Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced by Israel's renewed military offensive remain cautious about a 10-day ceasefire announced in mid-April 2026, saying they will not return to their homes in the south until they are confident the agreement will hold. The conflict has simultaneously inflamed sectarian divisions inside Lebanon: in Beirut's Karantina neighbourhood — a district whose history includes a devastating 1976 massacre during Lebanon's 15-year civil war — plans for a government displacement centre were scrapped in late March after protests driven in part by Christian residents opposed to hosting predominantly Shia Muslim evacuees, with some demonstrators using language reminiscent of the civil war era. While one functioning centre in the same district, run by the charity Offre Joie, reports no friction with local residents and houses around 1,000 displaced people, analysts warn that political polarisation over Hezbollah's role in the conflict risks blurring the line between the armed group and Lebanon's broader Shia community, raising fears of intercommunal confrontation.
Mosaic News
Displaced Lebanese await ceasefire outcome as sectarian tensions resurface in Beirut[Updated]
Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon continued Saturday despite the truce, with exchanges of fire, artillery strikes and airstrikes reported at multiple points along the front — killing one Israeli soldier and a senior Hezbollah military commander. The Israeli army also announced the establishment of a "yellow line" of demarcation in southern Lebanon, mirroring a measure previously implemented in Gaza. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned in a statement Saturday evening that his fighters would retaliate against any Israeli attacks and would not accept what he called a unilateral ceasefire, adding that Hezbollah's forces remain at their positions with orders to hold fire only on their own terms.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun used his first televised address following the ceasefire announcement to declare that Lebanon would no longer be "a pawn in anyone's game, nor an arena for anyone's wars," and called for a transition toward permanent agreements that preserve Lebanese sovereignty and land. Aoun thanked the United States and Saudi Arabia by name for helping end the hostilities, which have killed more than 2,200 people and displaced over a million since Israel's offensive began on March 2. The ceasefire followed the first direct talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials in Washington since 1993, though Israel has refused to withdraw troops from southern Lebanon and insists any lasting deal must include the dismantling of Hezbollah — a condition the group has flatly rejected. In northern Israel, the announcement sparked significant backlash, with border community leaders and opposition politicians accusing the Netanyahu government of accepting an externally imposed truce without a clear strategy, and warning that an armed Hezbollah still poses an existential threat to the region.
The ceasefire announced by U.S. President Donald Trump — which includes Hezbollah — took effect at midnight local time Thursday, prompting celebratory gunfire across Beirut and prompting some displaced families to begin moving toward southern Lebanon and the capital's southern suburbs despite official warnings to wait. The Lebanese army reported early violations of the truce, citing intermittent Israeli shelling of several southern villages, though the Israeli military has not responded to those claims. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the agreement and expressed hope it would "pave the way for negotiations," while Trump posted on Truth Social calling it "a historic day for Lebanon." Under U.S. State Department terms, Israel is barred from offensive military action in Lebanon, though provisions allowing for "self-defence" against imminent or ongoing attacks have left the scope of the truce open to interpretation.