Thousands of Lebanese return home as ceasefire takes hold

Hans-Jakob Schindler, senior director at the NGO Counter Extremism Project, spoke to DW about what the new Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire means.

Asked whether the deal could hold, as Iran, Hezbollah's main backer, seems to have agreed to its terms, Schindler said: "Absolutely. Hezbollah, especially now in its weakened form, is more dependent on Iran than it was a year ago. And hence, if the guys who are paying for the show are telling you that this is the decision, it is very clear that Hezbollah is going to keep to the agreement."

Though Schindler attested to Hezbollah's acute military weakness, he said it won't last forever. "Hezbollah is unfortunately only temporarily weakened a couple of years, maybe to rebuild everything. And then Israel may find itself in a very similar situation again."

When asked whether the Lebanese army was capable of enforcing the terms of the ceasefire agreement, Schindler voiced doubt: "Well, it's very clear that they cannot do this alone. The Lebanese army is a glorified police force, really weakened because Hezbollah did not want to have a viable second power center in a military sense in Lebanon. So they definitely need international support." 

"If there is not sufficient support," said Schindler, "the Lebanese army is not going to be really be able to withstand even a weakened Hezbollah military structure because of the enormous political influence and stranglehold Hezbollah holds over all parts of Lebanon."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon signals hope following months of escalation in the regional conflict.

"I received an auspicious sign yesterday, the first ray of hope for peace amid the darkness of the past months," he said, referring to the agreement. "It is a moment of great importance, especially for civilians who were paying an enormous price of this spreading conflict."

Guterres made the comments during a short televised address in his native Lisbon where he met with Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.

"It is essential that those who signed the ceasefire commitment respect it in full," Guterres said, adding that the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon was ready to monitor the ceasefire.

Guterres also reiterated his call for an immediate halt to fighting in Gaza.

Following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, many residents of northern Israel hope to return to the homes they evacuated almost 14 months ago. They lived in communities close to the border with Lebanon, near the so-called Blue Line, the UN demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. They left their homes after the Hamas terror attacks on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel.

Annat Zisovich from Iftach, a kibbutz close to Lebanon, said she was still trying to figure out what to make of the agreement and needed to find out more.

"We have a WhatsApp group of mothers from the Kibbutz, and this morning there were all these messages: I am happy but I am confused; I want to go home, but I am not sure," Zisovich told DW.

Since she left their home after October 7, the mother of two has been living in a hotel room with her family near the Sea of Galilee. Zisovich said she felt the government was not invested in helping those evacuated from the north.

"No one told us when we are supposed to go back or whether we will be able to go back at all," she said. There are also many logistical issues to resolve, including the education of her children who entered new schools.

"Thinking about the agreement — and I believe in peace — I think I trust Lebanon, but not Hezbollah. I think there is a difference. You cannot make peace with Hezbollah," Zisovich said. "The moment we signed the agreement, Hezbollah will start rebuilding itself. And their goal in life is to destroy us."

The Israeli government has not yet given the green light for the more than 60,000 evacuees in the north to return. Jonathan Cohen from Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra said he would return sooner rather than later but would wait to see what happens in the coming weeks.

"When I heard about the ceasefire, I was a little bit ambivalent at first, but then when it started to sink in and I read about it — I think we're on a good path," Cohen told DW.

Cohen and his family left their home after October 7, fearing that Hezbollah might launch a ground offensive in the north similar to that of Hamas in the south. After moving from place to place, they found a temporary home in Haifa, Israel's largest northern city.

"I would be very disappointed if the end game is the same 1701 resolution and nothing changes," Cohen said, referring to the UN Security Council resolution that ended the war in 2006. "I would already feel safer if there is a 1-3 kilometer buffer zone. And the thing that scares us most is the tunnels and what will happen if [Hezbollah] fly a reconnaissance kite or something like that — what will the response be?"

