Some Residents Returning to Bint Jbeil in Southern Lebanon

People ride past damaged buildings, following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, at Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, 05 December 2024. (EPA)
People ride past damaged buildings, following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, at Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, 05 December 2024. (EPA)
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Some Residents Returning to Bint Jbeil in Southern Lebanon

People ride past damaged buildings, following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, at Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, 05 December 2024. (EPA)
People ride past damaged buildings, following a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, at Baraashit in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon, 05 December 2024. (EPA)

Residents trickled back to the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil on Monday as the Israeli army withdrew and Lebanese forces, alongside UN peacekeepers, moved in to secure the area.
This marks another town from which Israeli troops have withdrawn following the US- and French-brokered ceasefire that ended the 14-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov. 27, The Associated Press said.
Inside the town, a mosque’s dome lay in ruins, surrounded by collapsed buildings, charred cars and streets strewn with twisted metal and broken glass.
Despite the lack of power some residents returned to check on their homes. Few stayed.
Ahmad Saad, a member of the Bint Jbeil Municipality, said only about 10% of the town’s residents have returned. “Essentials of life are still lacking — there’s no electricity, water, there’s nothing,” he said.



Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
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Syria’s Sharaa Congratulates Trump, Looks Forward to Improving Relations 

A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)
A handout picture released by Syria's transitional government shows the country's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa waiting for the arrival of Spain's foreign minister at the presidential palace in Damascus on January 16, 2025. (Syria's Transitional Government / AFP)

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa congratulated US President Donald Trump on his inauguration in a statement on Monday, saying he is looking forward to improving relations between the two countries.

"The past decade has brought immense suffering to Syria, with the conflict devastating our nation and destabilizing the region. We are confident that he is the leader to bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region".

The US, Britain, the European Union and others imposed tough sanctions on Syria after a crackdown by ousted President Bashar al-Assad on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that spiraled into civil war.

In early January, Washington issued a sanctions exemption for transactions with governing institutions in Syria for six months in an effort to ease the flow of humanitarian assistance.

Syria welcomed the move, but has urged a complete lifting of sanctions to support its recovery.