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Pakistan, August 5 – Over 821,000 Lebanese individuals who were forced to leave their homes due to the conflict with Israel have started to go back, as per the United Nations, following a decrease in fighting.

Learn More: Israeli military destroys residences in southern Lebanon

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 821,077 individuals had returned to their original locations by July 30. Nevertheless, it highlighted that over 360,000 people are still displaced, with approximately 26,000 residing in government-run shelters.

The latest development follows Lebanon and Israel initiating a new set of US-backed talks in Rome, which are planned to last until Thursday and seek to achieve a permanent resolution to the conflict.

The violence intensified in March when Hezbollah became involved in the wider regional conflict by firing rockets into Israel to back Iran. In response, Israel conducted widespread air strikes and a land invasion, with Lebanese officials reporting that the war resulted in over 4,300 deaths and displaced more than one million residents at its height.

The level of violence has decreased since a initial US-Iran agreement in June, which featured a ceasefire plan for Lebanon, along with a separate US-supported arrangement between Israel and Lebanon. Although there has been a decline in fighting, Lebanese authorities still mention occasional Israeli air strikes, shelling, limited demolitions, and military movements in certain areas of southern Lebanon.

The United Nations also cautioned that the fighting has caused significant harm to water and power facilities in southern Lebanon, hindering access to clean water for over 700,000 individuals.

Learn More: Israel releases a map showing the southern Lebanon area under its jurisdiction

In the meantime, discussions are ongoing regarding a larger framework that involves the phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and the suggested disarming of Hezbollah. Hezbollah has dismissed the plan, with its leaders maintaining that direct talks with Israel would not benefit Lebanon.