Alongside hundreds of others forced to flee south Lebanon, Amani Atrash and her family waited eagerly on Friday morning for bulldozers to reopen the Qasmiyeh bridge, which Israel bombed just hours before a ceasefire began.

Her family was among the tens of thousands of people hoping to go home after being displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war -- despite warnings against returning to the south from the Iran-backed militant group, Lebanese officials and the Israeli army, which continues to occupy parts of the area.

By Lili Bayer and Feras Dalatey

BRUSSELS/DAMASCUS, April 17 - The European Union plans to deepen its engagement with Syria by relaunching formal political contacts and paving the way for closer economic and security ties, according to a document seen by Reuters, marking the latest step in a broader policy shift after years of frozen relations.

By Laila Bassam and Thomas Suen

BEIRUT/QASMIYEH, Lebanon, April 17 (Reuters) - People uprooted by the war in Lebanon began returning home on Friday, checking whether their houses were still standing, though some did not plan to stay for fear a 10-day ceasefire in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel could prove fragile.

Hills of rubble marked the spot where buildings once stood in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs of Beirut, an area pummelled by Israel during more than six weeks of conflict that spiralled out of the war between the United States and Iran.

ANTALYA, Turkey, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said on Friday he expected Washington and Ankara to soon solve the issue of U.S. sanctions over Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 missile defences.

"I think you are going to see the S-400 situation solved soon. From my boss's point of view, acceptance into an F-35 programme is fine," Barrack said at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

In 2020, the U.S. sanctioned fellow NATO member Turkey over the purchase and removed it from a procurement and manufacturing programme for F-35 fighter jets.

The latest developments in the Middle East war:

- Russia hails ceasefire -

Moscow backed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, and said it hoped the pause in fighting could pave the way for a longer-term agreement.

"We certainly welcome the decision on a truce and hope that in these few days it will indeed be possible to reach agreements that will prevent a repeat of the military clashes," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, in response to a question by AFP.

DOUALA, April 17 (Reuters) - Thousands of people were gathering early on Friday in Douala, Cameroon's largest city and economic hub, for a Mass with Pope Leo that will likely be the biggest event of the pontiff's four-nation Africa tour.

The Vatican is expecting about 600,000 to fill streets around Japoma Stadium to be part of the celebration and hear an address from the pope, who has become outspoken on war and inequality and drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump.

A 10-day ceasefire deal struck between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, sending displaced residents streaming south towards their homes, even as the Lebanese army warned of "a number of violations" in the area.

Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), the army told residents of the south -- many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings -- not to return, citing "several Israeli acts of aggression".

A 10-day ceasefire deal struck between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, sending displaced residents streaming south towards their homes, even as the Lebanese army warned of "a number of violations" in the area.

Shortly after the truce went into effect at midnight local time (2100 GMT), the army told residents of the south -- many of whom had to flee their homes following sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings -- not to return, citing "several Israeli acts of aggression".

By Humeyra Pamuk, Ariba Shahid and Asif Shahzad

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 17 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went in to effect between Lebanon and Israel.

Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran could take place at the weekend and an extension of a two-week ceasefire was possible, but may not be needed as Tehran wanted a deal.

Turkey on Friday hosted a high‑stakes diplomatic forum bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz open and Islamabad steps up efforts to help end the Middle East war.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the shortest route to peace lay in dialogue and diplomacy.

"I believe the window of opportunity opened by the ceasefire should be used in the most effective way to establish lasting peace," he told the opening of the three‑day Antalya Diplomacy Forum at the Mediterranean resort.