Lebanese return to ‘unliveable’ areas as ceasefire with Israel mostly holds

People uprooted by the war in Lebanon began returning to devastated towns and neighbourhoods Friday, with many finding their homes destroyed or uninhabitable and hesitant to stay for fear a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel could unravel.

US President Trump said on Friday that the US had banned Israel from further bombing in Lebanon, a day after he announced the 10-day ceasefire. In a social media post, Trump said “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer”.




“They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” he said. The agreement between Lebanon and Israel has added to optimism that the parallel war between the US and Iran could be nearing an end.

While Trump says Lebanon and Israel will work towards a longer-term deal, the ceasefire leaves big questions. Notably, it does not demand Israel withdraw soldiers occupying parts of the south, where Israel’s defence minister said Israeli troops would continue to demolish homes he claimed were being used by Hezbollah. Iran-backed Hezbollah, which operates independently of the Lebanese state, has said it maintains “the right to resist”.

Late on Friday, an Israeli strike killed at least one person in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry said. The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

In the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, hills of rubble stood where there had once been apartment blocks and the smell of death hung in the air. Ali Hamza said he found his home intact, but that people were scared to return for now.

“It is impossible to live in these circumstances, and with these smells. A full return is difficult now, despite the hardship of displacement.”

He had gathered school books from the house: “We lost everything; we don’t want them to lose the school year.” In Qasmiyeh in southern Lebanon, cars were driving across a makeshift crossing over the Litani River, hastily erected after the ceasefire came into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT). Israel destroyed all the bridges over the Litani during the war, blowing up the one at Qasmiyeh on Thursday.

Hezbollah expressed “cautious commitment” to the ceasefire Friday, but said it must ensure that all Israeli hostilities stop and limit the Israeli military’s “freedom of movement” in Lebanon.

REUTERS