After months of rocket fire and drone attacks, Cohen said he hopes the 60-day lull in the fighting will turn into something permanent.

"Everything is very fragile right now," he said. "It hasn't been 24 hours yet, and we already see a few disturbances. For now, it is just a temporary agreement."

US President Joe Biden will try to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, coming on the heels of Israel and Hezbollah agreeing to a truce in Lebanon, his national security adviser told US broadcaster MSNBC.

Jake Sullivan said that as Hezbollah reaches a ceasefire with Israel, it should increase pressure on the militant Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a ceasefire and hostage deal.

"President Biden intends to begin that work today by having his envoys engage with Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and other actors in the region," Sullivan said.

"We believe that this is the beginning of an opportunity for a more stable Middle East in which Israel's security is assured, and US interests are secured," he added.

There are few signs, however, of either Israel's government or Hamas being in any hurry to halt the fighting in Gaza, with each side blaming the other for long-stalled negotiations.

An upcoming basketball game between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Alba Berlin will be paired with a heavy security presence to deter any possible anti-Israeli violence or clashes with protesters, Berlin police said.

"We will show a public presence. That means we will be present in the arena with police officers and support the security forces," a police spokesman told DPA news agency. 

The Israeli league champions are traveling to Berlin on Thursday evening. Local police plan to cordon off the area around Berlin's Uber Arena, where the game is set to take place, as well as the hotel where the Maccabi Tel Aviv team are staying.

The Israeli team is also expected to be escorted by police from the hotel to the arena.

"Our aim is to ensure the highest possible level of protection and security at every stage," said the police spokesman.

Although there have been no calls or announcement to protest the event, police said they still "have to be prepared for these scenarios," according to the spokesman.

The Alba Berlin basketball team has urged fans to arrive early for the game on account of the heightened security.

France said it will continue to work closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest.

Paris said Netanyahu has immunity given that his country was not party to the statutes of the ICC that seeks his arrest.

France's foreign ministry said the Rome Statute that established the ICC provided that a country cannot be required to act in a manner incompatible with its obligations "with respect to the immunities of States not party to the ICC."

"Such immunities apply to Prime Minister Netanyahu and other relevant ministers and will have to be taken into consideration should the ICC request their arrest and surrender," the ministry said in a statement.

The government of France said it had a historic friendship with Israel, and that both democracies were committed to the rule of law, adding that Paris intended to continue to work closely with Netanyahu and other Israeli authorities "to achieve peace and security for all in the Middle East."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed relief over the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, urging both sides to adhere to the agreement.

"Finally, Hezbollah and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire in Lebanon, brokered by our partners USA and France," Scholz wrote Wednesday on X.

"It is important that everyone sticks to what has been agreed, so that people on both sides of the border can live in safety again."

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has urged Israel to respect the terms of the ceasefire and says he hopes the truce will be "a new page for Lebanon."

"I demand that the Israeli enemy abide by the ceasefire deal and withdraw" from Lebanese territory, he said.

Under the deal, Israel has 60 days to pull its troops out of Lebanon.

Mikati said his cabinet had decided to "strengthen the deployment of the army and security forces" in southern Lebanon, in their first meeting since the ceasefire began.

He also said he hoped the truce deal would soon "lead to the election of a president" in Lebanon.

Disagreements between Hezbollah and its political opponents have left the country without a head of state now for more than two years.

Thousands of Lebanese people who have been displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah have started their journeys back home as the ceasefire takes hold. 

The truce halts a war that has killed some 3,700 people in Lebanon and displaced 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes.

Traffic on the road from the Lebanese capital, Beirut, to the main southern city of Sidon has been congested since the early hours of Wednesday.

Cars and vans loaded with belongings streamed through the southern port city of Tyre.

Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri called on displaced Lebanese to return to their homes.

"We thank the displaced and the people who have welcomed them with compassion and solidarity," said Berri, a Hezbollah ally, in a televised speech.

"Return to your land ... even if you live above the rubble," Berri said.

