Lebanon sees 640,000 displaced return after Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire

More than 640,000 people displaced by the Israel‑Hezbollah war have begun returning to their homes in southern Lebanon following the cease‑fire that took effect on 21 June. The conflict, which started on 2 March after Hezbollah launched rockets in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader, left about 4,300 dead and over one million people uprooted, primarily in the south and the southern suburbs of Beirut.

According to the International Organization for Migration, roughly 500,000 displaced remain unable to go back because their houses were destroyed or are uninhabitable, and reconstruction will require billions of dollars that Lebanon currently lacks. Israeli forces will stay in a 10‑km security zone along the border, limiting access to many villages. A framework agreement, mediated by the United States and signed on 26 June, calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal, and the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones for reconstruction. The deal, rejected by Hezbollah, does not set a timetable for Israel’s pull‑out. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated that the sole objective is the full withdrawal of Israeli forces.