Tension eased between Israel and Hezbollah; return of 800,000 displaced Lebanese to their homes has begun

🔸The United Nations says that more than 800,000 people who were displaced by the war in Lebanon are in the process of returning to their homes.

🔸The international body announced on Tuesday, 13 Mordad, that hundreds of thousands of displaced Lebanese have begun returning to their cities and villages, following a reduction in clashes during the Israel–Hezbollah war.

🔸The announcement was made on Tuesday evening, coinciding with the start of a new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome with U.S. support; talks that aim to end the fighting and are expected to continue until Thursday.

🔸The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that “as of 30 July, 821,077 people have started returning to their areas of residence,” but added that more than 360,000 people remain displaced, about 26,000 of whom are housed in government shelters.

🔸In March, Hezbollah brought Lebanon into a wider war in the Middle East by firing rockets at Israel in support of the Iranian government, of which it is the main backer.

🔸Israel, in response, launched extensive airstrikes and ground operations; according to Lebanese officials, the attacks have left more than 4,300 dead and, at the height of the fighting, displaced more than one million people.

🔸The United States designates Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, while the European Union places only the group’s military wing on the list of terrorist organizations.

🔸Since the signing of the initial agreement between the United States and Iran in June, which also includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, as well as after an agreement reached with U.S. mediation between Israel and Lebanon, the intensity of violence in the region has decreased.

🔸However, Lebanon continues to report scattered Israeli attacks and shelling, explosions of explosive materials, and destruction of buildings in villages in the south of the country; an area where part of it still remains under the occupation of Israeli forces.

🔸Read the full report on the Radio Farda website.