Thousands head home after truce in Lebanon

Thousands of people displaced from war-torn southern Lebanon have begun returning home after a cease-fire between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah took effect yesterday, amid fears on both sides over whether the truce would hold.

- Bethan McKernan, Andrew Roth

Israel heavily bombed Beirut and the south of the country throughout Tuesday, killing 42 people, until the truce began at 4am local time yesterday, while Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens.

Yesterday Lebanon's motorways were thronged with packed vehicles returning south, carrying families and their belongings, despite warnings from the Israeli military that they should stay away while its forces remained in the area. The Lebanese army asked displaced people to avoid frontline villages and towns near the UN-drawn "blue line" that separates the two countries.

Lebanese military convoys were spotted travelling south as the army announced it would deploy to southern Lebanon under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. "The army has begun to strengthen its deployment in the South Litani sector and extend state authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon," the military said in a statement, adding that its military units would be "stationed at the locations designated for them".

In a sign of how volatile the situation remains, Israeli forces opened fire on a number of cars that had attempted to enter what it said was a restricted area yesterday. It was not immediately clear if there were casualties in the incident.

In televised remarks on Tuesday night, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel would "respond forcefully to any violation".