Thousands of Lebanese head home as fighting eases, many still stranded

Some 400,000 Lebanese uprooted by war have returned to southern Lebanon, with more expected to follow in the coming week, a government minister said on Tuesday, encouraged by a lull in the four-month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.



Yet many remain unable to go back. Since March, around 1 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and large numbers are still in shelters or temporary housing because their homes are destroyed or uninhabitable, said Hanine El Sayed.



Roughly 40% of those displaced have now returned to their towns and villages. The number of people staying in collective shelters has fallen sharply, to about 13,000 from 37,000, she said.



While some shelters will remain open for families who cannot return, aid programmes — including emergency cash support — will continue. The number of shelters has dropped from 692 at the height of the crisis to 479, with additional centres opened in Nabatieh for those wanting to stay near their home areas.