Heavy tension is mounting across Lebanon, as international organizations and residents alike prepare for a potential escalation along the southern front. From offices in the capital to the streets of Beirut’s southern suburbs and the villages of southern Lebanon, the country appears to be living in a “truce between wars,” with humanitarian preparations quietly accelerating amid growing fears of renewed conflict with Israel and Hezbollah.

Sources told Erem News that several international organizations operating in Lebanon are currently revising emergency plans based on a scenario of “a wider war” than the previous rounds, potentially involving deeper strikes in the southern suburbs, southern villages, and possibly the Bekaa Valley. Weekly coordination meetings between UN teams and major international agencies are reviewing evacuation plans for staff, updating shelter and hospital maps, and coordinating with municipalities, the Lebanese Red Cross, and local authorities.

Organizations such as Humanity & Inclusion have been strengthening emergency medical and logistical stockpiles and training rapid-response teams for months in anticipation of possible escalation. The World Food Program (WFP) has similarly updated its readiness strategy throughout 2024, including contingency plans for expanded conflict with Israel.

According to Lebanese media, UN agencies and other international organizations are redistributing aid stockpiles to reduce reliance on Beirut-based stores. Some supplies are being moved to the Bekaa, northern Lebanon, and mountain regions considered less vulnerable to direct attacks, ensuring aid access if key roads are disrupted.

These measures align with broader “emergency response” plans developed under the international community’s framework for Lebanon, updated to account for potential military escalation with Israel. UN sources emphasized that planning extends beyond food and medicine to include fuel for generators and hospitals, and securing supply chains should ports close or borders be blocked. They highlighted the lessons of 2024, when brief disruptions left thousands of families without essential supplies within days, prompting the creation of a distributed network of warehouses and trained local management teams.

On the ground, a quiet but steady movement of families is underway. Local activists report that residents are leaving border villages for Tyre, Sidon, Nabatiyeh, or heading to Beirut and nearby mountainous areas. This “silent” displacement is not officially reported but recurs whenever Israeli threats intensify or intelligence suggests a possible larger ground operation.

UN data shows that more than 1.3 million people were displaced within Lebanon by October 2024, with tens of thousands unable to return to their villages despite a fragile ceasefire. Local sources say some who returned in recent months are once again seeking alternative housing as Israeli threats resurface.

In southern Beirut’s suburbs, Hezbollah’s stronghold, real estate activity is surging. Media reports describe an unprecedented wave of apartment sales below market value, driven by owners’ fear that the area could become a target in future conflict.

The exodus from high-risk areas is driving up rents in Beirut’s safer suburbs and mountain towns, with families facing high costs, multi-month advance payments, and overcrowded or poorly equipped housing. Lebanese sources report that rental demand has surged again in recent weeks as fears of a “major war” rise, with some landlords exploiting the situation. Human rights organizations have criticized the absence of official oversight on rental practices during emergencies, calling it “exploitation of the vulnerable” amid Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis.