Displaced Lebanese Return Home, Thanksgiving Travel, Holiday Health Tips

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What is the situation for displaced Lebanese returning home?

Rob Schmitz 1:07
As a ceasefire to suspend fighting between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding, thousands of displaced Lebanese are returning home. But after months of devastating attacks, will they recognize what they find? I'm Rob Schmitz, and this is Up First from NPR News. Chances are you've heard this before.
This will be the busiest Thanksgiving ever in terms of air travel.
Rob Schmitz 1:30
Between new rules for airlines and long security lines, we've got you covered with what to keep in mind if you're heading to the airport. And whether or not you'll be hitting the pavement for a turkey trot, don't forget to also take a little post-turkey walk.
Dr. Chris Damon 1:42
When we move our muscles, they become sponges for the blood glucose that our gut is absorbing into the bloodstream.
Rob Schmitz 1:49
More on the science behind the after-meal constitutional. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day. Tens of thousands of Lebanese are returning to the country's south, where they're discovering entire villages that have been destroyed by the fighting with Israel. A ceasefire has halted the fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah militants. And under the agreement, both sides now have 60 days to withdraw to their respective borders. So civilians are being warned to stay away from certain areas to avoid possible confrontations. With me now is NPR's Lauren Frayer, who visited some of those border areas yesterday and is now in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Good morning, Lauren.
Lauren Frayer 2:36
Good morning.
Rob Schmitz 2:37
So first, we're a day into this ceasefire. I'm curious, were there any confrontations yet?
Lauren Frayer 2:44
There have been. Today, the Israeli military issued a map of 10 border villages where it says civilians are prohibited from going, even if they're residents going home. But people have been going home nevertheless and posting video of themselves with Israeli tanks in their villages. The Israeli military confirms it has fired on people who have gone into this zone. It accuses them of violating the conditions of this ceasefire. A handful of people have been wounded by either tank or gunfire in different areas and different incidents, including journalists who say they too were shot at by Israeli soldiers. Incidentally, there's also been a lot of celebratory gunfire, which in itself is dangerous and could certainly lead to misunderstandings.
Lauren Frayer 3:25
So there have been several incidents, but so far they don't appear to be jeopardizing the wider ceasefire agreement.
Rob Schmitz 3:33
Okay, so remind us of what that agreement actually says. What are the terms of the ceasefire?
Lauren Frayer 3:38
So this is a 60-day truce. Within that time, Israeli troops have to withdraw from Lebanon, and Hezbollah has to withdraw its fighters and weapons from a zone close to the Israeli border. The Lebanese army is moving in alongside UN peacekeepers, and those movements are underway. At one point yesterday, I was at a gas station in southern Lebanon, and someone told me, take a right, not a left, up here because Hezbollah is moving some of its weapons around the corner.
Rob Schmitz 4:04
Well, I mean, what else did you see in southern Lebanon? This is an area that journalists have had difficulty reaching until yesterday because of Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting with Hezbollah.
Lauren Frayer 4:15
Yeah, so I drove south from Beirut, where the mood has been jubilant here. People celebrating the ceasefire, piling into cars, heading home, singing victory songs. And as I drove south, the destruction became more and more apparent and the mood became more somber. I saw a lot of buildings burned, destroyed. I saw a crater the size of a swimming pool on a promenade along the Mediterranean coast.

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