In December 2025, Kenneth Lavelle, OCG Director of Operations, visited Lebanon more than a year after his previous visit in November 2024, during the peak of the escalation preceding the ceasefire. This time, his visit took him to Nabatieh, the governorate most heavily impacted by the war, and where OCG has launched a project.
While a ceasefire was announced in late November 2024, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Israeli strikes continue almost daily, and Israeli forces still occupy parts of southern Lebanon. More than 64,000 people remain internally displaced, and many of those who have returned are doing so to villages with severely damaged infrastructure. Entire towns are struggling to function, and basic services remain disrupted. The war compounded Lebanon’s long-standing economic collapse, deepening poverty and eroding people’s ability to cope.
Healthcare has been particularly devastated. During the escalation, eight hospitals were forced to close, and 133 primary healthcare centres were damaged or destroyed. Safeguarding Health in Conflict reported at least 408 health workers killed in Lebanon in 2024, marking it the deadliest conflict for healthcare workers, according to WHO. These attacks have left lasting gaps in access to care, especially for people returning to rural and border areas where services were already limited.
In 2025, we expanded our response in southern Lebanon. OCG launched a new project in Nabatieh, alongside continued operations in Baalbek-Hermel (OCB maintains activities in the North, the South, and Beirut). Through mobile medical teams, support to primary healthcare centres, and medical donations, our teams are working to meet needs, often in areas where health facilities are no longer functional.
Kenneth’s testimony puts the complex and challenging reality of southern Lebanon into words: this is not a recovery phase. It is an ongoing humanitarian crisis marked by continued violence, unresolved displacement, damaged systems, and a profound mental health toll on people living with loss, uncertainty, and fear.