Tens of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah headed back to their devastated towns and villages Wednesday as a ceasefire took hold. Under the terms of the deal that brought the war to a halt,

President Biden said the 60-day truce, which the United States helped broker, would take effect early Wednesday, and was intended to become permanent, ending Lebanon’s deadliest war in decades.

A ceasefire deal that went into effect on Wednesday could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict.