Hours after Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement, thousands of people displaced from southern Lebanon have begun to return home, reports said.
The deal between the Jewish nation and the Lebanese militia group took effect on Wednesday, November 27, ending over 13 months of armed conflict between the two parties. During the 60-day staged withdrawal, Israel will pull out of southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah will move its fighters and heavy weaponry north of the Litani River.
However, fear still remains on both sides of the border if the truce would hold.
Even hours before the truce began, at 4am local time, both Israel and Hezbollah inflicted damage on the other’s territory. As per reports, Israel bombed Beirut, the Lebanese capital, and the south of the country throughout Tuesday. It led to the death of 42 people. Hezbollah, on the other hand, fired rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens.
US and France — parties who facilitated the deal — said the agreement would “cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organisations operating from Lebanon”, as quoted by the BBC in one of its reports.
However, the scene changed quickly after the truce period began. The roads in Lebanon were filled with vehicles of families returning to their residences, ignoring warnings from the Israeli military that they should stay away while its forces remained in the area. The Lebanese army also asked displaced natives to not venture near frontline villages and towns near the UN-drawn “blue line”, which separates the Israel and Lebanon.
The Lebanese military said in a statement that it has begun to strengthen its deployment in the South Litani sector and extend state authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil). “In this context, the concerned military units are moving from several areas to the South Litani sector, where they will be stationed at the locations designated for them,” it read.
As per reports, military convoys were seen travelling south.
BREAKING: The Lebanese army have begun heading South to secure Southern Lebanon and prevent Hezbollah from rearming.
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) November 26, 2024
Lebanon is taking back their country from the Iranian regime. pic.twitter.com/P8o7sxZPeP
Meanwhile, reports said that Israeli forces opened fire on a number of vehicles that attempted to enter a restricted area on Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country would “respond forcefully to any violation”, during a televised speech on Tuesday night.
Hezbollah, however, made no direct mention of the agreement in its statement post the deal and said it’ll continue its resistance and keep a check on Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon “with their hands on the trigger”, reports said.
The Lebanese group said its fighters “remain fully equipped to deal with the aspirations and assaults of the Israeli enemy”.
Protests in Israel as country reaches ceasefire deal
While Lebanese citizens have mostly welcomed the truce, the ceasefire has met a mixed reaction in Israel. From several ordinary citizens to Netanyahu’s far-right allies, the deal was heavily criticised.
Dozens of agitators gathered outside the Israeli army’s headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night to voice their concern and protest against the deal. This also led to traffic snarls in the area.
The Mayor of Shlomi, a town in the Northern District Israel, Gabby Neeman, said no residents were planning their return. He also stated that the truce would end eventually.
“Everything we were shown testifies to the fact that the next round is ahead of us, whether in a month, two months or 10 years,” he said, as quoted by The Guardian.
