People displaced by weeks of airstrikes have begun returning to Beirut and southern Lebanon as a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold on Friday. Residents described scenes of destruction and fears of further conflict as they arrived home.
Issued on: 18/04/2026 - RFI
People drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on 17 April 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. © AP - Bilal Hussein
“Thank God, we’re happy, of course! It’s a victory, even though we know our three-story house has collapsed. It’s still something to be proud of,” one man told RFI as he made his way to the village of Kharayeb in southern Lebanon, which has been heavily bombarded by Israeli missiles.
“We’re returning with our heads held high,” his wife added. “And we’re not afraid of anyone, even if Israel bombs us, because we have our heroes on the front lines everywhere, and we’re proud of them.”
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early March, according to UN figures. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, the equivalent of one in five of the population.
Israeli ground forces have invaded the country's south, a Hezbollah stronghold. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the troops will not withdraw during the truce, and has warned civilians not to return.
“Thank God, we’re happy, of course! It’s a victory, even though we know our three-story house has collapsed. It’s still something to be proud of,” one man told RFI as he made his way to the village of Kharayeb in southern Lebanon, which has been heavily bombarded by Israeli missiles.
“We’re returning with our heads held high,” his wife added. “And we’re not afraid of anyone, even if Israel bombs us, because we have our heroes on the front lines everywhere, and we’re proud of them.”
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early March, according to UN figures. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, the equivalent of one in five of the population.
Israeli ground forces have invaded the country's south, a Hezbollah stronghold. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the troops will not withdraw during the truce, and has warned civilians not to return.
People sit at a site of an Israeli strike in Tyre carried out just before the 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, on 18 April 2026. © Louisa Gouliamaki / Reuters
Many ignored the warning and came home on Friday, even if just to assess the damage.
“It’s sad to see my house in this state. The doors and windows have blown out,” said Nour, a woman returning to the town of Nabatieh. “But it’s good to be back. I wish it weren’t just temporary.”
In the town centre, Hassan was busy repairing his bakery. “We’ve seen much worse. Now we’re going to clean up. I have to fix the door myself. And tomorrow, we’ll open, God willing.”
Many ignored the warning and came home on Friday, even if just to assess the damage.
“It’s sad to see my house in this state. The doors and windows have blown out,” said Nour, a woman returning to the town of Nabatieh. “But it’s good to be back. I wish it weren’t just temporary.”
In the town centre, Hassan was busy repairing his bakery. “We’ve seen much worse. Now we’re going to clean up. I have to fix the door myself. And tomorrow, we’ll open, God willing.”
'People need to go home'
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, another area that Hezbollah's strong influence has made a target for Israeli strikes, returning residents found similar scenes.
“I lost my home and all my furniture. But what matters most is our dignity,” local man Hassan Dib told RFI. “When Hezbollah says we can go back, we’ll go back. That’s why so few people have returned yet.”
Hezbollah has instructed residents not to return to affected areas until a formal and final ceasefire is declared.
Ali Mrad had just arrived from the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where he had been staying with relatives. “I came to check on my house, to see if it’s still standing or not. The situation is good now... I can’t describe how I feel. It’s like emerging from a very serious crisis.”
Others remained wary. “We’re in the process of returning home, but I expect the Israelis to break the truce and bomb us,” said Zahra Chehadé, displaced from her house in southern Beirut.
“I don’t feel safe. But people need to go home. Buildings can be rebuilt. The most important thing is that Israel doesn’t occupy Lebanon.”
This article has been adapted from original reporting in French by RFI's correspondents in southern Lebanon, Aabla Jounaidi and Jad el-Khoury, and Beirut correspondent Sophie Guignon.
France's Macron says fragile Lebanon ceasefire 'may already be undermined'
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah – which took effect at midnight on Thursday after weeks of escalating cross-border fighting – risks collapsing, French President Emmanuel Macron warned, after reports of violations in southern Lebanon.
Issued on: 17/04/2026 - RFI
Deadly airstrikes
Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since the militant group launched rocket attacks in support of Iran last month, following the killing by Israel of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah has not officially said if it will recognise the ceasefire, but one of its lawmakers told France's AFP news agency on Thursday that the group would respect it if Israel stopped its attacks on its militants.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early March – including health workers and journalists, according to Lebanese authorities. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.
