Tens of thousands return to south Lebanon after ceasefire, defying Israeli warnings
Tens of thousands of displaced people began returning home in the early hours of Friday, against Israeli warnings, after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon came into effect at midnight.
Israel had warned residents not to go back to areas south of the Litani River, saying its forces “remain positioned in southern Lebanon to monitor Hezbollah activity”.
The Lebanese army and Hezbollah had also urged residents of southern Lebanon, Beirut’s southern suburbs, known locally as Dahyeh, and the Bekaa Valley to delay their return for their own safety.
However, many people uprooted by Israel's six-week bombing campaign and ground invasion began planning their journey home as soon as US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Thursday afternoon.
The Israeli military continued shelling areas in the south after the truce came into force, although by Friday morning it appeared to be largely holding. In a statement, Hezbollah said it was keeping its “finger on the trigger” in case of any Israeli violations.
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Early in the morning, the highway linking the cities of Saida and Sour was already gridlocked, as tens of thousands of vehicles - packed with people and belongings, many piled high with mattresses - headed south.
In Qasmiyeh, cars crossed the Litani River, which cuts through most of the width of Lebanon, via a makeshift passage hastily set up after the ceasefire took effect in anticipation of a large number of people returning, to compensate for the destruction of the Qasmiyeh bridge by Israel a day earlier.
The Lebanese army also partially reopened several damaged bridges.
During the war, Israel destroyed all bridges over the river, including the key Qasmiyeh bridge, which was blown up on Thursday, severing the last link between the south and the rest of the country.
The Lebanese army supervised bulldozers as they worked from dawn to fill the crater left by the bombing. Once it was passable, motorbikes and cars began crossing in single file.
Further east, authorities reopened a secondary road at Zrarieh–Tayr Filsey to ease the traffic, while the main route over the “February 6 bridge”, struck by Israel last month, remained closed, according to Lebanese media.
'Our soul is in the south'
In the early evening, despite the earlier celebrations as people began making their way home, a heavy mood settled over the capital.
In Tayouneh, a neighbourhood in southern Beirut, many of the displaced remained in their tents. Some had already been dismantled, leaving behind abandoned wooden pallets; others stood intact but empty, their occupants gone, at least for now.
“People went back to Dahyeh to check on their homes, but they don’t feel safe,” a man running a food kiosk told Middle East Eye. “So they’ve kept their tents here, in case they need to come back.”
Nearby, a group of men sat on plastic chairs beside a van. They declined to speak in detail about the situation, but all agreed on one thing: “People are exhausted.”
“Of course we want to go back to our village in the south,” said Zainab, an elderly woman displaced with her husband. She gestured towards her small tent, where two thin mattresses were stacked one on top of the other. “Who wants to live like this?”
For now, she is waiting for the traffic to ease before attempting the journey home. Her husband, she explained, is too fragile for a long drive.
“My village isn’t on the border, but it’s still risky. I can’t wait to go back,” she said. Then, after a pause: “Our soul is in the south.”
The ceasefire appears to be largely holding, although Israeli forces continued shelling parts of southern Lebanon for several hours after the truce came into effect.
Moments before the ceasefire, Israel struck a residential complex in the southern city of Sour, killing 11 and wounding 35, according to the Lebanese Civil Defence. Search and rescue operations for people missing under the rubble are still ongoing.
Since 2 March, Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,294 people in Lebanon, including 100 rescue workers and healthcare personnel, and wounded 7,544, the Lebanese health ministry said. About 1.2 million people have also been displaced nationwide.
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