Israel Razes Naqoura as Lebanese Displaced Return Under Ceasefire

In Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, Ali said the Israeli military withdrew from the town as part of a ceasefire agreement but left behind detonated homes, a graffiti-laden school, and power lines pulled out of the ground, and he later watched Israel completely raze the area.

“Beirut, Lebanon – In February 2025, Ali stood outside his house in Naqoura, in southern Lebanon, and pointed at the crack in the foundation and fruit trees pulled up by the Israeli military”

Al Jazeera

Ali, an elderly man from Naqoura, traded his garden and family home by the sea for a room on a rooftop in the heart of Beirut, and he lamented, “We had 20 good years,” roughly referring to the period between the end of the 2000 Israeli occupation and the start of hostilities on October 8, 2023.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that on March 2 Israel intensified its war on Lebanon for a second time in less than two years after Hezbollah fired rockets, and it said Israel has killed 4,257 people in Lebanon and wounded more than 12,000 more since then.

The same report said more than 1.2 million people were displaced at the peak of Israel’s attacks, and it added that Israel currently occupies approximately 6 percent of Lebanese territory.

Basma Alloush of the International Rescue Committee told Al Jazeera that “When a village is flattened, and even the landmarks around it are gone, people lose more than their homes.”

As a lull in the four-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah encouraged returns, Hanine El Sayed, the Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs, told Reuters that “These are families that are able to return to something, at least the basic minimum,” while “The fact that the others have not returned means they have a much harder situation.”

News24 and Internazionale both reported that some 400,000 Lebanese uprooted by war had returned to southern Lebanon, with more expected to follow in the coming week, and that since March around one million people have been forced to flee their homes.

An-Nahar

News24 said the number of people staying in collective shelters had fallen to about 13,000 from 37,000, and it reported that the number of shelters dropped from 692 at the height of the crisis to 479.

Internazionale added that aid programmes, including emergency cash support, would continue even as some shelters remain open for families who cannot return.

Radio-Canada described the return as tense and conditional, quoting Hassan Zreik, 61, in Nabatieh, saying, “This is a ceasefire that isn’t a real ceasefire, says Hassan.”

The sources tied the return of displaced families to ongoing uncertainty about whether Israeli operations would continue, with Radio-Canada saying Lebanese authorities accuse the Israeli army of continuing its operations in South Lebanon after establishing a new line of demarcation there despite the ceasefire.

“Lebanon: children, war, and me ARTE Reportage The Map Behind the Cards - The Essentials Lebanon: in search of sovereignty Lebanon: the displaced amid uncertainty - To be continued Lebanon: a new exodus under the bombs ARTE Reportage Lebanon: European aid trickles in In Lebanon, the consequences of a new war Lebanon: the end of Hezbollah”

Arte.tv

Radio-Canada also reported that Hezbollah had threatened to retaliate against Israeli violations and had called more than one million Lebanese displaced not to return home, citing the fragility of the ceasefire.

In parallel, Le Devoir said the Lebanese army urged patience before returning and told residents to comply with directives “to guarantee their safety in view of the risks of Israeli violations.”

Le Devoir reported that the Lebanese Health Ministry tally published on Saturday put Israeli operations at 4,057 people killed, and it said Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated Israeli troops could act “without any restriction” to “eliminate the threats” in Lebanon.

Le Devoir further reported that Iranian diplomacy said that no agreement with the United States would be possible without a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, and it linked Hezbollah’s March 2 rocket fire to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader.