People displaced by the war in Lebanon began returning to devastated towns and neighborhoods on Friday, with many finding their homes destroyed or uninhabitable and reluctant to stay for fear of the collapse of the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire.US President Trump said on Friday that the United States has prevented Israel from launching further bombing in Lebanon, a day after he announced a 10-day ceasefire. Trump said in a post on social media that “Israel will no longer bomb Lebanon.”“The United States prevents them from doing this. Enough!!!” He said. The agreement between Lebanon and Israel increased optimism that the parallel war between the United States and Iran may be nearing its end.While Trump says Lebanon and Israel will work toward a long-term agreement, the ceasefire leaves big questions. It is worth noting that he does not demand that Israel withdraw its soldiers occupying parts of the south, as the Israeli Defense Minister said that Israeli forces will continue to demolish homes that he claimed are being used by Hezbollah. Iran-backed Hezbollah, which operates independently of the Lebanese state, said it reserved the “right to resist.”
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that an Israeli raid late on Friday killed at least one person in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army said it was verifying the report.In the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburb of Beirut, there were hills of rubble where residential buildings once stood, and the smell of death hung in the air. Ali Hamza said he found his house intact, but people were afraid to return at the moment.“It is impossible to live in these conditions, with these smells.
“Full return has become difficult now, despite the difficulty of displacement.” He had collected school books from home: “We lost everything, and we don’t want them to lose the school year.” In Qasimiya in southern Lebanon, cars were passing through a temporary crossing over the Litani River, which was hastily established after the ceasefire came into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT). Israel destroyed all the bridges over the Litani during the war and blew up the Qasimiya Bridge on Thursday.Hezbollah expressed its “cautious adherence” to the ceasefire on Friday, but said it must ensure the cessation of all Israeli hostilities and limit the “freedom of movement” of the IDF in Lebanon.Reuters
