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The latest spillover of the regional war has left Lebanon dealing with a devastating humanitarian and economic crisis. Triggered more than three months ago by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, the conflict in Lebanon is finally poised to end following a newly announced diplomatic deal between Washington and Tehran.
The warfare spread to Lebanon on March 2, when the Iran-backed group Hezbollah opened fire on Israel in solidarity with Tehran. This action prompted a massive Israeli air and ground campaign, the costs of which have heavily crippled the Mediterranean nation, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Between March 2 and June 14—the night the U.S.-Iran agreement was reached—the conflict claimed the lives of at least 3,783 people in Lebanon, wounding another 11,699, according to the country’s health ministry.
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Vulnerable Groups Hit Hard: The dead include 247 children, 363 women, and 133 healthcare workers.
Historical Severity: This death toll surpasses the 3,468 casualties recorded in Iran during its direct conflict with the U.S. It is also higher than the total casualties from the 2023–2024 Israel-Hezbollah war, which saw 3,768 fatalities over a 13-month span.
Israeli Losses: On the opposing side, a Reuters tally of military announcements shows at least 28 Israeli soldiers and four civilians were killed during this specific period of fighting.
Israeli airstrikes and ground operations have left a trail of ruined infrastructure across Lebanon. While the heaviest destruction is concentrated in the south—where Israeli troops flattened dozens of border villages to flush out embedded Hezbollah fighters—the capital of Beirut and its southern suburbs were also targeted.
According to data from Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research covering March 2 to May 17:
Over 68,000 housing units nationwide have been damaged or destroyed.
Nearly 30,000 of those impacted homes are located in Lebanon’s three southernmost districts.
More than 8,000 housing units were hit in Beirut and its immediate suburbs.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates the damage in Beirut and its southern suburbs alone stands at a staggering $365 million.
Note on Displacement: More than 1.2 million people were forced to flee their homes due to Israeli evacuation orders and airstrikes. Even with a ceasefire on the horizon, hundreds of thousands remain displaced, either due to the total destruction of their properties or fear that the truce will fail to hold in Lebanon.
While official assessments are ongoing, the conflict has completely derailed Lebanon’s fragile attempts to recover from a cascade of historical crises, including the 2019 financial collapse, the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and the prior 2023–2024 war.
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber warned that the country’s economy could contract by at least 7% this year. This comes after a World Bank report revealed the 2024 conflict cost Lebanon $8.5 billion in physical damage and economic losses, compounding a devastating cumulative GDP decline of nearly 40% since 2019.
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