Many Lebanese displaced by the year long Israel- Hezbollah war have begun returning home following the ceasefire deal brokered by the United States with the warring groups and they are hopeful that the truce remains permanent.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the United States president Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, announced that a ceasefire deal have been agreed upon by Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The military have however called on people not to return to front-line villages until after the Israeli military withdraws. However, a tide of civilians have been heading home.
Al Jazeera reports that in the Mediterranean coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon 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.
Read also: Israel agrees ceasefire with Hezbollah, designed to be permanent
A sense of relief reigns across Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported, but the optimism remains “guarded … because people are afraid that this is still a very fragile truce”.
Under the ceasefire, the Lebanese army would 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 truce is holding, tension remains. President Biden has said that he is prepared to make “another push” for a ceasefire in Gaza, but there are few signs that a quick breakthrough could be possible.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of Wednesday the Israeli military said that it conducted strikes on “dozens” of Hezbollah command centres and infrastructure sites in Beirut, Tyre and Nabatieh before the halt in fighting.
The IDF also confirms that it hit “several smuggling routes” between Syria and Lebanon. It says this was to “prevent Hezbollah’s ability to re-arm” ahead of the ceasefire.
The Israeli military adds that steps were taken “to mitigate the possibility of harming civilians” before these strikes, and it says the IDF will remain vigilant now that a ceasefire is in place
The ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon involved a number of international parties; it was brokered by the US, while France is expected to help monitor the truce.
Neighbouring countries welcome the deal
This morning, Turkey has also offered its support to establish “internal peace” in Lebanon. In a post on X, its foreign ministry calls for the international community to “exert pressure” on Israel to “provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon”.
Iran, which supports Hezbollah, says it welcomes the news of the end of Israel’s “aggression against Lebanon”.
After 14 months of fighting that has gone on in parallel to the Gaza war, this morning there is relative calm across the Israel-Lebanon border.
The ceasefire calls for a two-month halt to hostilities and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon.
Thousands of Lebanese army troops and UN peacekeepers are due to move there, as Israeli soldiers return to their side of the border. An international panel headed by the US will monitor compliance.
The Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the deal and Israel’s security cabinet voted for it.
However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened that his country would “strike decisively” if Hezbollah violated the agreement or tried to rearm.
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