Start of the ceasefire in Lebanon: rules, Israeli army, return of displaced people… a day of respite for civilians

A ceasefire took effect Wednesday between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah after the conclusion of a deal prepared by the United States and France aimed at ending the fighting in Lebanon, a rare victory for diplomacy in a region shaken by two wars for more than a year.

The withdrawal of the Israeli army monitored

The Lebanese army, responsible for ensuring respect for the ceasefire, indicated that it was preparing to deploy in the south of the country and asked residents of border villages not to return home before the withdrawal of the Israeli army.

With the ceasefire largely holding Wednesday morning, Israel said it had identified Hezbollah operatives returning to areas near the border and had opened fire to prevent them from approaching.

The deal, which promises to end the Israeli-Lebanese border conflict sparked by last year's Gaza war, is a major breakthrough for the United States in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration. It should allow Israel to focus on its offensive in the Gaza Strip where the country is committed to destroying Hamas after the Islamist group's attack on its territory on October 7, 2023.

“Force must leave room for dialogue and negotiation. This is now done in Lebanon. This must be the case as quickly as possible in the Gaza Strip,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Wednesday on France Info.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, told Reuters that the Islamist movement “appreciate” Lebanon's right to reach an agreement that protects its people and that it hoped for an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip. Egypt, which tried unsuccessfully with the United States and Qatar to negotiate a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, welcomed the truce in Lebanon.

Return of the displaced

In Lebanon, cars and vans filled with mattresses, suitcases and even furniture crossed the port city of Tyre, heavily bombed in recent days, heading south after the ceasefire came into force. .

Father of four, Hussam Arrout says he is eager to return to his home in the border village of Mays al-Jabal, in southern Lebanon. “The Israelis have not completely withdrawn, they are still on the razor's edge. So we decided to wait until the army announces that we can enter. Then we will immediately put the cars in drive and go to the village” , he declared.

The ceasefire, intended to be “permanent” in the words of Joe Biden, came into force at 4 a.m. (2 a.m. GMT) on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.

“What remains of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten Israel’s security again,” declared Joe Biden who spoke from the White House immediately after the almost unanimous approval of the ceasefire agreement by the Israeli security cabinet. Israel will gradually withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon within sixty days during which regular Lebanese forces will deploy in this Hezbollah stronghold, to ensure that the pro-Iranian Shiite group does not re-establish there, explained the American president.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the Lebanese army would be ready to deploy at least 5,000 troops in the south of the country after the Israeli withdrawal. Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to implement a ceasefire, warning however that Israel would respond forcefully to any violation. The agreement will allow Israel to focus on “the Iranian threat“, to rest its army and increase the isolation of Hamas, justified the head of the Israeli government, some of whose nationalist ministers are opposed to the agreement.

“Sustainable and calm recovery”

The agreement, assured Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a joint statement, “will create the conditions necessary for the lasting restoration of calm and allow the safe return of residents on both sides of the Blue Line to their homes”the border between the two countries drawn by the United Nations.

Hezbollah has not officially commented on the ceasefire, but a political representative of the Lebanese Shiite movement, Hassan Fadlallah, told Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed TV that the group would emerge stronger from the war. “Thousands (of people) will join the resistance. Disarming the resistance was an Israeli proposal that did not come to fruition,” said Hassan Fadlallah, who is also a member of the Lebanese Parliament. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran welcomed the ceasefire.

In a video message broadcast by the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron greeted Tuesday evening “the culmination of efforts undertaken over many months” by Paris and Washington to the Israeli and Lebanese authorities.

“We could say that this agreement is the fruit of hard work that has been carried out over many months, and that it is a success for French diplomacy and that we can be proud of it” , said Jean-Noël Barrot, specifying that the 700 French soldiers of the French contingent of UNIFIL present in Lebanon were going to play “an important role”.

After almost a year of exchanges of rockets and missiles on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border, Israel launched a vast offensive against Hezbollah last September, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, and rocket fire from Hezbollah in support of Palestinian Hamas, at least 3,823 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to the latest report provided Tuesday by the ministry Lebanese Health. Around a hundred Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed by Hezbollah attacks, according to Israeli authorities.