Tens of thousands in Lebanon head home

BEIRUT — Tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah headed back to their devastated towns and villages on Wednesday as a cease-fire took hold.

Under the terms of the deal that brought the fighting to a halt, the Lebanese military started reinforcing its presence in the country's south, where Hezbollah has long held sway.

After nearly a year of cross-border exchanges of fire, in which Hezbollah said it was acting in support of Palestinians, Israel escalated airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sept 23. A week later, it sent ground troops to southern Lebanon.