Israel Warns Southern Lebanon Residents Against Returning Despite Ceasefire

File Image of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel has cautioned residents displaced by recent fighting and evacuation orders not to return to their homes in southern Lebanon, even as a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah took effect early Wednesday morning.

The 60-day ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon requires the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon. However, the withdrawal will not happen immediately.

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“The IDF remains deployed in its positions inside southern Lebanon,” stated Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, on X (formerly Twitter). “You are prohibited from heading towards the villages that the IDF has ordered to be evacuated or towards IDF forces in the area.”

According to a senior U.S. administration official, the agreement stipulates that Israeli forces must complete their withdrawal within 60 days. During this time, Hezbollah fighters are also required to retreat 40 kilometres (25 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border.

On Tuesday, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-backed proposal aimed at ending the 13-month border conflict, which escalated into full-scale war in September with Hezbollah.