A man stands with his daughter beside their tent after Beirut municipality instructed displaced residents living on public sidewalks to move to official shelters, following the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran, in Beirut, Lebanon, June 25, 2026. (Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
BEIRUT — More than 600,000 out of more than one million forcibly displaced people have returned home since the latest truce at the end of June, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday.
A report by the IOM stated that "646,107" people have returned home, while around 500,000 remain displaced, according to data collected since June 22.
The memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 between Tehran and Washington allowed a fragile "cease-fire" to take effect in Lebanon starting June 21, bringing a stark decrease, albeit not a complete halt, to the number of Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Since the "cease-fire" came into effect, authorities have dismantled informal camps in Beirut and its surroundings, alongside a reduction in the number of official accommodation centers.
But the return to dozens of southern localities — especially those near the border, largely destroyed by Israeli operations — remains pending.
Israel has announced it intends to keep its troops in the area, which extends up to 10 kilometers from Lebanon's southern border.
On June 26, Lebanon and Israel signed a framework agreement with the aim of disarming Hezbollah and deploying the Lebanese Army to areas in southern Lebanon currently occupied by Israel.
The framework agreement reached U.S. mediation, after five rounds of negotiations between the two countries — which do not maintain diplomatic relations — makes Israeli withdrawal conditional on Hezbollah's disarmament, which the group refuses.
Responding to criticism of the agreement, notably from Hezbollah, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun insisted Friday that this text "does not legitimize the continuation of the Israeli occupation in Lebanon."
He justified the absence of a withdrawal timeline by the fact that the agreement reached was a "framework formula" and not a definitive settlement.
"Our goal is unique for all: obtaining Israeli withdrawal," he insisted, according to a statement from the presidency.
Amnesty International and five other NGOs warned on Friday that the text could obscure "war crimes in Lebanon," with some provisions appearing to prevent victims from seeking justice before international courts.
They also denounced "the implicit acceptance of the continued, prolonged and indefinite forced displacement of tens of thousands of inhabitants from vast areas of southern Lebanon occupied by Israeli forces."
