Question 1

My home was damaged in the war. Who do I report it to?

Accepted Answer

Start with the Municipality of Tyre 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.

Question 2

Is there money to help rebuild my home yet?

Accepted Answer

Money has been set aside, but as of mid-2026 there is still no open national process through which an individual homeowner applies and receives rebuilding compensation. In the 2026 state budget, Parliament moved about $90 million from the emergency reserve toward southern relief and reconstruction — roughly $67 million to the Council of the South and $24 million to the Higher Relief Commission.

The documented chain 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 of it remains a commitment on paper — residents have reported receiving as little as a few hundred dollars against repair bills of tens of thousands. 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 3

Who provides what here — the state, the parties, or the UN?

Accepted Answer

In Tyre, the answer to 'who provides this service' often has three parts: the municipality and the Lebanese state; party-affiliated bodies (including reconstruction and compensation campaigns); and international actors (the UN, UNRWA 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 of Tyre and the Council of the South. The Palestinian camps — Rashidieh, Burj el-Shemali and El Buss — are served separately by UNRWA, not by the Lebanese hospital and compensation system. Knowing which track applies to you saves time.

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 two bodies the 2026 budget money was directed to.

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

Question 5

What about the big reconstruction project in the news?

Accepted Answer

In June 2025 the World Bank approved a $250 million project — the first part of a larger framework — to help Lebanon recover from the war. It is 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. It does not pay individual families to rebuild private homes, and there is no way for a homeowner to apply to it directly. It is about putting the city's shared services back, not personal compensation.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

Be careful. After the war, unexploded shells and cluster munitions remain in fields, rubble and along roads across the south, and they can still kill or maim long after the fighting stops.

If you see anything suspicious — a strange metal object, something that looks 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 or the Lebanese Army on 1701 to report it. Never try to move or defuse it yourself. Clearing it is the job of trained teams working under the Lebanon Mine Action Center, the Army and the UN.

Question 7

I keep hearing the south is still not safe. Is it over?

Accepted Answer

The ceasefires have held only partly. Residents describe persistent danger and many ceasefire violations were recorded through late 2025 and into 2026. Return for many people is conditional and reversible — they go back, and may have to leave again.

This guide is service information; it is not a live safety or security service. For warnings about danger in a specific area, follow the official channels — the Lebanese Army, the Civil Defense, and the municipality — rather than rumour. If you are unsure whether it is safe to return to a particular place, ask the municipality and your neighbours who are already there.

Question 8

Where can I keep up with what is happening, and avoid being scammed?

Accepted Answer

The most reliable points are the Municipality of Tyre (tyremunicipality.com) and the Council of the South (councilforsouth.gov.lb) for compensation and reconstruction news. Be wary of unofficial pages promising payments or asking for a fee to register your damage — the official bodies do not charge you to report it. If a page asks for money up front to 'speed up' compensation, treat it as a scam.

Returning & Rebuilding in Tyre

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