A fragile calm settled over Lebanon on the first morning of the ceasefire, even as Israeli forces remained deployed in villages south of the Litani River, underscoring lingering uncertainty over the truce’s durability.

Despite repeated warnings urging residents to wait for the situation to clarify, displaced families continued streaming back to their homes in southern Lebanon.

Shortly after midnight, long lines of cars formed along the Beirut–Sidon highway and further south, as residents headed back to towns and villages across the region. The return was particularly visible in areas north of the Qasmiyeh bridge, including Nabatiyeh, Sarafand, Ghaziyeh, as well as communities in the Sidon and Jezzine districts and the Iqlim al-Tuffah region.

Lebanese army units worked to reopen the road at the Qasmiyeh bridge in the Tyre district after it had been blocked, allowing dozens of vehicles to cross toward villages south of the Litani. The influx quickly led to severe traffic congestion, with soldiers deployed to regulate movement across the bridge.

Convoys heading toward the Tyre area stretched as far as Adloun, as the army, in coordination with municipalities and local organizations, worked to restore access through an older crossing known as the Qanayat bridge.

Volunteer scout groups were also deployed in the area, distributing water to motorists caught in long traffic lines.

Earlier in the night, the Lebanese army had asked residents gathered near the Qasmiyeh bridge to leave the area following warnings issued by the Israeli military. Maintenance work being carried out at the site was also temporarily suspended.

At the same time, residents began returning at dawn to Beirut’s southern suburbs, signaling a broader movement of people heading back to their neighborhoods after days of displacement.

مشاهد لزحمة السيارات وعبور الأهالي على جسر القاسمية فوق نهر الليطاني pic.twitter.com/pFztoag0N7

— kataeb.org (@kataeb_Ar) April 17, 2026