Israel halted strikes in capital city Beirut on 8 April after a deadly bombardment that hit several crowded commercial and residential areas and killed more than 350 people in one day.
France-Lebanon bond
"We must do everything possible to ensure the ceasefire is respected," Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told French television channel TF1, calling the situation in Lebanon "absolutely dire".
Responding to comments by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, who claimed that Paris had no business interfering in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, the minister stated that "no one can call into question the relations between France and Lebanon".
She said: "We have a permanent presence alongside the Lebanese [...]. France and Lebanon share a common history and a bond that nothing can break."
(with newswires)
A 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah – which took effect at midnight on Thursday after weeks of escalating cross-border fighting – risks collapsing, French President Emmanuel Macron warned, after reports of violations in southern Lebanon.
Issued on: 17/04/2026 - RFI
Displaced residents return to Dahiyeh, in Beirut's southern suburbs, on 17 April 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. © AP/Bilal Hussein
The ceasefire agreed between Israel and militant group Hezbollah took effect at midnight local time, after almost seven weeks of war.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.
The ceasefire appeared to be holding across most of Lebanon early Friday, but within hours, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “a number of violations" in the south of the country.
Macron on Friday said he fully supported the ceasefire, brokered by the United States and announced by President Donald Trump, but was concerned that it "may already be undermined by ongoing military operations".
"I call for the safety of civilians on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel," he said on X, formerly Twitter. "Hezbollah must lay down its arms. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and end the war."
The ceasefire agreed between Israel and militant group Hezbollah took effect at midnight local time, after almost seven weeks of war.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon, but said Israeli troops would not withdraw.
The ceasefire appeared to be holding across most of Lebanon early Friday, but within hours, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “a number of violations" in the south of the country.
Macron on Friday said he fully supported the ceasefire, brokered by the United States and announced by President Donald Trump, but was concerned that it "may already be undermined by ongoing military operations".
"I call for the safety of civilians on both sides of the border between Lebanon and Israel," he said on X, formerly Twitter. "Hezbollah must lay down its arms. Israel must respect Lebanese sovereignty and end the war."
Deadly airstrikes
Israel has been fighting Hezbollah since the militant group launched rocket attacks in support of Iran last month, following the killing by Israel of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah has not officially said if it will recognise the ceasefire, but one of its lawmakers told France's AFP news agency on Thursday that the group would respect it if Israel stopped its attacks on its militants.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon since early March – including health workers and journalists, according to Lebanese authorities. Over 1.2 million people have been displaced, or one in five of the population, most of them from Shia Muslim communities.
Israel halted strikes in capital city Beirut on 8 April after a deadly bombardment that hit several crowded commercial and residential areas and killed more than 350 people in one day.
France-Lebanon bond
"We must do everything possible to ensure the ceasefire is respected," Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin told French television channel TF1, calling the situation in Lebanon "absolutely dire".
Responding to comments by the Israeli ambassador to the United States, who claimed that Paris had no business interfering in negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, the minister stated that "no one can call into question the relations between France and Lebanon".
She said: "We have a permanent presence alongside the Lebanese [...]. France and Lebanon share a common history and a bond that nothing can break."
(with newswires)
French soldier killed in Lebanon in attack on UN peacekeepers
A French soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers on Saturday, President Emmanuel Macron announced, saying that the evidence suggested Hezbollah was responsible. The militant group has denied involvement.
Issued on: 18/04/2026 - RFI
A French soldier was killed and three others were wounded in an attack on UN peacekeepers on Saturday, President Emmanuel Macron announced, saying that the evidence suggested Hezbollah was responsible. The militant group has denied involvement.
Issued on: 18/04/2026 - RFI
UN peacekeepers stand guard in in Qasmiyeh, Lebanon, as displaced people return home after the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, on 18 April 2026. © Louisa Gouliamaki / Reuters
Macron named the soldier as Florian Montorio, a staff sergeant in the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment of Montauban serving with Unifil, the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
He was killed on Saturday morning in southern Lebanon, the president said in a post on X. The three soldiers wounded in the same attack were evacuated, he added.
"Everything suggests that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack," Macron said. "France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the perpetrators and assume their responsibilities alongside Unifil."
