Feature: Cautious homecoming -- displaced Lebanese return to ruins following ceasefire

BEIRUT, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Standing before the remains of his home, Hamad Abdallah could hardly recognize anything that had once been familiar.

"Everything has changed here. We no longer know our streets or even the boundaries of our land," said the man in his 30s as he walked into the eastern edge of Khiam, a town in southern Lebanon, where large parts remain inaccessible despite a recent ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.

Abdallah said he walked on foot to his house near the town's entrance, only to find it severely damaged and uninhabitable. "I grabbed a few belongings and left quickly and quietly," he added.

His experience mirrors that of thousands of displaced residents who began cautiously returning to wide areas of southern Lebanon early Friday, after the 10-day ceasefire took effect at midnight between Thursday and Friday.

The homecoming took place in a fragile atmosphere, where relief was tempered by uncertainty and hopes of returning collided with the widespread destruction left by weeks of fighting.

Traffic crawled along the main roads heading south, particularly the corridors of Sidon, Nabatieh, Marjayoun and Tyre. Vehicle lines stretched for kilometers, many hastily loaded with mattresses, blankets, and personal belongings, signaling a tentative return.

Returnee convoys mingled with relief trucks, while units of the Lebanese army and civil defense began repairing damaged bridges, reopening roads, and assessing the destruction. Several routes turned into severe bottlenecks, especially at the entrances to Nabatieh and roads leading to Marjayoun and Tyre.

At Nabatieh, Rana Nasrallah stood before her former home, now reduced to rubble. "I built this house with my husband after years of working abroad in Canada. I returned today exhausted, to start a new life here," she said. "Nothing is left of a lifetime's work except memories."

Nearby, Fatima Mehio sat with her three children in front of their damaged home, running her hand along a cracked wall.

"We thank God the house is still there, but it is not livable," she said, before heading back for a shelter in Mount Lebanon's Chouf region.

In Marjayoun district, families returned to inspect homes in some of the hardest-hit villages such as Blat, Dibbin, and Borghoz, only to find their houses nearly flattened.

"We only came to see what happened, not to stay," said Abdo Daher from Dibbin.

In Bint Jbeil district, returning to many villages remains impossible, as Israeli forces are still in or around them.

"Returning to frontline villages is extremely dangerous, even impossible for now," said Jalal Sheet. "We have to wait for developments on the ground, especially political ones."

Thousands of displaced residents were also unable to reach their hometowns along the border strip stretching from Naqoura in the west to Khiam in the east, including Aita al-Shaab, Mays al-Jabal, Kfar Kila, Houla, and Markaba.

"People stood at a distance, watching their homes in silence, while entire neighborhoods seemed almost erased," said Jamal Alwan from Markaba. Enditem