TEHRAN (Iran News) The ceasefire, which started at 4 a.m. (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, brought relative calm to Lebanon after 14 months of fighting that claimed thousands of lives.

In southern Lebanon, celebrations marked the return of displaced families to their villages, despite lingering doubts over the truce’s durability and the possibility of a lasting resolution between Hezbollah and the Israeli military. Many defied Israeli military warnings to stay away from evacuated areas.

Thousands of people, determined to go back, flooded the highway connecting Beirut to the south. Vehicles packed with belongings and families created gridlock near Sidon, while others traveled on motorcycles and cars toward Tyre, another southern city.

The devastation caused by Israeli bombardments and forced evacuations left many returning residents uncertain about what awaited them. Entire towns and cities in the region bore the scars of the Israeli airstrikes.

In Beirut, plumes of smoke were still visible at dawn from areas struck by Israeli forces just before the ceasefire came into effect.

Tuesday saw the heaviest strikes in the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs since the war began.

According to local authorities, at least 42 people were killed across Lebanon in Israeli attacks that day.

For many, the ceasefire offered a moment of relief, though uncertainty loomed over its permanence and the rebuilding of shattered lives.