SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The truce appears to be holding in Lebanon four days into a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants. But the situation is tense - each side has accused the other of breaking the agreement. Israel's prime minister has vowed to resume war if Hezbollah commits - in his words - a massive violation. An international group, including the United States, U.N. and France is monitoring compliance. More than a million Lebanese were displaced by the conflict. Many are now trying to return home despite Israeli military orders not to do so. NPR's Lauren Frayer is in a village in southern Lebanon. Lauren, thanks so much for being with us.
LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Scott.
SIMON: What do you see?
FRAYER: I'm in a village called Kfar Tebnit, on a hill across from a crusader castle. This area has lots of history. Every building has been damaged. Most of them have no windows. The balconies have been blown off. There's a car that's burned on the road right next to me. There's a 250-year-old mosque that was hit by an Israeli airstrike. I'm looking at this white stone minaret toppled on its side. Loudspeakers that normally broadcast the call to prayer are bent and twisted. I met a man whose home was destroyed in the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. Hezbollah paid to rebuild his house. Now it's been destroyed again. He's confident that same Hezbollah agent with a clipboard will show up, survey the damage and give him a check. But the pace of rebuilding could be a lot slower this time because the damage is just orders of magnitude greater.
SIMON: What do you hear from people who are heading south?
FRAYER: There was jubilation when this ceasefire was announced, but a lot of people are still trying to get home because Israeli troops have cordoned off huge areas of southern Lebanon. They have 60 days to withdraw, and they've published maps with a list of villages where people are not allowed to return. They're under curfew. And so people are in limbo. The Hezbollah leader gave a speech last night declaring this as a divine victory, but it doesn't feel like that for people who can't get home. Israeli troops are still operating in a sort of area of olive groves between where I am and this crusader castle in the distance. It's a strategic vantage point.
SIMON: How does the truce seem to be holding?
FRAYER: I mean, both sides say it is holding, but there have been several Israeli airstrikes. There's been artillery fire. There's been gunfire. Israel says it's detected violations by Hezbollah and is acting to enforce this ceasefire. Lebanese officials accuse Israel of breaking it. They say returnees with cars loaded up with belongings are being mistaken for militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his - one of his first interviews since the ceasefire took effect. He spoke to Israeli media, saying this ceasefire may well be very short and that Israel is prepared for an intensive war if Hezbollah violates its terms.
SIMON: Lauren, let me ask you about the renewed fighting this week in Syria because rebels say they now control much of Aleppo. What do you know about this?
FRAYER: Yeah, so this is the latest chapter in fighting that really began with Syria's civil war in 2011, and it has continued on and off ever since. Opposition forces have been battling their way toward Aleppo - Syria's second-largest city - for days, and now they've entered the city. And that's the first time that they have attacked Aleppo with such strength since 2016 when opposition forces insurgents were ousted from Aleppo by government forces. It might sound like an unrelated matter, but the Syrian government forces are backed by Iran, and so is Hezbollah. So the idea is that, while Iran and its proxies, Hezbollah, have been so preoccupied with Lebanon and the war here, they've lost real ground elsewhere their other interests in the region.
SIMON: NPR's Lauren Frayer in southern Lebanon, thanks so much.
FRAYER: You're welcome, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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