Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire: Displaced Lebanese begin to head home as guns, bombs fall silent

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- Thousands of Lebanese began to head south, back to their homes, early Wednesday after a cease-fire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah took effect, halting a year-long cross-border war that has killed more than 3,500 people, displaced 1 million and left much of Lebanon in ruins.

Cars loaded up with families, luggage and mattresses backed up on the main highway linking the capital, Beirut, with the south, reported the BBC, which said the occupants of many of the vehicles were waving Hezbollah flags.

People began flooding south despite urgent warnings from the Israeli military not to return just yet as Israel Defense Forces "remains deployed in its positions inside southern Lebanon."

"You are prohibited from heading toward the villages that the IDF has ordered to be evacuated or towards IDF forces in the area. For your safety and the safety of your family members, refrain from moving to the area," IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in a post on X.

"We will inform you when it is safe to return home."

The 60-day cease-fire agreement, announced late Tuesday by U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, came into force in Lebanon at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday.

Biden said it was "designed" to be a permanent end to the fighting and lay the foundation for a permanent resolution. He suggested it would be a springboard for a renewed effort to get a cease-fire in Gaza.

"Over the coming days, the United States will make another push with Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and others to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza with the hostages released and the end to the war without Hamas in power," Biden said Tuesday in a briefing to reporters in the Rose Garden of the White House.

Israel's Security Cabinet approved the Lebanon deal in a 10-to-1 vote Tuesday night, agreeing to withdraw the Israeli army from southern Lebanon by the end of the 60 days, with Lebanese Armed Forces troops deployed in their place to maintain security.

The process will be gradual, with IDF troops pulling back only when Lebanese troops arrive in the south to avoid creating a security vacuum, according to a U.S. official.

Iran-backed Hezbollah forces are to pull back about 20 miles away from the border with Israel to north of the Litani River. There, they will pose less of a threat to northern Israel, where as many as 80,000 people have been forced to evacuate to escape shelling and rocket attacks on their communities.

Speaking after the cabinet vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the time was right for a cease-fire because it would allow Israel to focus on the direct threat from Iran; Israeli troops needed to rest and it would give the military time to restock weapons supply chains; and it would leave Hamas fighting on alone in Gaza "helping us in our sacred mission of releasing our hostages."

However, he vowed to strike back hard if Hezbollah violated the terms of the deal and insisted Israel maintained "full freedom of military action," with U.S. backing, to respond if the group resumed firing rockets or attempted to rearm or rebuild infrastructure.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement that the cease-fire had taken effect, stating that its troops have been "operating accordingly," adding, "IDF troops are stationed at their positions in southern Lebanon."

However, the IDF also reported opening fire on a vehicle transporting "several suspects" through a zone it described as being prohibited to movement.

"IDF troops fired to prevent them from advancing, and the suspects left the area," it said. "The IDF will operate against anyone who attempts to breach the ceasefire agreement and will continue to protect the citizens of Israel."

Iran welcomed the halt in what it called "Israeli aggression," but called for an immediate end to the war in Gaza.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a post on X that its spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, welcomed the news of the "cessation of Israeli onslaught in Lebanon, reiterating the Islamic Republic of Iran's unwavering support for the Lebanese government, people and resistance.

Baqaei emphasized the international community's responsibility to protect peace and stability in West Asia, calling on it to "exert effective pressure on the aggressor regime [Israel] to cease the war against Gaza."