Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers were to become the only armed presence in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah has long held sway.

A Lebanese army source said its forces were “conducting patrols and setting up checkpoints” south of the Litani River without advancing into areas where Israeli forces were still present.

In the border village of Qlaaya, residents threw rice and flowers to celebrate the arrival of Lebanese soldiers. “We only want the Lebanese army,” chanted the residents of the Christian-majority village, as they clapped and cheered for the troops and waved the Lebanese red, white and green flag. Since the ceasefire took effect on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Lebanese who fled their homes have headed back to their towns and villages, only to find scenes of devastation.

While there was joy around Lebanon that the war has ended, it will take the country a long time to recover. Even prior to the conflict, it had been wracked for years by political and economic crisis, with World Bank data from earlier this year indicating poverty had tripled in a decade.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP his group was cooperating on the army’s deployment in the south. There is “full cooperation” with the Lebanese state in strengthening the army’s deployment, he said, adding the group had “no visible weapons or bases” but “nobody can make residents leave their villages”.

In northern Israel, which has come under steady attack from Hezbollah for more than a year, there was hope tinged with scepticism over whether a truce can last.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces will hold their positions but “a 60-day period will commence in which the Lebanese military and security forces will begin their deployment towards the south”, a US official told reporters on condition of anonymity. Then Israel will begin a phased withdrawal without a vacuum forming that Hezbollah or others could rush into, the official said. The Israeli and Lebanese militaries have both called on residents of frontline villages to avoid returning home immediately. “We control positions in the south of Lebanon, our planes continue to fly in Lebanese airspace,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

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Update 20241128

Lebanese official media said Israeli fire wounded two people in a border village on Thursday, a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/middle-east/20241128-lebanon-official-media-says-israeli-fire-wounds-two-amid-ceasefire