The humanitarian crisis in Lebanon is placing pregnant women at extreme risk, with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) warning that 11,600 pregnant women have been affected by the escalating conflict and around 4,000 are expected to give birth over the next three months. Many of these women have been displaced from their homes, cut off from essential maternal health services, and forced to deliver in unsafe and life-threatening conditions. According to UNFPA, some women have even had to give birth by the roadside, highlighting the severe breakdown of healthcare access during the ongoing emergency.
The situation in Lebanon has deteriorated sharply since the wider Middle East conflict intensified following Israeli-U.S. strikes in Iran on 28 February, Iranian counterstrikes across Gulf States, Hezbollah rocket fire into Israel, and subsequent Israeli airstrikes. Areas most affected inside Lebanon include the south, Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley, where the conflict has caused widespread disruption, displacement, and growing civilian suffering.
The health system has been hit particularly hard. UNFPA reported that 55 hospitals and clinics have been forced to close, either because they are located in areas affected by Israeli mass evacuation orders or because they sustained direct damage. These closures have severely limited access to emergency obstetric care and other essential health services at a time when vulnerable groups, especially pregnant women, need urgent medical support. The collapse of health infrastructure is worsening the humanitarian impact of the conflict and increasing the risks of preventable deaths and complications.
The security situation remains highly volatile. The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it has recorded daily rocket, missile, and drone attacks launched from Lebanon toward Israel and the occupied Golan, alongside artillery fire, airstrikes, and drone attacks by Israeli forces. UNIFIL also reported that Israeli troops have made ground incursions of up to seven kilometres into Lebanon. In one major escalation, more than 100 projectiles were reportedly fired from Lebanese territory, followed by over 100 retaliatory projectiles from Israel and seven airstrikes within UNIFIL’s area of operations. Although there were signs of a temporary lull in some areas, UN officials stressed that the situation remains extremely unstable and could worsen at any time.
As the violence continues, displacement inside Lebanon has surged dramatically. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said more than 822,000 people have already been displaced within the country. Migrants are among the most vulnerable, as many have lost their jobs, homes, and support networks, leaving them stranded with limited access to assistance. Lebanon hosts around 200,000 migrants from countries including Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Sudan, and Bangladesh, many of whom were employed in agriculture, construction, or domestic work before the crisis disrupted their livelihoods.
IOM noted that many migrants are now relying on community groups, churches, embassies, and non-governmental organizations for shelter and protection because they have nowhere else to go. Their situation reflects the broader strain on humanitarian systems as the crisis deepens. According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 4.1 million people have been internally displaced across Afghanistan, Iran, Lebanon, and Pakistan since the regional escalation began, showing how the conflict’s impact is spreading beyond Lebanon.
Inside Iran, IOM has also been helping migrants return home, although the agency warned that limited resources are restricting its ability to assist more people. UN officials reported that around 11,400 Iranians have crossed into Türkiye, while more than 24,600 Afghans have returned from Iran to Afghanistan. UNHCR said these movements remain within average daily crossing levels for now, but agencies are continuing to monitor the situation closely and have taken steps to overcome logistical challenges caused by airspace closures and supply chain disruptions by relying on pre-positioned relief supplies across the region.
Overall, the crisis in Lebanon is rapidly becoming a major humanitarian emergency, with pregnant women, displaced families, migrants, and other vulnerable populations facing increasingly dangerous conditions. UN agencies are warning that without urgent support, access to lifesaving healthcare, protection, and relief services will continue to deteriorate as the conflict expands.
