The ceasefire is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Traffic jams line the route between Beirut and the south after the ceasefire began at 04:00 local time (02:00 GMT).

While the ceasefire largely held on Wednesday morning, Israel said it identified Hezbollah operatives returning to areas near the border and had opened fire to prevent them from coming closer.