Lebanese Army Urges Residents to Delay Return to Border Villages

The Lebanese Army on Monday urged residents of southern Lebanon to slow their return to villages and towns near the border, after many had already begun going back to areas evacuated last month on IDF orders. In a statement, the army said that, given recent developments and reports of a possible ceasefire, people should wait before returning and follow instructions from military units deployed in the field.

The army said this was intended “to ensure the safety of residents from possible Israeli violations and attacks.” It also stressed the need for caution in areas that had been targeted by Israeli strikes and told residents to report any unexploded ordnance or suspicious objects to the nearest army post or other security forces.

Meanwhile, from the morning hours, huge traffic jams formed on roads from the Beirut area northward toward southern Lebanon, especially along the coastal highway to Sidon and Tyre, the cities that had been evacuated during the war after an Arabic-language IDF spokesman’s order. Movement back into the country’s interior was also reported.

One example was the road to Nabatieh, the second-largest city in southern Lebanon after Tyre, near the Beaufort ridge, where convoys of cars, shepherds, and returning residents were seen heading home.