Friday Briefing

A cease-fire in Lebanon appears to hold

After months of fighter jets and rockets in the skies and explosions erupting on the ground, quiet reigned over much of Lebanon and northern Israel yesterday.

The uneasy truce between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah largely held through its second day in Lebanon, though Israel conducted an airstrike near the border that it said was aimed at militants violating terms of the cease-fire deal. Still, neither Israel nor Hezbollah seemed keen to immediately return to full-scale fighting.

Lebanon’s army said that it had moved troops into Hezbollah’s strongholds outside Beirut and in the country’s south and east, in accordance with the cease-fire. The Lebanese Parliament also extended the term of Joseph Aoun, the military’s top commander, for another year.

Joy and tears: Many Lebanese returned to their towns and villages to find homes that would require costly repairs to be livable again. “We did not win,” one resident said. Read more about their journey home.