Thousands of Displaced Lebanese Return Home as Cease-fire Holds in First Day
Thousands of displaced Lebanese returned to their homes in south Lebanon on Wednesday after a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, despite warnings from the Israeli military for them not to return until its forces have withdrawn....
Facts
- Thousands of displaced Lebanese returned to their homes in south Lebanon on Wednesday after a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect, despite warnings from the Israeli military for them not to return until its forces have withdrawn.[1][2]
- US envoy Amos Hochstein, who helped mediate the deal, said that the cease-fire must hold and indicated that it should be permanent. In response, a senior Israeli official said that 'fighting can restart at any moment,' adding that 'Israel will act firmly against any violation of the ceasefire.'[3][4]
- On the first day of cease-fire, Israel reported the arrest of four Hezbollah operatives, including a local commander, who entered an area Israel designated as restricted in South Lebanon. Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the arrests.[5]
- Though a truce was achieved in Lebanon, fighting in Gaza has continued unabated. An Egyptian security delegation is expected to travel to Israel on Thursday to restart negotiations for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages.[6]
- Gaza's health ministry said that at least 33 people died on Wednesday in Israeli strikes, which Israel claims targeted Hamas military sites. Restrictions on aid entering the strip have continued, with hunger and disease being widespread.[7]
- Meanwhile, Reuters reported that the Biden admin. is pushing ahead with a $680M arms sales package to Israel that includes thousands of joint direct attack munition kits (JDAMs) and hundreds of small-diameter bombs — and which is said to have been in the works for several months.[8]
Sources: [1]Al Jazeera, [2]NBC, [3]LBCIV7, [4]Timesofisrael (a), [5]Associated Press, [6]Timesofisrael (b), [7]New York Times and [8]Reuters.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by BBC News. Now that quiet has been found on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the US will continue to work toward a cease-fire in Gaza that ensures the release of Israeli hostages and the end of Hamas' rule over the Palestinian enclave. The Biden admin. worked hard to cement this deal that allows displaced Israelis and Lebanese to return home.
- Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Within only hours of the cease-fire coming into effect, Hezbollah is testing Israel's limits. The group's fighters are already trying to enter areas along the border. For now, Israeli forces are simply firing warning shots to dissuade these violations, but it will act firmly if Hezbollah tries to return to the border in force.
- Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. The reason this cease-fire passed was because Israel was failing to achieve its goals in Lebanon and Netanyahu decided it is better to focus on the genocide in Gaza. Israel is seeking to clear northern Gaza of its population to make way for settlements. Israel's traditional secular elite may be unhappy that the war in Lebanon is over, but the new settler elite are licking their lips at the prospects of resettlement and an indefinite occupation of Gaza.
- Narrative D, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. Israel only took a cease-fire in Lebanon because it failed miserably to reoccupy South Lebanon. For that to happen, martyrs of the resistance remained steadfast in their defense of Lebanese sovereignty and the Lebanese people at the cost of their own lives. Now the Lebanese displaced by Israel's aggression can return home at last.
