Lebanon: 860,000 displaced people have returned home, but humanitarian crisis remains ‘immense’

Around 860,000 people displaced by the conflict in southern Lebanon have returned, but the displacement and humanitarian crisis are “far from over,” the UN warned on Tuesday.A fragile ceasefire The region has suffered years of conflict, with Israeli airstrikes killing thousands and displacing over a million since heavy fighting resumed in March of this year. Despite multiple ceasefires declared since April, clashes have been ongoing between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli forces.The most recent cessation of hostilities agreement – negotiated between Israeli and Lebanese officials and brokered by the United States in late June – called for Hezbollah to fully disarm while Israeli forces were to withdraw fully from the south. Fighting has continued, including this past weekend when Israeli airstrikes sparked a new wave of displacement, with hundreds of families forced to flee northwards. Ongoing displacement crisis Around 360,000 people remain displaced, including at least 22,000 people living in collective shelters, according to UN figures. Many Lebanese are unable to return to their homes, located in areas ravaged by the conflict. Extensive debris, widespread damage to infrastructure...