Thousands of Shiite Muslims who fled Syria after a December 2024 rebel offensive have resettled in Lebanon. Many initially stayed in mosques, schools or with relatives until the Imam Ali Housing Compound opened in late 2025. Funded by Hezbollah and Shiite religious institutions in Iraq and Iran, the Hermel camp contains nearly 230 housing units and houses both displaced Syrians and local Lebanese.
Thousands Of Shiite Syrians Resettle At Imam Ali Camp In Hermel, Lebanon
Souria al-Hassan, 75, a Syrian Shiite woman, looks out from the window of her housing unit next to a portrait of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
HERMEL, Lebanon — Thousands of Shiite Muslims who fled Syria after the government of President Bashar Assad was toppled during a December 2024 rebel offensive have resettled in Lebanon, many finding shelter at a newly opened housing compound in Hermel.
Many of the displaced initially stayed in mosques, schools or with relatives across Lebanon while they waited for a more permanent solution. In late 2025 the Imam Ali Housing Compound opened, offering structured housing and basic services to families who had been living in temporary arrangements.
Funding and facilities: The complex was financed by Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah and by Shiite religious institutions in Iraq and Iran. The Hermel site contains nearly 230 housing units and is designed to host both displaced Syrians and some local Lebanese residents.
Community impact: The camp has become a focal point for families rebuilding after displacement, providing shelter and a degree of stability. Local authorities and humanitarian observers note the mixed composition of residents, which includes long-term Lebanese residents as well as Syrians who fled the conflict.
Background: The relocation follows the December 2024 offensive by Sunni rebel forces that led to the collapse of Assad's government in parts of Syria, triggering a new wave of displacement. The Hermel camp represents one of several efforts in the region to provide immediate housing for those uprooted by the fighting.
Note: This article is accompanied by a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Syrian Shiite girls gather at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. The Arabic words right, read:"The Imam Ali Housing Compound, families of the honorable martyrs." (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite cleric man, front, leads the noon prayer at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite boy, plays with a ball in front of a portrait of the late top Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Maha al-Abbir, 47, a Syrian Shiite woman, works at her shop at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syrian Shiite boys walk at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite man reads the holy book of Quran in front of portraits of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, and the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syrian Shiite boys play at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite man fixes the roof of his housing unit at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite woman walks next of portraits of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, foreground, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Kassem, centre, and the late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, background, at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
A Syrian Shiite woman, hangs her laundry at the Imam Ali Housing Compound, where hundreds of mostly Lebanese and Syrian Shiite Muslims displaced from Syria reside, in Hermel, northeast Lebanon, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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