Fighting in Lebanon eases after US-Iran deal, but displaced people told not to rush home

Fighting in southern Lebanon calmed on Monday after the announcement of a US-Iranian deal to end the wider conflict, but an Israeli drone strike killed one person, while authorities warned displaced people not to rush to return home after Israel said it would keep troops in the south.

Lebanon has suffered the worst consequences of the spillover from the US-Iran conflict, with nearly 3.800 dead and around 1,2 million displaced by Israel's offensive against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed group that opened fire on Israel on March 2 in support of Tehran.

Pakistan, a key mediator between Tehran and Washington, announced that the agreement was reached early Monday local time and that it provides for "an immediate and permanent cessation of military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon."

The announcement brought relative peace to southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese and foreign security sources. An Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Tebnit killed the driver, a Lebanese security source and Lebanese state media said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about the attack.

Local and foreign security sources had previously said that Israel had significantly reduced its attacks, although artillery fire was reported in some southern Lebanese towns and drones were heard over Beirut and its southern suburbs.

A Hezbollah official told Reuters that the group had not carried out any operations since the deal was announced, adding that its stance on the ceasefire was linked to whether Israel would abide by it.

The official, who did not want to be named, added that Hezbollah rejects Israeli “freedom of movement” in Lebanon and said Iran had delayed signing the deal with the US to monitor whether Israel was adhering to the ceasefire in Lebanon.

Israel says troops will stay

In a written statement on Monday, before the Israeli drone strike, Hezbollah welcomed the US-Iranian deal, saying it had resulted in a comprehensive ceasefire, including Lebanon.

The Tehran-backed group warned Israel that it would not accept any attacks that violate Lebanon's sovereignty or target its people, and said Lebanon's inclusion in the deal reflected Iran's commitment to ending the war.

In southern Lebanon, municipal councils have urged residents to delay returning to their homes. The Israeli air force has been heavily bombing some areas in the area for the past three months, while others, closer to the border, remain under Israeli control.

Mona Mazeh, a displaced woman who took refuge in Beirut's Hamra neighborhood, has no immediate plans to return to her village near the southern city of Tyre. "Honestly, we are hesitant; Israel cannot be trusted," she said.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, whose country is not a party to the US-Iran deal, said that Israel will not withdraw from the security zones in southern Lebanon, Gaza and Syria, and that it will retaliate if Iran attacks Israel over events in Lebanon.

Katz said the security zone in southern Lebanon would be cleared of local residents and "all terrorist infrastructure, including houses in border villages," referring to Hezbollah.

The Israeli military has been razing villages in southern Lebanon for weeks, saying it is targeting Hezbollah fighters entrenched in civilian areas of the predominantly Shiite Muslim region. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese Shiites have fled to other parts of the country.

In Nabatieh, a devastated town in the south, Mohamed Dakduk said he returned to check on his house on Monday morning. "It will take us a lifetime to rebuild," he said.

Barry welcomed the agreement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a carefully worded statement on Monday regarding the US-Iran deal, saying he was grateful to everyone who worked on de-escalation in Lebanon and appreciated that the deal recognized the importance of his country's stability.

He did not specifically mention Iran or Israel. Aoun has previously accused Tehran of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in talks with Washington.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a political ally of Hezbollah and leader of the Shiite Amal movement, said the agreement lays "the foundations of security and stability in the region, including Lebanon."

Iran, whose Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps founded Hezbollah in 1982, has insisted that a ceasefire in Lebanon be included in any broader deal with the United States.