Lebanon reports 15 deaths as ceasefire deadline with Israel expires
Lebanon said 15 people were killed on Sunday in confrontations with Israeli forces in the south of the country.
The deaths came after a deadline expired for Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and the Iranian-allied Lebanese Hezbollah movement.
Despite the violence, many people were nevertheless attempting to return to homes they had fled during months of cross-border hostilities.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said at least 15 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 83 others injured in the Israeli attacks.
The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was killed and another injured by Israeli fire in two separate incidents. It accused Israel of failing to comply with the ceasefire deal.
The Israeli army said its troops operating in southern Lebanon had fired warning shots to "remove threats in a number of areas where suspects were identified approaching the troops."
The military added that suspects were apprehended for posing an imminent threat to its troops and were being questioned.
People have gathered since the early hours of Sunday trying to return to their towns and villages in the border area of southern Lebanon, the official Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) said.
The Israeli military has warned residents not to return to the area and accused Hezbollah of inciting tensions.
Online images purportedly showed people crossing a barbed wire fence and entering the southern town of Kfar Kila, carrying pictures and the Hezbollah banner.
Footage circulating online also showed a convoy of cars attempting to enter the southern town of Ayta al-Shaab, despite the Israeli army warning that it is still operating in the area.
The United Nations said on Sunday it is not yet safe for people to return to their places in southern Lebanon.
"As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages," UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the head of the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Aroldo Lázaro, said in a joint statement.
Some locals sounded resolute about returning to their towns in the region against the odds.
"We are determined to enter our villages, whatever the cost may be," Fatma, a woman from the southern town of Mais al-Jabal, told dpa as she was trekking towards her home town.
"We are here as civilians and not as armed people. We are the people of the land," Mohammed, a native of the southern town of Maroun al-Ras, said.
People were seen entering Maroun al-Ras and standing facing the nearby Israelis tanks, witnessed said.
"My son is still dead under the rubble. You have to allow me to enter to bury him properly," Zeinab, a woman from the southern town of Khiyam, shouted as she was speaking to Lebanese soldiers.
For his part, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, an ex-army chief, called on people to exercise restraint.
"Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable. I am following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity," Aoun, who took office earlier this month, told the southerners, according to NNA.
On Saturday, the Lebanese army blamed Israel for not being able to deploy its forces throughout southern Lebanon as stipulated by the ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November.
The Lebanese army said it is ready to complete its deployment as soon as the Israeli forces withdraw.
Under the 60-day ceasefire deal, which was announced on November 26, Israel was supposed to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon by Sunday.
The Israeli withdrawal was then to be followed by a deployment of the Lebanese army, which would patrol the border area with Israel in southern Lebanon alongside UN peacekeepers to prevent Hezbollah from returning and re-establishing a military presence in the area.
Israel said it delayed the withdrawal of its troops from southern Lebanon, insisting that the Lebanese side had not fully implemented its part of the ceasefire agreement.
According to media reports, Israel has asked the United States for a 30-day extension to the original deadline.
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