South Lebanon Residents Cautiously Return Amidst Ceasefire

A cautious return to their hometowns began for some residents in southern Lebanon on Sunday, following a pause in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that started the previous evening. However, the Lebanese army urged locals to postpone their returns, citing safety risks.

In the southern city of Nabatieh, correspondents observed a small number of residents returning to assess damage to their homes and businesses. Mohammad Salloum, who briefly returned to check on his shop, stated, "Nabatieh is disaster-stricken," but expressed hope that the city would recover within two to three months.

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Nabatieh is disaster-stricken, but God willing, the city will return to life within two or three months.

The Lebanese army reiterated its warning on Sunday, emphasizing the need for residents to delay their return to southern border villages and towns. They advised compliance with army instructions to ensure safety from "Israeli violations and attacks."

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the need for residents to delay their return to southern border villages and towns and to comply with army instructions to preserve their safety from the danger of Israeli violations and attacks.

In the Tyre region, also in the south, a cautious return of some residents was reported. Many, however, were awaiting further developments from Middle East peace talks and official clearance from local authorities. Hezbollah's backer, Iran, had previously warned against entering negotiations on a broader agreement with the U.S. unless the conflict in Lebanon ended.

The latest ceasefire was announced on Friday. Nevertheless, Lebanese authorities reported that Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Saturday resulted in the deaths of at least 30 people before the fighting paused that evening. Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Sunday that Israeli forces have standing orders to act against any threat within Lebanon, maintaining troops in a designated security zone inside Lebanese territory. The scale of destruction in Nabatieh over the past 48 hours was estimated by the mayor to be about half of what occurred during the rest of the conflict. Lebanon claims Israeli attacks have killed over 4,000 people since Hezbollah initiated the conflict on March 2.

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the scope of destruction in the city of Nabatieh in the past 48 hours amounts to about half of what happened during the rest of the war.