"We turn the page today on a historical moment that was the most dangerous for Lebanon and threatened its people and history," he added.

Fighting escalated in September after nearly a year of cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas, whose attack on Israel in October last year sparked the devastating war in Gaza.

Turkey has said it welcomes the ceasefire and called for Israel to pay reparations for damage caused inside Lebanon.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry urged the international community to make sure Israel fully implements the truce with Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

Under the deal, Israeli troops need to withdraw from southern Lebanon in the next 60 days.

"It is imperative for the international community to exert pressure on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and to provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement. It added that Turkey was ready to support peace efforts in Lebanon.

Ankara also said a ceasefire needed to be declared in Gaza as soon as possible to ensure lasting regional peace and stability.

Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the deal and said Turkey was ready to help in any way possible to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

A ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah appears to be holding.

DW correspondent Tania Krämer sums up the mood in Israel:

China has welcomed a Lebanon ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah after more than a year of fighting.

"China is paying close attention to the current situation in Lebanon and Israel," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

"We support all efforts conducive to easing tensions and achieving peace and welcome the agreement reached by relevant parties on a ceasefire," she added.

China said it also hoped for a halt to fighting in the Gaza Strip, which it identified as the "root cause of the current round of turmoil in the Middle East."

"All parties should work together to promote a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible," Mao said.

Israel has targeted several border crossings between Syria and Lebanon in two separate attacks, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.

The British-based monitor was cited by Germany's DPA news agency as saying that the al-Arida in the Tartous countryside was targeted for the first time, along with the al-Dabusiyah and Joseyeh in the Homs countryside.

"The Israelis are trying to cut all bridges Hezbollah uses to smuggle weapons from Syria," SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman was quoted as saying.

Syria's Defense Ministry confirmed the strikes on the border. It said six people were killed and 12 others were injured. 

"The Israeli enemy launched an air aggression from the direction of Lebanese territory, targeting border crossings between Syria and Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement. 

Israel's military has not commented on the strikes, but it has previously said that it will continue to target sites it sees as being linked to Iran. 

Israel has long accused Iran of smuggling weapons to Hezbollah through Syria.

European leaders welcomed the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, which came into effect on Wednesday.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock hailed the pause in fighting as "a ray of hope for the entire region."

"People on both sides of the border want to live in genuine and lasting security," Baerbock said, calling the deal "a success for diplomacy."

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was "very encouraging news," adding that it would increase Lebanon's "internal security and stability."

Von der Leyen also said that the ceasefire announcement was welcome news "first and foremost for the Lebanese and Israeli people affected by the fighting."

"Lebanon will have an opportunity to increase internal security and stability thanks to Hezbollah's reduced influence," she added.

French President Emmanuel Macron said in a joint statement with US President Joe Biden, ahead of the truce coming into force, that the deal would also "secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating from Lebanon."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised a "long overdue" ceasefire that would "provide some measure of relief to the civilian populations" of both Israel and Lebanon.

Starmer called for the ceasefire to lead to "a lasting political solution in Lebanon" and vowed to be at the "forefront of efforts to break the ongoing cycle of violence in pursuit of a long-term, sustainable peace in the Middle East."

The Lebanese army said it was "taking necessary measures" to deploy its forces in southern Lebanon, hours after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah took effect.

The deal, brokered by the US and France, came into force at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).

"With the ceasefire coming into effect, the army is taking the necessary measures to complete its deployment in the south," it said.

The Lebanese military also called on residents displaced from their homes not to return to "front-line villages and towns" until Israeli forces withdraw.

Over a million people have been displaced by Israel's bombing and ground invasion in Lebanon, a country with a total population of nearly 5.4 million. 

Some 46,500 people were forced to leave their homes in northern Israel after the start of hostilities with Hezbollah in October 2023. Israel's government has said that the possibility of their return is a major war aim of its military operations in Lebanon.