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

Israel escalated its assault on Lebanon in September after nearly a year of cross-border rocket fire with Hezbollah, which has long guarded the country's southern border.

More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since October last year, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP that his group was cooperating on the Lebanese army's deployment in south Lebanon.

There is "full cooperation" with the Lebanese state in strengthening the army's deployment, he said, adding that the group had "no visible weapons or bases" but "nobody can make residents leave their villages".

The road from the Lebanese capital to the south was jammed from before dawn with thousands of people heading home.

AFP journalists saw cars and minibuses packed with people carrying mattresses, suitcases and blankets, with some honking their horns and singing in celebration.

"What we feel is indescribable," said one Lebanese driver on the road to the south. "The people have won!"

Others, however, voiced quiet desolation.

Returning to his home in the southern town of Nabatieh, Ali Mazraani said he was shocked by the extent of the devastation from the raids.

"Is this really Nabatieh?" he asked. "All our memories of Nabatieh have disappeared, and we can't recognise our own town."

Final hours
 

In Lebanon, more than 900,000 people fled their homes in recent weeks, according to the United Nations, as Israel pounded the country, focusing in particular on southern regions.

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on the displaced to go back to their homes despite the devastation.

"I invite you to return to your homes... return to your land," said Berri, who led negotiations on behalf of his ally Hezbollah.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Israel to respect the terms of the truce and said Lebanon was turning the page on "one of the most painful phases that the Lebanese have lived in their modern history".

The final hours before the truce took hold at 4:00 am (0200 GMT) on Wednesday were among the most violent, particularly for Beirut, with Israeli strikes hitting areas including the busy commercial district of Hamra.

Hezbollah, too, continued to claim attacks on Israel all the way up to the start of the truce.

The Israeli and Lebanese militaries have both called on residents of frontline Lebanese villages to avoid returning home immediately.

Hezbollah-ally Iran welcomed the end of Israel's aggression in Lebanon, while Hamas said it was ready for a truce in Gaza.

US President Joe Biden is to launch a renewed drive for an elusive ceasefire and captive release deal for the Palestinian territory, his national security adviser said.

Jake Sullivan said Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right before the truce with Hezbollah was announced on Tuesday and they agreed to try again.

Netanyahu said the truce in Lebanon would permit Israel to redirect its efforts back to Gaza, where it has waged a deadly assault on the Palestinian territory.

The Gaza health ministry said an air strike killed nine people in the north of the territory on Wednesday as Israel kept up its bombardment on the day the Lebanon ceasefire took hold.

The ministry said the strike hit a shelter for displaced people in Al-Tabi'een School in Gaza City.

60 days
 

Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces will hold their positions but "a 60-day period will commence in which the Lebanese military and security forces will begin their deployment towards the south", a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

Then Israel will begin a phased withdrawal without a vacuum forming that Hezbollah or others could rush into, the official said.

On Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw Lebanese troops and vehicles deploying in two areas of south Lebanon.

"The army has begun reinforcing its presence in the South Litani sector and extending the state's authority in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)," the military said in a statement, referring to areas south of the Litani River within 30 kilometres (20 miles) of the Israeli border.

While the mood in Lebanon was of joy tempered by devastating loss, in Israel there was no indication of a return en masse of the 60,000 people driven from their homes by Hezbollah fire.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.