Lebanon's army to redeploy to south as ceasefire takes hold

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.

A ceasefire deal between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon came into effect at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Wednesday.

Under the terms of the truce, Israel is to withdraw its forces from Lebanon over the next 60 days.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.

The Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL are to secure the border area. The US and France are to help monitor the ceasefire alongside UNIFIL, Lebanon and Israel.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire since October 8, 2023, a day after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched attacks on southern Israel.

Hezbollah said its cross-border strikes against Israel were in support of Hamas amid Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In September, Israel stepped up its bombing campaign in Lebanon then in October it launched a ground operation in the south of the country in order to push back Hezbollah militants.

sdi/nm (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)