Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold

Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold

An Israeli flag hangs on a destroyed building while a Lebanese flag is painted on another in the southern Lebanese village of Meiss El-Jabal

Tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah headed back to their devastated towns and villages Wednesday as a ceasefire took hold.

Under the terms of the deal that brought the war to a halt, the Lebanese military started reinforcing its presence in the country's south, where Hezbollah has long held sway.

The war escalated after nearly a year of cross-border fire launched by the militant group in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas, whose attack on Israel in October last year sparked the war in Gaza.

It killed thousands of people in Lebanon and triggered mass displacements on both sides of the border.

Israel shifted its focus from Gaza to Lebanon in September to secure its northern border from Hezbollah attacks, dealing the movement a series of heavy blows.

The Iran-backed group has emerged from the war significantly weakened, including the killing in an Israeli air raid of its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

But that did not stop it from proclaiming "victory" over Israel in a statement released Wednesday.

"Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause," the Hezbollah statement said.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP that his group was cooperating on the Lebanese army's deployment in south Lebanon.

There is "full cooperation" with the Lebanese state in strengthening the army's deployment, he said, adding that the group had "no visible weapons or bases" but "nobody can make residents leave their villages".

The road from the Lebanese capital to the south was jammed from before dawn with thousands of people heading home.

AFP journalists saw cars and minibuses packed with people carrying mattresses, suitcases and blankets, with some honking their horns and singing in celebration.

"What we feel is indescribable," said one Lebanese driver on the road to the south. "The people have won!"

Others, however, voiced quiet desolation.

Returning to his home in the southern town of Nabatieh, Ali Mazraani said he was shocked by the extent of the devastation from the raids.

"Is this really Nabatieh?" he asked. "All our memories of Nabatieh have disappeared, and we can't recognise our own town."

- Final hours -

In Lebanon, more than 900,000 people fled their homes in recent weeks, according to the United Nations, as Israel pounded the country, focusing in particular on Hezbollah strongholds.

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on the displaced to go back to their homes despite the devastation.

"I invite you to return to your homes... return to your land," said Berri, who led negotiations on behalf of his ally Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Israel to respect the terms of the truce and said Lebanon was turning the page on "one of the most painful phases that the Lebanese have lived in their modern history".

Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said: "We control positions in the south of Lebanon, our planes continue to fly in Lebanese airspace."

He added that Israel "arrested suspects and killed terrorists" on Wednesday.

Lebanon says at least 3,823 people have been killed in the country since exchanges of fire across the border began in October 2023, most of them in recent weeks.

On the Israeli side, the hostilities with Hezbollah have killed at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians, authorities there say.

The final hours before the truce took hold at 4:00 am (0200 GMT) on Wednesday were among the most violent, particularly for Beirut, with Israeli strikes hitting areas including the busy commercial district of Hamra.

Hezbollah, too, continued to claim attacks on Israel all the way up to the start of the truce.

The Israeli and Lebanese militaries have both called on residents of frontline Lebanese villages to avoid returning home immediately.

Hezbollah-backer Iran welcomed the end of what it called Israel's aggression in Lebanon, while Hamas said it was ready for a truce in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden is to launch a renewed drive for an elusive ceasefire and hostage release deal for the Palestinian territory, his national security adviser said.

Jake Sullivan said Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right before the truce with Hezbollah was announced on Tuesday and they agreed to try again.

Netanyahu said the truce in Lebanon would permit Israel to redirect its efforts back to Gaza, where it has been at war with Hamas since October last year.

"When Hezbollah is out of the picture, Hamas is left alone in the fight. Our pressure on it will intensify," Netanyahu said.

The Gaza health ministry said an air strike killed nine people in the north of the Hamas-run territory on Wednesday as Israel kept up its bombardment on the day the Lebanon ceasefire took hold.

The ministry said the strike hit a shelter for displaced people in Al-Tabi'een School in Gaza City.

- 60 days -

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces will hold their positions but "a 60-day period will commence in which the Lebanese military and security forces will begin their deployment towards the south", a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

Then Israel will begin a phased withdrawal without a vacuum forming that Hezbollah or others could rush into, the official said.

On Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw Lebanese troops and vehicles deploying in two areas of south Lebanon.

"The army has begun reinforcing its presence in the South Litani sector and extending the state's authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," the military said in a statement, referring to areas south of the Litani River within 30 kilometres (20 miles) of the Israeli border.

- 'It feels safer' -

While the mood in Lebanon was of joy tempered by devastating loss, in Israel there was no indication of a return en masse of the 60,000 people driven from their homes by Hezbollah fire.

"On one hand, we are happy about the ceasefire because it feels safer, our children can go back to school," said 43-year-old Yuri, a resident of Kibbutz Yiron near the Lebanese border, who fled to the northern city of Haifa.

"On the other hand... Hezbollah still has forces, and we don't see when this will truly come to an end."

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Originally published as Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home as Israel-Hezbollah truce takes hold