In a newspaper column, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, close to the border, said he doubted the ceasefire would be enforced, demanding that Israel creates a buffer zone in south Lebanon. In a poll commissioned by the Israeli station Channel 12 News those questioned were roughly split between supporters and opponents of the ceasefire.

Long-displaced residents of south Lebanon started returning to their homes amid celebrations hours after a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group took effect early Wednesday morning.

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants began early Wednesday morning, after Beirut residents endured the most intense day of Israeli strikes since the war began. Many wondered if the agreement to stop fighting would hold.