The fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah largely held through its second day in Lebanon on Thursday, despite Israel carrying out an airstrike it claimed targeted militants violating the truce agreement.

This Israeli strike marked the first such attack since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire came into effect early Wednesday. However, despite the exchange of accusations between Israel and Lebanon, neither Israel nor Hezbollah appeared eager to resume full-scale conflict immediately.

The Israeli military reported that its airstrike, which took place near the border in southern Lebanon, targeted two militants approaching a Hezbollah rocket facility that had previously launched rockets into Israel. The Lebanese army, responsible for enforcing the truce, accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire “several times” on Thursday afternoon. Hezbollah refrained from commenting at the time.

The Israeli military also stated that its forces had thwarted attempts by militants to advance into southern Lebanon. “With the same resolve we used to secure the agreement, we will enforce it equally strongly,” said Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israeli military’s chief of staff, in a video statement. He emphasized that Israel would respond with force to any violations of the ceasefire.

Despite the ongoing tensions, Thursday saw a significant reduction in violence. Israeli communities near the border enjoyed a second consecutive day without rocket sirens, and many displaced people in Lebanon began returning to their homes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, areas controlled by Hezbollah, which had been heavily bombed in recent months.

Though Hezbollah suffered substantial damage from Israel’s military actions, the group’s leaders, including Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah, continued to adopt a defiant stance. He assured reporters on Thursday that Hezbollah would defend itself if attacked by Israel but also reiterated that the group was still committed to honoring the ceasefire.

The conflict has displaced over a million people in Lebanon—about a quarter of the country’s population—and many have begun returning to their homes since the ceasefire began. However, the timeline for when displaced people can safely return to southern Lebanon remains uncertain, particularly as parts of the region are still occupied by Israeli forces. According to the ceasefire agreement, Israel is expected to gradually withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon over the next 60 days.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has warned Lebanese refugees to stay away from most of southern Lebanon and has imposed a curfew across the region.

In line with the ceasefire, Lebanon’s army has deployed troops to Hezbollah’s strongholds, both near Beirut and in the southern and eastern parts of the country. The army has also set up “temporary checkpoints,” cleared unexploded ordnance, and worked to reopen roads that had been damaged in the fighting. Its goal is to facilitate the return of displaced people to their homes.

Among those returning home was 79-year-old Taflah Amar, who returned to Baalbek in northeast Lebanon after two months in Beirut. She found much of her neighborhood destroyed and was overwhelmed with emotion. “I’m an old woman… What did I do to deserve this?” she said.

The communities most devastated by the war are those along the Israeli border, many of which were effectively controlled by Hezbollah, which has long received backing from Iran. Since October 2023, Hezbollah has used these towns to launch near-daily rocket attacks on northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza, leading to widespread displacement in both Lebanon and Israel.

However, in Israel, many displaced residents remain cautious about returning home, especially in towns near the border. “We have no intention of going back home yet,” said Gal Avraham, a 29-year-old dog trainer from Margaliot, a small village near the border. She and her husband visited their home for the first time in over a year, only to find it in disarray. “As far as we know, no one is returning home,” she added.

The conflict, which escalated in mid-September, has claimed the lives of around 3,800 Lebanese and 100 Israelis. Under the ceasefire, both sides have agreed to a 60-day truce. During this period, Israel will gradually withdraw from Lebanon, while Hezbollah will pull back its fighters from southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army will move in to help establish a buffer zone between Israel’s border and the Litani River.

A U.N. peacekeeping force will also monitor the region, although both it and Lebanon’s military were not combatants in the conflict. The ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by the United States and France, has been accepted by both Israel and Lebanon, but its full implementation remains uncertain. Israel has stated that its actions will depend on the evolving situation in Lebanon, and there are concerns that the ceasefire may not hold, similar to the 2006 truce between Israel and Hezbollah, which was never fully enforced.