to evacuation orders issued by Israel and the lack of security guarantees for staff. MSF teams continue to look into ways to provide support in the area, as well as running our clinics in Bourj Hammoud in Beirut and in Arsal, in the governorate of Baalbek-Hermel, to ensure continuity of care for patients. We continue to support primary health care centers in Tripoli, the capital of North governorate.

MSF activities in Lebanon in 2024

In Tripoli, we covered treatment costs for non-communicable diseases at external clinics, trained medical staff, and donated medicines. In Beirut’s southern suburbs, our clinics in Bourj Al-Barajneh and Bourj Hammoud provided reproductive health care, mental health support, and general consultations to the local community, including Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as well as migrant workers from sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia.

By mid-2024, we had integrated reproductive and mental health services into Al-Makassed health care center in Wadi Khaled. In Baalbek-Hermel, we offered basic and reproductive health care, treatment for chronic diseases, and mental health support through clinics in Arsal and Hermel. We also facilitated emergency referrals for specialized care. In August, we partnered with Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to conduct a cholera vaccination campaign in Arsal, focusing on overcrowded refugee communities.

Following the escalation in Israeli bombardments and ground incursions in September, MSF sent 22 mobile medical teams to heavily affected areas, including Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Baalbek-Hermel, and Akkar, to deliver trauma care and mental health services and support health care centers. We strengthened hospitals’ capacity by conducting mass casualty training and supplying medical and relief materials.

In Saida, we supported the Turkish Hospital by donating medical supplies and assisting the surgical team. We also launched a telephone helpline to offer remote mental health support. These efforts were crucial as health facilities were unable to cope with the rising number of casualties and the destruction of their infrastructure.

In addition to these medical activities, we distributed hygiene kits, blankets, mattresses, and water to the shelters for displaced people, and supplied hot meals for hundreds of families during the  war.

After the November ceasefire, many displaced people returned to destroyed homes. Others were too afraid to return. Access to health care remains extremely limited due to widespread damage to infrastructure and unaffordable costs. The war has been particularly devastating for health care staff and facilities. The World Health Organization reported that 226 health workers and patients in Lebanon were killed and 199 injured between October 7, 2023, and November 18, 2024.

MSF continues to provide vital medical care and support to communities facing ongoing economic hardship and insecurity.