Residents are beginning to return to war-ravaged areas of southern Lebanon following the announcement of an agreement between the United States and Iran to end the broader Middle East conflict. The deal also calls for ending the war in Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Hezbollah, though implementation details remain unclear.
The returns have brought a mixture of relief and devastation. In Tyre, a coastal city once known as an idyllic summer getaway, residents found their neighborhoods reduced to rubble after Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions. The warnings to evacuate came just a week before the strikes began, leaving many homes destroyed.
What the Left Is Saying
Lebanese officials and humanitarian advocates say the deal offers a long-awaited opportunity for peace but stress that full implementation is essential. Lebanon's Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said during visits by foreign dignitaries that the country faces urgent humanitarian needs alongside the daunting task of planning for displaced families to return and rebuilding destroyed areas.
"The Lebanese people deserve peace," Sayed said. "They deserve to return safely to their homes, rebuild their communities, and look to the future with confidence and hope."
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, stated that the group is committed to the ceasefire "provided that Israel adheres to it fully and comprehensively." Hezbollah has maintained it will resist any Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.
Displaced residents along Beirut's waterfront expressed cautious optimism tempered by skepticism after previous ceasefire announcements failed to hold. Mohammed Ashmar, displaced from the border village of Deir Seryan, said he remains unconvinced until he can physically return home.
"Until I get back to my home... I won't be convinced of anything," Ashmar said.
What the Right Is Saying
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israeli military forces will remain in a "security zone" of southern Lebanon as long as "Israel's security needs require it." Israel is not a party to the U.S.-Iran agreement and has set its own conditions for any withdrawal.
Iran, meanwhile, insists that Israel must withdraw from the large swath of southern Lebanon it currently occupies. The interim deal's wording ensures Lebanon's "territorial integrity" but does not explicitly require an Israeli pullout, creating ambiguity about enforcement.
Israeli officials have said their strikes targeted Hezbollah positions in response to cross-border attacks. Fighting continued Thursday in some areas despite the announced agreement, with Lebanese state media reporting Israeli drone strikes including one on a car in Kfar Tebnit that killed one person and critically wounded another.
What the Numbers Show
The Israel-Hezbollah conflict has caused massive displacement and casualties since hostilities escalated. According to Lebanese officials, more than 1 million people have been displaced within Lebanon, and more than 3,900 have been killed during the fighting.
On the Israeli side, about 30 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, according to Netanyahu's office. Two civilians have been killed in northern Israel by projectiles fired from Lebanese territory.
In Tyre, residents described widespread destruction of residential buildings, with some structures completely leveled while others remained standing but heavily damaged. The Christian village of Ain Ebel, where Hezbollah has little presence, has been largely spared the destruction affecting neighboring Shiite villages but remains isolated by Israeli checkpoints and fighting.
The Bottom Line
The U.S.-Iran deal represents a potential pathway to ending hostilities, but its success depends on whether Israel and Hezbollah can reach separate understandings about conditions for a sustained ceasefire. The core dispute centers on how long Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon and what security arrangements satisfy both sides.
Residents of southern Lebanon are returning to assess damage and await clarity on whether the agreement will hold. Humanitarian organizations warn that reconstruction needs are enormous, with entire communities destroyed near the border area. International observers say the coming weeks will test whether parties honor their commitments or whether fighting resumes as it has after previous truce attempts.