Lebanese Begin Returning Amid Clearing Debris and Clearing Mines

Residents began cautiously returning to evacuated villages despite ongoing dangers.

“Qabr Chamoun, Lebanon – Tucked in the hills of Mount Lebanon, about an hour from Beirut, a school has been turned into a shelter for families displaced from southern Lebanon due to Israeli attacks”

Al Jazeera

The Lebanese army urged caution and warned against approaching areas where Israeli forces had advanced.

Al Jazeera

Video clips circulated showing returns since early dawn, even as Israeli airstrikes continued.

Human Rights Watch highlighted that tens of thousands could not return due to destroyed infrastructure.

Clearing rubble and restoring essential services became urgent priorities.

The Lebanese Red Cross resumed operations after suspending them during fighting.

An-Nahar

Landmines and explosives threatened many areas.

The UN IOM reported nearly 100,000 still displaced as of early February.

Uncertainty loomed over long-term prospects as Lebanon grappled with a devastated south.

“- The attacks carried out by Israel in southern Lebanon have destroyed a large number of civilian infrastructures and essential public services, preventing tens of thousands of Lebanese people from returning home”

Human Rights Watch

Netanyahu reiterated that the Iran-US ceasefire did not include Lebanon.

More than a million people were still displaced nationwide within weeks of the ceasefire.

The question of reconstruction funding and governance remained critical.