Tens of thousands of people returned to their homes in Lebanon after peace brokered between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah after 14 months of conflict.
According to BBC, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, at 4 a.m. local time following US President Joe Biden's ceasefire deal announcement on Tuesday.
Biden said that the US and France have helped broker the agreement, which they aimed will lead to a "permanent cessation of hostilities," adding that as per the ceasefire deal, Israel will withdraw its forces from Lebanon over 60 days and Lebanon's army and security forces will regain control.
He noted that since the beginning of the war, more than “70,000 Israelis have been "forced to live as refugees in their own country,” and over 300,000 Lebanese people were forced to leave their homes.
US and France, in a joint statement, said, “This announcement will create the conditions to restore lasting calm and allow residents in both countries to return safely to their homes.”
Both countries will work together to enforce the United Nations resolution previously set at the end of the 2006 war.
Moreover, Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire deal by calling it a "fundamental step towards restoring calm and stability" in the country and will allow citizens to return home after a year of conflict and violence.
Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned, “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to arm itself, we will attack. If it tries to rebuild terrorist infrastructure near the border, we will attack.”
Furthermore, after the ceasefire announcements, celebratory gunshots were heard in Beirut. People took to the streets to celebrate the cessation of hostilities.
Cars jammed the highway linking the capital, Beirut, to the south after thousands of people made their way to their homes in southern Lebanon, ignoring the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to stay away from previously evacuated areas until their announcement.
To note, at least 3,823 people were killed and 15,859 injured, and one million residents have been displaced in Lebanon since the beginning of the war.
