On Monday, hours after a US‑Iran ceasefire agreement was announced, families displaced by the 2026 conflict began to return to their homes in southern Lebanon, despite warnings from local authorities that it was still unsafe.
In footage widely shared online, a car arrives in a village only to find an Israeli armoured vehicle blocking the street, a stark reminder that the war’s physical traces are still present. Exhausted from more than three months of fighting, residents hoped that the truce might also halt Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah, the Iranian‑backed militia that has been the core of the renewed fighting since March.
A man named Abo Ali, who had fled his home in Jebchit, said his family returned “with caution” amid ruined homes that “can be rebuilt.” Another, Moustafa, travelled back to Aadshit carrying only a suitcase, describing the devastation as “extremely hard.” He voiced distrust of Israel’s motives, noting that the country has rarely withdrawn its forces from occupied Lebanese territories.
The truce’s exact terms for Lebanon remain undisclosed; Iran and Pakistan, acting as mediators, stated that it included a ceasefire in the country—an Iranian demand that had been a stumbling block in earlier negotiations. Israel’s government, on the other hand, has declared its forces would remain indefinitely in the 5 % of Lebanese territory it occupies, citing the creation of a “security zone” free of Hezbollah fire.
Footnotes to the war’s devastation include more than 3 800 casualties in Lebanon according to its health ministry, and Israeli sources claim that 2 500 Hezbollah operatives have been killed. On the Israeli side, the Ministry says 30 soldiers and four civilians have lost their lives in the conflict. The war has displaced an estimated one million people—most of them Shia Muslims—many of whom are uncertain whether they will ever return home.
Hezbollah, a political party and social movement that runs schools and hospitals, remains a powerful force in Lebanon’s Shia community despite its weakening in recent confrontations. Its founder, who once was a long‑time ally of Tehran’s foreign policy, still finances, trains, and supplies the group. Critics argue that the militia’s continued military activities place Lebanon in a perpetual state of war, whereas supporters view it as a necessary bulwark against Israeli aggression.
The Lebanese government’s attempts to separate its conflict with Israel from the wider Iran‑Israel war have created an uneasy equilibrium. While a ceasefire may have halted daily hostilities, Hezbollah’s refusal to discuss disarmament and the Israeli remains of occupied zones pose a lasting threat. Previous ceasefire agreements—two of which passed without stopping the war—serve as cautionary tales for a new, unnerving stalemate.
In the wake of the US‑Iran truce, the question remains: will the fragile calm hold, or will the region slide back into war once global attention shifts elsewhere? With key questions about Lebanese sovereignty, reconstruction funding, and the future of Hezbollah’s arsenal pending, the peace remains tentative and heavily dependent on both international diplomacy and local resilience.
