Capt Jacob Dallal, a military spokesman, said the army was urging Lebanese civilians to stay out of the south until Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers moved in to oversee the ceasefire.

Lebanese, Israeli and UN officers met on the border to discuss the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the region, UN spokesman Milos Strugar said.

The next step in the peace effort—sending in a peacekeeping mission—appeared days away. The head of the existing UN force in Lebanon asked for reinforcements ‘‘as soon as possible,’’ and warned that the situation remains fragile.

Israel would continue to maintain its air and sea blockade of Lebanon to prevent arms from reaching Hizbollah guerrillas, Israeli army officials said.

In Bint Jbail, scene of heavy ground battles between guerrillas and Israeli soldiers, an entire swath of the town center was flattened and rows of cars sat incinerated in the streets. In Beirut, street life cautiously returned. Traffic was heavier and some stores reopened.

Thousands of vehicles crept south along bomb-blasted highways. Hizbollah distributed leaflets congratulating Lebanon on its ‘‘big victory’’ and thanking citizens for their patience during the fighting.