BEIRUT: Lebanon’s military said Sunday it had reopened a road and bridge damaged by Israeli strikes in the country’s south, as a 10-day truce holds between Hezbollah and Israel.
In a statement, the military said it “fully reopened” a road linking the city of Nabatieh with the Khardali area, and had “partially reopened the Burj Rahal-Tyre bridge”.
“Work is also underway to rehabilitate the Tayr Falsay-Tyre bridge… following damage caused by the Israeli aggression,” the army added.
Israeli strikes on bridges that cross Lebanon’s Litani river, which flows around 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Israel, have largely cut off the area south of the waterway from the rest of Lebanon, according to the army.
On Friday a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon took effect after the first direct talks between the two sides in decades, bringing a pause to weeks of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed nearly 2,300 people and displaced more than a million.
Since the truce began, Lebanon’s military and local authorities have been working to reopen roads that were blocked due to Israeli strikes.
The vital Qasmiyeh bridge was also reopened on Friday morning, allowing countless people displaced from southern Lebanon by the fighting to return to the area and check on their property.
However, many residents have remained hesitant to venture back with the longevity of the truce uncertain.
On Saturday, an AFP correspondent in the southern city of Sidon saw heavy traffic heading to Beirut as displaced southerners returned to temporary homes and shelters in the capital after briefly visiting southern areas.
Earlier that day, Hezbollah official Mahmud Qamati warned that “Israeli treachery is expected at any time, and this is a temporary truce”.
“Take a breath, relax a little, but do not abandon the places you have taken refuge in until we are completely reassured about your return,” he said.
The Israeli military has carried out strikes and demolitions in southern Lebanon despite the truce.
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