By Noemí Jabois
Qasmiye, Lebanon, Apr 19 (EFE).- Many displaced Lebanese are cautiously heading back to southern Lebanon following a ceasefire with Israel, only to find their homes destroyed or their towns still occupied by Israeli troops, leaving thousands uncertain about where they can return.
After confirming a 10-day ceasefire last Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israeli forces would not withdraw from southern Lebanon, where Israel intends to establish a «security belt» stretching from the de facto border to the Litani River.
As soon as the truce began, Mohamad Khalil packed his belongings and drove toward southern Lebanon to see how far he could go, knowing that returning to his hometown of Aita al Shaab was unlikely due to the continued presence of Israeli troops.
Aita al Shaab, one of several villages in the border area where hundreds of homes have reportedly been demolished, had already been devastated during the 2024 war.
Only around 70 to 80 families had returned permanently before the latest escalation, according to Mohamad.
A new invasion
Mohamad lost his house in the previous conflict and had been renting in Kafra, a village about 10 km further north, when the latest wave of violence broke out early last month.
Despite this, he continued traveling daily to Aita al Shaab to work his farmland.
“After the last war, I rented a house in Kafra and went to Aita every day. I’m a farmer, so after the previous conflict ended, I returned to plant tobacco, we plowed the land and prepared everything,” he told EFE.
Mohamad, who lost part of his leg about three years ago due to an unexploded device left behind by Israeli forces, decided to leave Beirut, where he had been displaced for a month and a half, and take advantage of the truce to head south.
“Now I’m going down to see where I can stay. I don’t know yet. I think I’ll only be able to reach Kafra,” he said, traveling with his wife toward the southernmost region.
None of his relatives or friends have yet attempted to return to Aita al Shaab, where local media continue to report Israeli strikes and explosions, apparently linked to controlled demolitions.
On Saturday night, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned that the group would respond if Israel violated the ceasefire, saying fighters remained «with their fingers on the trigger» amid distrust of Israeli commitments.
A cautious return
More than one million people displaced by the conflict are approaching the ceasefire cautiously, especially those from areas south of the Litani River, within the roughly 10-km-deep zone threatened by full occupation.
Some residents from towns not yet reached by Israeli forces, such as Srifa, are returning more optimistically.
Abbas (name changed) plans to return after hearing that many neighbors had already gone back following the ceasefire.
“They say the town is already full,” he told EFE, waiting to cross the river via temporary crossings set up by the Lebanese Army after most bridges were bombed in recent weeks.
“We’ve come down to stay, if God wills it. We’ll see how the situation develops. This is a deceitful enemy,” Abbas said.
Between anxiety and uncertainty
Others from villages closer to Israeli positions are only making brief visits. A family heading toward Majdal Selm, near the border, said they planned to collect belongings before returning north.
“Now there are no Israelis in our village, but they are in the neighboring one. There’s a valley between us, and right there they are,” the father told EFE.
“Some people are going down to bring their things and then coming back. They’re not staying.”
The family plans to do the same, waiting to see whether the 10-day truce holds before deciding to return permanently.
“I went to collect my things and left the village for the combatants, for them to smash the heads of these (the Israelis),” an elderly man shouted with a smile from a car packed with belongings as he drove back north. EFE
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