Question 1

Is it safe to come back to Khiam?

Accepted Answer

Return has been partial and conditional. Many families come back by day to check on their homes and leave before dark, because there is no power or water and the Army has warned that buildings may be booby-trapped. The Khiam municipality is the trusted voice on this — in November 2024 it told residents to wait for the official green light before returning, and people still rely on its notices to decide.

This guide is service information, not a live safety service. For whether a specific area is safe right now, follow the municipality, the Lebanese Army and the Civil Defense — not rumour.

Question 2

My home was damaged or destroyed. Who do I report it to?

Accepted Answer

Start with the Khiam municipality and the Council of the South — they hold the local record of who has been hit. War-damage assessments in the south are carried out by Lebanese Army engineering teams, and the Council of the South also sends engineers to inspect damaged homes.

Keep your own evidence too: dated photographs of the damage, your ownership or residence papers, and any assessment reference you are given. There is not yet a single national website where an individual files a claim, so a clear local record matters. The Aid & Recovery Navigator on this site lays out the steps for your situation.

Question 3

Is there money to help rebuild my home yet?

Accepted Answer

Money has been committed, but as of mid-2026 there is still no open national process through which an individual homeowner applies and receives rebuilding compensation. A government reconstruction framework was approved in early 2026, but its first phase covers public infrastructure and excludes private homes. State cash help to families has been minimal — a one-time payment of around 30 million lira (about $330) was reported.

The documented chain for state compensation is: the Army assesses the damage, the Higher Relief Commission distributes compensation, and the Council of Ministers signs it off. In practice this has been slow, and much remains a commitment on paper. The honest position today is to register your damage locally and with the Council of the South, keep your evidence, and watch for a formal application window to open.

Question 4

What is the Council of the South?

Accepted Answer

The Council of the South (Majlis al-Janoub) is the government body responsible for the south: compensation for war victims, help for the displaced, and rebuilding infrastructure. Its engineers inspect damaged homes, and it is one of the bodies that southern relief money has been directed to.

You can reach it on 01 821 280, or through its website, councilforsouth.gov.lb.

Question 5

Who provides what here — the state, the parties, or aid groups?

Accepted Answer

In Khiam, as across the south, the answer to 'who provides this service' often has three parts: the Lebanese state (the municipality, the Council of the South, the Higher Relief Commission); party-affiliated rehabilitation and compensation campaigns, which have surveyed damage and paid some households directly; and international actors (UN agencies and NGOs). They do not always coordinate, which is why the same question can get different answers.

For war-damage to your home, the official state route is the municipality and the Council of the South. It is worth registering through that route even if another body has already recorded your damage, so your home is on the state's list when a formal process opens.

Question 6

What about the big World Bank reconstruction project?

Accepted Answer

In 2025 the World Bank approved a $250 million project to help Lebanon recover from the war, run by the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR).

It is important to understand what it does and does not cover: it funds public works — clearing rubble, making unsafe buildings safe, and repairing roads, water, power, schools and clinics — with only a narrow window for repairs to partially damaged housing. It does not pay families to rebuild destroyed private homes, and there is no way for a homeowner to apply to it directly. It is about putting shared services back, not personal compensation.

Question 7

Where do I go for health care now?

Accepted Answer

Khiam's own primary-care centre, run by the Amel Association, was damaged and then destroyed, so the town's in-place care is currently gutted. The reference hospital is Marjeyoun Governmental Hospital in nearby Jdeidet Marjeyoun, on 07 831 033.

For emergencies anywhere in Lebanon: police 112, Civil Defense (fire and rescue) 125, and the Lebanese Red Cross ambulance 140 — all free. The Who to Call tool lists these and more.

Question 8

Is it safe to go back to my land or my fields?

Accepted Answer

Be very careful. The fields around Khiam were bulldozed in the war and are contaminated with unexploded shells and cluster munitions, which remain in fields, rubble and along roads and can still kill or maim long after the fighting stops.

If you see anything suspicious — a strange metal object, something like a small canister or a shell, anything you do not recognise — do not touch it, do not move it, do not kick it, and keep children well away. Move back the way you came, and call the Civil Defense on 125, the Lebanese Army on 1701, or the Lebanon Mine Action Center on 05 956 143 to report it. Never try to move or defuse it yourself. Clearing it is the job of trained teams.

Question 9

I am abroad. How do I check on my home, and avoid being scammed?

Accepted Answer

Many of Khiam's families live abroad and have followed the fate of their homes through neighbours who returned, and through photographs and drone footage. Keep in touch with the municipality, your mukhtar, and people on the ground, and keep your ownership papers and any photographs safe.

Be wary of anyone promising payments or asking for a fee to register your damage or to 'speed up' compensation — the official bodies do not charge you to report it. If a page or a person asks for money up front, treat it as a scam.

Returning & Rebuilding in Khiam

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