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Partnership Between the Lebanese Army’s Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate and the Order of Malta Lebanon to Support the Resilience of Returnees in Western Zawtar

Amid the rubble of destruction and the buzz of drones: The Order of Malta Lebanon is the first to break the medical blockade and enter the town of Western Zawtar, in cooperation with the Lebanese Army’s Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate (CIMIC) and the municipality.

At the heart of the first "Pilot Zone" in the south, the joint initiative brought life back to the border town by providing comprehensive health and humanitarian care to over 150 families, with German and French support.

Western Zawtar, Southern Lebanon
"Today, we brought the pulse of life back to Western Zawtar, if only a little." With these words, the field teams of the Order of Malta Lebanon summarized the scene. In an exceptional step to boost the resilience of local residents and secure the essentials for return, the Order of Malta Lebanon was the pioneering and first humanitarian organization to enter the town of Western Zawtar (Nabatieh District) to provide vital medical and humanitarian services.

This urgent humanitarian step took place on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, through a close partnership between the Lebanese Army’s Civil-Military Cooperation Directorate (CIMIC), the Order of Malta Lebanon, and in direct field coordination with the Municipality of Western Zawtar, responding to the urgent needs of the town’s residents and surrounding villages.

The road was not paved with roses; rather, it was fraught with danger and tension. Amid the massive rubble surrounding the town and under the weight of surveillance drones that never left the skies overhead, the organization’s teams and the Lebanese Army’s CIMIC directorate stood with a smile and steadfastness to deliver services and reaffirm their humanitarian presence alongside families who chose to return because they had no other shelter remaining.

This step holds strategic importance as Western Zawtar is one of the "PILOT" areas where the Lebanese Army recently deployed in the South Litani sector, coinciding with the gradual return of residents after months of displacement and clashes that destroyed or damaged over half of the town's infrastructure, amid a complete lack of basic services and the hazards of unexploded ordnance.

This day carried touching human stories of residents living among the ruins, while others live in prefabricated rooms (caravans) set up over what used to be their homes. Among them is an elderly woman suffering from chronic diseases who had been unable to see a doctor or get a medical checkup for over seven months, alongside the silent suffering of many residents enduring psychological distress and severe trauma from continuous fear and tension.

Therefore, this activity was organized in close coordination with the Primary Healthcare Centers network of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, with joint support from the German Federal Foreign Office and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France through its Crisis and Support Centre. This synergy resulted in an integrated package of health and humanitarian support that benefited more than 150 families, including men, women, and children.

Field Deliverables and Services Provided

On the field level, the campaign delivered more than 400 medical and pharmaceutical services. These included consultations in general medicine and family medicine, specialized cardiology consultations, electrocardiograms (ECG), and echocardiography. This was accompanied by securing pharmaceutical safety through the distribution of all prescribed vital treatments and medications.

In integration with the medical track, the social work team provided specialized psychosocial support services. They also distributed direct in-kind assistance based on the specific needs of each household, including Family hygiene kits, Food parcels, Psychosocial support kits and educational-recreational activities for children as well as Personal hygiene kits for women.

Seeing the signs of relief on patients' faces as they received their medications, the smile of a child opening an educational kit, and a family returning to their rubble with a food parcel and supplies that preserve their dignity, was enough to dispel all feelings of fear and anxiety that the team faced in the morning while heading to the area. For a few short hours, and despite all the surrounding ash, Western Zawtar breathed life once again. It was a beautiful day that recalled the core essence of the humanitarian mission, and stands as a tribute of respect to every team member who, through courage and dedication, proved the true meaning of service embedded in the Order of Malta Lebanon’s values.

A Sustainable Vision for Early Recovery

This initiative lies at the heart of the Order of Malta Lebanon’s sustainable vision aimed at promoting stability in affected areas. The goals here are not limited to providing urgent and temporary medical relief. Rather, they extend to laying the foundation for anchoring citizens to their land and rebuilding trust in health and social security.

This security is an indispensable cornerstone for reviving economic and social life in border towns, and for securing an environment conducive to early recovery, ensuring these historical villages are not emptied of their residents while safeguarding their human dignity.