Displaced returning to southern Lebanon amid hopes ceasefire will hold

Lebanese people displaced from their homes due to attacks by Israeli forces have started returning to the south of the country, hoping that the embryonic ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel will hold.

Civilians began moving south towards their homes shortly after the ceasefire, jointly announced by United States President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron overnight, took effect in the early hours of Wednesday.

The Lebanese army was also quick to announce that it was preparing to deploy to the Israeli-invaded south and “carry out its mission” under United Nations Resolution 1701.

The pledge to respect the 2006 resolution, which requires Hezbollah to move away from the border with Israel, is at the centre of the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military called on people not to return to front-line villages until its forces withdraw. However, a tide of civilians has been heading for home.

‘Fragile’ ceasefire

Reporting from the Mediterranean coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said, with signs that the ceasefire is holding, thousands of people were making their way home.

Some were waving the “victory” sign, as for many, a return home is a victory in itself, she said. However, it remains unclear if all areas will be accessible, with the Israeli army saying that its forces are still operating in some parts and evacuation orders still in place.

A sense of relief reigns across Lebanon, Khodr reported, but the optimism remains “guarded … because people are afraid that this is still a very fragile truce”.

The Lebanese and Israeli militaries have urged people to remain cautious and refrain from heading south while the Israeli military remains on the ground.

However, Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on people to reinhabit the area. “I invite you to return to your homes,” he said in a televised speech. “Return to your land … even if you live above the rubble.”

A key Hezbollah ally who negotiated the ceasefire deal on behalf of the armed group, Berri also called for a swift presidential election, calling on political parties to come together to back a candidate “who unites rather than divides”.

Under the ceasefire, the Lebanese army should over the next 60 days deploy south of the Litani River, the southern region of the country that borders Israel. Israeli troops will gradually withdraw and Hezbollah will also pull back from the area.

While reports suggest that the ceasefire is holding, tension remains.

The Israeli government, which approved the deal late on Tuesday, has emphasised that it will launch more attacks if there are any signs that terms are not honoured.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military reported that it had “identified a vehicle with several suspects in a zone prohibited for movement in Lebanese territory”.

It added that its troops had “fired to prevent them from advancing, and the suspects left the area”.

Israel also unleashed a wave of strikes on Lebanon in the hours leading up to the start of the ceasefire, with its warplanes bombing the country’s border crossings with Syria.

The US, Israel’s main ally, also bombed an unknown location in Syria, saying it targeted a weapons cache of an “Iranian-aligned” armed group.

Iran, Hezbollah’s backer, on Wednesday welcomed news of the ceasefire. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed Tehran’s “firm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance”.

Focus on Gaza

The ceasefire in Lebanon turns attention back to the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israel’s military since the Iran-backed Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023.

Israeli forces continue with their assault on the besieged enclave. Several people were reported killed in an attack on the al-Tabin School shelter for displaced people in Gaza City on Wednesday, according to Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground.

Biden said he is prepared to make “another push” for a ceasefire in Gaza, but there are few signs that a quick breakthrough could be possible, with some distance between the stances of the two parties on the ground.

Hamas has not yet officially commented on the Lebanon agreement but has previously maintained that it is prepared for a ceasefire if Israeli troops withdraw from the enclave, people are allowed to return to their homes and more humanitarian aid is admitted.

But Israel has rejected those terms, insisting that the 100 or so captives still held by Hamas must be returned.