Though the various “ceasefire” agreements between the Israel and Lebanon governments never really were at the point where anyone said it was safe for the 1.5 million displaced civilians to attempt to return home, the lack of provisions for the long-term displacement meant some 800,000 tried to go home when the situation calmed down even a little. Now, a new wave of displacements is sending many of them back north.
Late June and July saw relative reductions in violence, though the Israeli occupation never really substantially changed, and indeed, the growing number of Israeli flags flying over the Lebanese south is giving the impression occupation of the “security zone” is more or less intended to be permanent.
Israeli officials are trying to spin the occupation as long-term, but “temporary” in a vague sense, but even there, the military is being told to prepare to stay in Lebanon, along with other recently occupied territories for the long haul, with no timetable for leaving any of those places even being countenanced by the leadership.
An Israeli flag hangs from a building in Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, July 5, 2026 REUTERS
For the displaced, it’s a fragile security situation with little prospect of getting better any time soon. Many of their villages have been outright erased by the Israeli military, and both the occupation and the humanitarian crisis seem permanent in everything but name.
Seven distinct rounds of Israel-Lebanon talks saw a temporary decrease in violence, but no real resolution of the war, and no Israeli guarantees of actually leaving, or even ceasing fire. Despite this conspicuous lack of progress, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has reiterated commitment to the negotiations.
That’s likely to prove politically controversial, as many Lebanese are openly frustrated by the lack of progress, and recent Israeli efforts to transition the talks to getting Lebanon to dig up historic Jewish cemeteries within the country rather than any concrete resolution has many asking whether there’s any point to their continued discussions with an unserious partner.
