MAG has started to identify and clear the deadly explosive ordnance left in towns and villages in southern Lebanon after almost three years of on-off conflict, with a warning that it will take years to make communities safe again.
Following the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon in March 2026, MAG teams were forced to pause operations in southern Lebanon for their own safety, as communities were bombarded with new aerial, drone, missile and artillery strikes.
Our staff have now begun non-technical survey, mapping contaminated areas and identifying explosive hazards in Zahrani and Nabatieh, alongside delivering explosive ordnance risk education sessions to help people recognise, avoid and report dangerous items. Last week, the first Mine Action Team was deployed to clear the first item of explosive ordnance from a residential area.
Teams will shortly begin rubble removal operations in Deir El Zahrani, Nabatieh, to expose, and eventually remove, explosive items from the debris. Operations will gradually move further South as the security situation allows, expanding into communities where it is safe and possible to do so.
MAG Country Director Sylvain Lefort said: “The widespread destruction and contamination will require years of sustained funding and activity to clear areas from these deadly threats so that communities can live safely once more. Much of the contamination is concentrated in populated, urban areas, which makes clearance all the more complex. Our teams now stand ready to take on this vital work to help communities across Lebanon rebuild."
While clearance operations were on hold, MAG shifted its focus to delivering emergency risk education, helping communities understand the risks posed by explosive ordnance as people returned to affected areas. Teams continued to monitor contamination and gather information to prepare for the resumption of clearance work.
Essential information was distributed through brochures, flyers, posters, and even colouring books designed to educate children on the risks around them. Where in-person risk education was not possible for remote or harder to reach communities, digital campaigns reached millions with safety messages through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X.
MAG has 252 staff in Lebanon and has worked in the country since 2001 to clear contamination and to deliver risk education. Decades of civil and external conflict have left Lebanon with an extensive legacy of landmine and cluster bomb contamination. Following escalations in 2023, the Lebanese Mine Action Centre reported roughly two million square metres of new contamination. The recent attacks in 2026 added an additional layer of explosive ordnance contamination on top of those left by previous conflicts.
