Long-displaced residents of south Lebanon started returning to their homes amid celebrations hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group took effect early on Wednesday morning.

The ceasefire has brought relief across the tiny Mediterranean nation, coming after days of some of the most intense airstrikes and clashes since the war began, though many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold.

Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement, which was announced on Tuesday.

Displaced people started returning to the coastal city of Tyre on motorcycles and in cars early on Wednesday, defying an Israeli military warning to stay away from previously evacuated areas.

Ahmad Husseini said returning to southern Lebanon was an “indescribable feeling” and praised speaker of parliament Nabih Berri, who led Lebanon’s negotiations with Washington.

“He made us and everyone proud.”

Lebanon Israel
People sit in traffic as they return to their villages after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect in Ghazieh, Lebanon (Mohammed Zaatari/AP)

Mr Husseini, who earlier fled a town near the coastal city, spoke to The Associated Press while in his car with family members.

Meanwhile, sporadic celebratory gunfire could be heard at a main roundabout in the city, as people returning honked the horns of cars — some piled with mattresses — and residents cheered.

A couple of men shouted slogans praising slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September.

Hussein Sweidan said he sees the ceasefire as a victory for Hezbollah. “This is a moment of victory, pride and honour for us, the Shia sect, and for all of Lebanon,” he said.

At least 42 people were killed by Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens in the country’s north.

Smoke rises between buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes in Hosh neighbourhood, in Tyre
Areas in Tyre, south Lebanon, were hit by Israeli strikes with a ceasefire deal under discussion (AP)

The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire marks the first major step towards ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but it does not address the devastating war in Gaza.

Hezbollah began attacking Israel a day after Hamas’ attack.

The fighting in Lebanon escalated into an all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south.

In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the nearly 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.