Lebanon sees 400,000 displaced return to southern towns as fighting eases

Around 400,000 Lebanese who fled their homes during the four‑month Israel‑Hezbollah war have begun returning to villages in southern Lebanon, government minister Hanine El Sayed said, citing a lull in fighting. The return rate represents roughly 40 % of the one‑million people displaced since March, and the number of residents in collective shelters has fallen sharply to about 13,000 from a peak of 37,000, with shelter sites reduced from 692 to 479.

El Sayed warned that many families still face severe hardship. “These are families that are able to return to something, at least the basic minimum,” she told Reuters, adding that those unable to go home confront damaged houses, limited electricity and water, and lost livelihoods. The government estimates it will need billions of dollars to rebuild nearly 90,000 housing units destroyed or partially damaged in the conflict, a sum it currently lacks.

Aid programmes, including emergency cash assistance, rental support and employment initiatives, will continue while authorities monitor returns over the coming week to gauge how many families cannot go back at all.