A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has appeared to hold on its first day as thousands of displaced people set out to return to their homes in southern Lebanon despite Israel’s military announcing restrictions on movement in the area.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X on Wednesday that residents would be barred from travelling south of the Litani River, about 30km (20 miles) from the Israeli border, from 5pm (15:00 GMT) until 7am (05:00 GMT) on Thursday.
He said displaced residents would not be allowed to return to villages the army had ordered them to leave as Israeli forces were still present in the area.
The ceasefire, which was brokered by the United States and came into effect on Wednesday morning, gives Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he instructed the military not to allow residents back into the Lebanese villages near the Israel-Lebanon border.
Lebanon’s army, which has been given the responsibility of ensuring the ceasefire lasts and will take control of southern Lebanon as Israel gradually withdraws its forces, said it has begun deploying additional troops south of the Litani.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli military Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said Israel’s enforcement of the ceasefire would be determined by whether Hezbollah keeps to the agreement.
“Hezbollah operatives who approach our troops, the border area and the villages within the area we have marked will be struck. … We are preparing, getting ready for the possibility that this [ceasefire] approach won’t succeed,” he said.
Hezbollah claims ‘victory’
In its first public statement since the truce came into effect, Hezbollah said it achieved a “victory” over Israel.
“Victory from God almighty was the ally of the righteous cause,” the statement from the Iran-algned group said.
Hezbollah fighters “will remain in total readiness to deal with the Israeli enemy’s ambitions and its attacks”, the statement added.
Earlier, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for unity after what he said was the “most cruel phase in Lebanese history”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US President Joe Biden that his government had approved the ceasefire and that he appreciated his “understanding that Israel will maintain its freedom of action in enforcing it”, his office said.
Biden released a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, emphasising that both countries “will work with Israel and Lebanon to ensure this arrangement is fully implemented and enforced”.
Hezbollah began launching rockets towards Israel on October 8, 2023, in what it said was solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Cross-border attacks persisted for months.
Israel’s military escalated the fighting in September, bombarding areas across the country and then launching a ground offensive in October.
At least 3,823 people have been killed and 15,859 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities.
‘Ray of hope’
Despite Israel’s warning of restrictions on movement, displaced Lebanese residents piled into cars carrying mattresses and drove through the heavily bombed southern city of Tyre to go back to areas they had been forced to leave.
Shams Fakih, a resident from Kfar Kila in southern Lebanon, told Al Jazeera: “Once they let us return to our village, we will go there, but now we’re going to another village [in] Debeen, where my brother who was fighting for the resistance was killed.”
Others were not able to return to their home villages as Israeli forces had yet to withdraw from the area.
Hussam Arrout, a father of four, told the Reuters news agency that he was desperate to go home, but Israeli forces were still in southern Lebanon.
“The Israelis haven’t withdrawn in full. They’re still on the edge. So we decided to wait until the army announces that we can go in. Then we’ll turn the cars on immediately and go to the village,” he said.
After the ceasefire announcement, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the agreement was the “first ray of hope” in the regional war.
“It is essential that those who signed the ceasefire commitment respect it in full,” he said in a televised statement during a visit to Lisbon, adding that UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon were ready to monitor the ceasefire.
“I received an auspicious sign yesterday, the first ray of hope for peace amid the darkness of the past months,” he said, adding: “It is a moment of great importance, especially for civilians who were paying an enormous price of this spreading conflict.”
Guterres also reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