But Hezbollah denied any connection to the attack. In a statement, the group urged "caution in making judgments and assigning responsibilities" pending the results of an investigation by the Lebanese army.
The attack came on the second full day of a 10-day ceasefire, agreed between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday in order to negotiate an end to six weeks of war.
Macron's office said he held calls with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to urge them to guarantee the security of Unifil soldiers.
Both Aoun and Salam condemned the attack. The prime minister said he had ordered an "immediate investigation".
Ambush
Montorio is the second French soldier to die since the start of the war in the Middle East, after an Iranian-designed drone killed Arnaud Frion last month in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Montorio was "ambushed by an armed group at very close range", according to French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin.
She said he had been on a mission to clear a route to a Unifil post Deir-Kifa region that had been cut off for several days by fighting. He was struck by direct fire, Vautrin said, paying tribute to his 18 years of military service.
In a statement, Unifil said the peacekeepers "came under small-arms fire from non-state-actors" as they were clearing ordnance from a road in the village of Ghanduriyah.
Its initial assessment indicates the incoming fire was "allegedly Hezbollah", it said, adding that it had launched its own investigation into what "may amount to war crimes".
Macron named the soldier as Florian Montorio, a staff sergeant in the 17th Parachute Engineer Regiment of Montauban serving with Unifil, the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
He was killed on Saturday morning in southern Lebanon, the president said in a post on X. The three soldiers wounded in the same attack were evacuated, he added.
"Everything suggests that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack," Macron said. "France demands that the Lebanese authorities immediately arrest the perpetrators and assume their responsibilities alongside Unifil."
But Hezbollah denied any connection to the attack. In a statement, the group urged "caution in making judgments and assigning responsibilities" pending the results of an investigation by the Lebanese army.
The attack came on the second full day of a 10-day ceasefire, agreed between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday in order to negotiate an end to six weeks of war.
Macron's office said he held calls with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to urge them to guarantee the security of Unifil soldiers.
Both Aoun and Salam condemned the attack. The prime minister said he had ordered an "immediate investigation".
Ambush
Montorio is the second French soldier to die since the start of the war in the Middle East, after an Iranian-designed drone killed Arnaud Frion last month in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
Montorio was "ambushed by an armed group at very close range", according to French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin.
She said he had been on a mission to clear a route to a Unifil post Deir-Kifa region that had been cut off for several days by fighting. He was struck by direct fire, Vautrin said, paying tribute to his 18 years of military service.
In a statement, Unifil said the peacekeepers "came under small-arms fire from non-state-actors" as they were clearing ordnance from a road in the village of Ghanduriyah.
Its initial assessment indicates the incoming fire was "allegedly Hezbollah", it said, adding that it had launched its own investigation into what "may amount to war crimes".
Peacekeepers from the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (Unifil) patrol near the southern Lebanese border village of Sarada on 24 February 2026. AFP - RABIH DAHER
The fighting in Lebanon has seen Unifil repeatedly targeted, by both Israeli and Hezbollah forces.
Unifil patrols in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month. The militant group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer, Iran.
Three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed last month, with a preliminary UN investigation finding one was killed by Israeli tank fire, while the two others were killed by an improvised explosive device likely planted by Hezbollah.
Other Unifil peacekeepers have also been wounded since the war broke out.
In April, Israeli soldiers destroyed surveillance cameras in Unifil's headquarters, the peacekeeping body said, and last week an Israeli tank twice rammed peacekeeping vehicles, causing damage but no injuries.
UN peacekeepers have served as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978, but their mandate expires at the end of this year.
(with AFP)
The fighting in Lebanon has seen Unifil repeatedly targeted, by both Israeli and Hezbollah forces.
Unifil patrols in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border where Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting since last month. The militant group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer, Iran.
Three Indonesian peacekeepers were killed last month, with a preliminary UN investigation finding one was killed by Israeli tank fire, while the two others were killed by an improvised explosive device likely planted by Hezbollah.
Other Unifil peacekeepers have also been wounded since the war broke out.
In April, Israeli soldiers destroyed surveillance cameras in Unifil's headquarters, the peacekeeping body said, and last week an Israeli tank twice rammed peacekeeping vehicles, causing damage but no injuries.
UN peacekeepers have served as a buffer between Lebanon and Israel since 1978, but their mandate expires at the end of this year.
(with AFP)
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