Violations Reported After Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Takes Effect, Southern Lebanese Residents Return Home

A 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel took effect at midnight local time today. Despite reports of violations by the Lebanese army warning of Israeli attacks, residents of southern Lebanon who had previously fled due to Israeli evacuation warnings are now returning home. Shortly after the ceasefire took effect, the Lebanese army advised residents in the south not to return home due to "several Israeli attacks." However, images from AFP show long queues of cars heading south before dawn on the Lebanese coastal highway, passing through the remains of a bridge bombed by Israel at sunrise. AFP reporters noted traffic jams stretching for several kilometers on the only bridge connecting the coastal areas south of the Litani River in Lebanon, with people waiting for hours to return home. Following the US and Israel's airstrikes on Iran on February 28th, which triggered the Middle East war, the Iranian-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2nd in retaliation for the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, escalating the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. Due to Iran's insistence that any ceasefire agreement with the US and Israel must include Lebanon, the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire is seen as a significant step by Washington in attempting to reach an agreement with Tehran. After the ceasefire took effect, gunshots were still heard in the Hezbollah-controlled areas of the southern suburbs of Beirut, but these appeared to be spontaneous celebrations. The Israeli military stated they had struck over 380 "Hezbollah terrorist targets" in southern Lebanon and remained "on high alert" to resume operations at any time. French President Emmanuel Macron stated today that "ongoing military operations may have implicitly undermined" the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, expressing his concern. Macron wrote on social media platform X: "I call for the protection of civilians on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border. Hezbollah must lay down its arms, and Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and end the war."