Shortly after the ceasefire took effect, thousands of residents of southern Lebanon and the Bekaa plain began returning to their villages, forming convoys of vehicles.
Iran welcomes Israeli “stopping of aggression”
The Lebanese army announced on Wednesday that it had taken “the necessary measures” to redeploy in southern Lebanon, also asking the displaced not to return to areas located on the front before the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
Iran “welcomes the news of an end to the aggression of the Zionist regime against Lebanon” and “firmly supports the government, the nation and the Lebanese resistance”, indicated this night the spokesperson for Iranian diplomacy, Esmaïl Baghaï.
Damascus announced that six people were killed in Israeli strikes on border crossings between Lebanon and Syria early Wednesday before the ceasefire took effect.
60 days to withdraw from Lebanon
The Israeli army has 60 days to gradually withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah must also withdraw from the southern border with Israel. Hezbollah must also withdraw from the southern border with Israel.
Before the final Israeli green light, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the duration of the ceasefire would depend “on what happens in Lebanon”. “We maintain complete freedom of military action” in Lebanon, he added: “If Hezbollah violates the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack.”
The Israeli army warned residents of southern Lebanon shortly after the ceasefire came into force not to approach the positions where it remains deployed. Without waiting for the green light from the Lebanese army, thousands of residents of southern Lebanon began to return home.
Hezbollah considerably weakened
Hezbollah did not participate directly in the truce negotiations, instead calling on Parliament head Nabih Berri to negotiate on its behalf, and has so far not commented on the agreement.
The war in Lebanon has considerably weakened the pro-Iranian movement. Its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed on September 27 in a powerful Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, as were many of his senior officials.
Benjamin Netanyahu considers that the truce will allow Israel to “intensify” its pressure on Palestinian Hamas, against which it is leading a deadly offensive in the Gaza Strip.
