Good evening. I'm William Brangham. Jeff Bennett and Omna Nawaz are away. On the news hour tonight,

people begin returning to southern Lebanon as the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding.

We speak with the U.S. envoy who helped broker the deal. President-elect Donald Trump chooses a skeptic of COVID lockdowns to lead the National Institutes

of Health, a further sign of major shifts in key governmental agencies.

And lacking enough manpower to push back Russia's invasion, Ukraine resorts to harsh means to force draft

Dodgers into combat.

Welcome to the news hour. The ceasefire between the Israeli and Lebanese governments,

and including the militant group Hezbollah that went into effect early this morning, appears to be holding.

And for the first time in nearly 14 months, residents on both sides of the border are heading back to their homes rather

than running from bombs. Nick Schiffren speaks to the American negotiator who helped secure

the deal, but first, he reports on the situation on the ground today.

Today in southern Lebanon, a rare and precious feeling, hope.

Families displaced by 14 months of war rushed to return home.

And Lebanese soldiers rushed to the country's borders the first step to implementing

the ceasefire.

In Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut, a celebration amidst destruction.

They say the U.S. designated terrorist group ended the war with victory.

But at great cost.

The U.N. says Israeli airstrikes damaged or destroyed nearly 25,000 homes.

I have no other place to stay, so I'm forced to do this.

We say that as long as we are safe, everything can be compensated.

On the Israeli side of the border, soldiers today patrols through areas no longer under

...