President Biden’s announcement Tuesday of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon marked a significant foreign policy achievement weeks before he leaves office. The halt in fighting provides desperately needed calm for Israeli and Lebanese civilians along the border — and a chance to return to abandoned communities — after nearly 14 months

Thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah militants returned home on Wednesday as a ceasefire took hold, driving cars stacked with personal belongings and defying warnings from Lebanese and Israeli troops to stay away from some areas.