This Photo Does Not Show Displaced Lebanese Returning Home

Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be misleading. The viral image is outdated and was captured before the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

The Photo Was Captured in September From Sarafand

Through reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the photo published on several social media accounts before the ceasefire agreement.

An account on X named “rawane” shared the viral photo on September 23, 2024, two months before the ceasefire agreement and the return of displaced Lebanese to their homes.

The X user X user added a caption to the photo, “photographed by Ahmed Chihadeh.”

Misbar’s team searched for the photographer's name and found his Instagram account, where he published the photo along with the caption, “Sarafand - September 23, 2024. The South Road - Beirut on the 353rd day of the war. ‘We will not be defeated.’”

Israeli Evacuation Orders to Lebanon in September

The image in question was originally captured on September 23, the day the Israeli military called on residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate. Israel claimed in September that Hezbollah stores weapons in residential houses and that it needs to carry out “extensive strikes.”

Many Lebanese had received phone and text messages from Israel ordering them to leave the targeted areas, but the time given for them to evacuate before the strikes began was very limited.

Amnesty International later accused Israel of issuing “inadequate” and misleading warnings after reviewing over a dozen evacuation warnings and conducting interviews with several people who fled following the Israeli orders in September.

Amnesty found that Israel issued warnings at short notice – in one instance less than 30 minutes before strikes began – in the middle of the night, via social media.

Ceasefire Agreement Between Israel and Lebanon

Ceasefire talks between Israel and Lebanon had finally succeeded, after a nearly 14-month war.

The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah fighters 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border. Instead, the area will be paroled by Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers, while an international committee will monitor compliance.

The deal also requires Israeli troops to pull out of Lebanon and Hezbollah to move its forces north of the Litani River, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border.

Displaced Lebanese Returned As Soon As the Ceasefire Took Effect

Lebanese people who were forced to evacuate their homes fearing Israeli strikes returned to their homes as soon as the ceasefire took effect.

Social media platforms were filled with posts and pictures of people returning to their homes. However, several parts of Lebanon witnessed huge damage due to the Israeli airstrikes, leaving thousands of people without a place to return.

More than 1.2 million people were forced to evacuate their homes and more than 100,00 homes have been either partially or fully destroyed across southern Lebanon, Bekaa, and Beirut, according to the International Rescue Committee.

Mercy Corps said the war caused half of Lebanon’s population to live below the poverty line, making it harder for many who lost their homes to afford to find shelters.

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