Hezbollah tells displaced not to return home before ceasefire in Lebanon
Hezbollah on Wednesday told people displaced by war with Israel to refrain from returning to their homes before a ceasefire is announced in Lebanon, while claiming to be nearing a "historic victory".
"Today, we stand on the threshold of a great and historic victory," the Iran-backed group said in a statement, calling on people to "not head to the targeted villages, towns, and areas in the south, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut before the official and final ceasefire declaration in Lebanon is issued".
Hezbollah did not share an official stance on the two-week Iran war truce, which Israel insists does not include Lebanon, but has not claimed attacks on Israel since 1am (Tuesday 2200 GMT).
"This declaration of a cessation of military operations must be reflected in Israel immediately ceasing its repeated attacks on brotherly Lebanon," it said.
Families displaced by the war scrambled to pack belongings in hopes of returning home after Pakistan said the Iran war ceasefire would include Lebanon.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed his country’s military would press on in Lebanon.
At a displacement camp along Beirut’s waterfront, families whiplashed by the conflicting statements expressed confusion and despair.
"We’re just stuck," said Fadi Zaydan, 35. "We can’t take this anymore, sleeping in a tent, not showering, the uncertainty."
His family set out Wednesday for the coastal city of Sidon, where he said they would wait before venturing further south to their abandoned home in Nabatieh.
Others said they expected Israel to escalate operations against Iran-backed Hezbollah even as guns fell silent elsewhere.
"Israel isn’t going to give up," said Shadi Chehadeh, 47, who fled his southern village of Zefta to sleep in his car in Beirut. "They want our land."
Source: Agence France Presse
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