Cease-Fire Goes Into Effect; More Fighting Possible

Even though Israel has halted its attacks in the wake of the U.N.-brokered peace deal, Hezbollah says it is “our natural right” to fight any Israeli troops remaining in Lebanon. And many Israeli soldiers will, in fact, remain—until an international peacekeeping force reaches the area.

AP:

Israel halted its offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas as a U.N.-imposed cease-fire went into effect Monday after a month of warfare that killed more than 900 people, devastated much of south Lebanon and forced hundreds of thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters.

A half hour after the cease-fire took hold, Israeli warplanes — a regular fixture in Lebanese skies during the monthlong war — were absent across huge swaths of the country, including the Bekaa Valley, where airstrikes hit about an hour before.

In the southern port city of Tyre, people began to venture out of their homes for the first time since a curfew was imposed on roads there last week. In a Beirut park, hundreds of refugees packed up their belongings to return to homes they fled weeks ago in the city’s southern suburbs.

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AP / Emilio Morenatti

Israeli reserve soldiers greet each other after returning from southern Lebanon in northern Israel Monday, Aug. 14. The U.N.-imposed cease-fire that went into effect Monday is intended to end a month of violence that killed more than 900 people.