Thursday Briefing: A Fragile Cease-fire in Lebanon

The Lebanese Army said yesterday that it was sending more forces to southern Lebanon to support a U.S.-backed cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah as it began to take hold.

Thousands of displaced people began to return to areas ruined by Israeli strikes. Bumper-to-bumper traffic jammed roads leading out of Beirut as people sought to make their way back to southern towns and villages. Israel’s military warned civilians against immediately returning to some areas and declared a curfew over much of southern Lebanon that was scheduled to end today.

Many questions remain about the truce’s durability, which was underscored by the Israeli shelling of two villages in southern Lebanon, Khiam and Kfar Kila. Israel’s military said its soldiers opened fire after identifying a vehicle in “a zone prohibited for movement.” Here’s what else to know about the deal.

Analysis: After 13 months of war, Hezbollah will struggle to convince anyone, other than its most fervent loyalists, that its acceptance of a cease-fire is not a defeat, Ben Hubbard writes.

Gaza: The Israeli military struck dozens of sites that it said were Hamas military structures, killing at least 33 people, according to the Gazan health ministry.