As a ceasefire mediated by the United States came into force on Wednesday, the skies over southern Lebanon and northern Israel were calm after nearly 14 months of deadly bombings.
It would be a rare instance of diplomatic victory in the multifront struggle raging throughout the Middle East if the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah—the influential, Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist and political group—is successful.
Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that he will not think twice about attacking Hezbollah again if it re-arms or attacks Israel, President Joe Biden stated that the truce, which he declared on Tuesday, is meant to be permanent.
As the truce was proclaimed late Tuesday, the sounds of artillery, missiles, and jets were replaced in some parts of Lebanon by singing and dancing.
It is unclear when residents of Israel and Lebanon would be allowed to return home despite the fledgling peace.
Hala Saeed, a Lebanese woman who was uprooted from her house, told The Associated Press, “We are happy because we will return to our country and homeland in the south.”
But there was more than a trace of melancholy and prudence even in the midst of the joyous sights of music and flag waving outside her refuge in the Lebanese city of Sidon.
Another displaced resident, Kamal al-Haj Ali, told the AP, “We are really happy.” Naturally, the sorrow of our martyrs and the villagers cannot be forgotten; their blood is still on the ground.
Although the war in Gaza has drawn the most attention from across the world, the battle in Lebanon has resulted in a parallel humanitarian disaster, killing 3,500 people and displacing 1.2 million more. According to local statistics, 60,000 people have been displaced from their homes in northern Israel, and 50 civilians and 80 military have been slain.
The ceasefire, which was mediated by France and Washington, essentially reestablishes a previous agreement that put an end to the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon but was never fully carried out.
Hezbollah will relocate north of the country’s Litani River, about 18 miles from the Israeli border, while Israeli soldiers are expected to evacuate southern Lebanon in accordance with UN Resolution 1701. Five thousand soldiers from the Lebanese army, which is not formally involved in the fighting, will take their place.
Netanyahu regrouped his forces after they severely damaged Hezbollah’s command structure and missile arsenal, and he claimed the ceasefire was a chance to concentrate on Iran without explaining what that meant for Israel’s archenemy.
However, he issued a warning that if the ceasefire’s conditions were broken, Israel would retaliate violently.
He did not specify when the fighting-displaced people in northern Israel could be allowed to return to their homes.
Following Hezbollah’s firing on Israel, which destroyed homes and structures and turned once-thriving settlements into ghost towns, many felt they had little alternative but to relocate. When tenants who have been housed in hotels and other temporary housing will be permitted to return is unknown.
After almost a year of violence that has destroyed infrastructure and public services in addition to causing deaths and displacement, the accord offers Lebanon a chance for relief.
The U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reports that over 100 of the 207 medical facilities in the conflict-affected area of Lebanon have been forced to close.
In a briefing last month, the UNHCR stated that the crisis has also spread to neighboring Syria, with 280,000 Syrians returning across the border, once again on the run for their lives, after fleeing their own war into Lebanon.
However, on Wednesday, Nabih Berri, the speaker of the parliament of Lebanon, called on citizens “to go back to your hometowns, because they embody the country’s collective identity and voice.”
The Israeli military, which has yet to leave southern Lebanon, disagreed.
In a social media post, Israel Defense Forces Arab media spokesperson Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee issued a dire warning to the people of southern Lebanon.
According to him, you are not allowed to approach the IDF forces in the area or the villages that the IDF has requested be evacuated. Do not relocate to the area for your own safety or the protection of your family. When it’s safe to go back to your houses, we’ll let you know.
The delicate peace has already been challenged by this point of dispute. According to the IDF, it fired bullets at cars approaching a zone in Lebanon where mobility is forbidden. It was unclear if anyone was hurt, but the suspects, as the IDF described them, turned around.
Despite this, the pact has received widespread support from Middle Eastern nations including Egypt and Turkey as well as the European Union. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas also hailed the agreement, claiming that it had dashed Netanyahu’s hopes of disarming or defeating the resistance forces.
But the ceasefire doesn’t address the violence that is still going on in Gaza, where local health officials report that Israel’s military attack against Hamas has killed over 44,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.
After a year of unsuccessful attempts, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told MSNBC on Wednesday that the administration would try again for a ceasefire in the Palestinian region.
According to him, President Biden plans to start that job today by having his envoys interact with regional players such as Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
After the Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250 more, Israel launched that offensive. The following day, Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel, which retaliated in a continuing firefight.
The ceasefire accord caused division among Israelis.
According to a quick survey conducted by the Channel 12 television station on Tuesday, 37% of people support the terms, 32% disagree, and 31% are unsure. Support for Netanyahu’s coalition was considerably lower, with 20% of voters in favor, 45% against, and 35% unsure.
The only member of Israel’s war cabinet to criticize the agreement was ultranationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Late Tuesday, he wrote on X that the deal was a grave error, stating that it would not dissuade Hezbollah and would not assist Israelis in returning to their homes in the country’s north.
According to him, it will actually pass up a momentous chance to hit them hard and knock them to their knees.
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