Beirut [Lebanon], January 27: Lebanon said 22 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 22 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 124 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 Lazaro, said in a joint statement.
Some locals sounded resolute about returning to their towns in the region against the odds.
Source: Qatar Tribune
