Israeli soldiers have killed 15 people and wounded more than 80 in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese health ministry says, as the Israeli military remained in parts of the country after the expiration of a deadline for their withdrawal, and Hezbollah's removal from the area.
On Sunday morning, thousands of residents returned to towns and villages along the border, despite warnings by the Lebanese and Israeli armies, and the UN, that the region remained unsafe.
Israel said the 60-day ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah had not been fully implemented, and it remained unclear how many of its soldiers remained in Lebanon or how long they would stay.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, Israeli forces attacked people as they tried to enter locations that were still under occupation. The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers had been killed and another wounded by Israeli fire.
The Israeli military said it had fired "warning shots in multiple areas" of southern Lebanon, without specifying if people had been hit, and apprehended several people it claimed posed an "imminent threat".
The ceasefire deal, which was brokered by the US and France and put an end to 14 months of conflict, stipulated the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the removal of Hezbollah fighters and weapons from southern Lebanon. At the same time, thousands of Lebanese soldiers were expected to be deployed to the area where, for decades, Hezbollah has been the dominant force.
A Western diplomatic official familiar with the negotiations, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel had said it needed more time to destroy Hezbollah's infrastructure in southern Lebanon, and that the initial plan was for a 30-day extension.
In recent days, Hezbollah's TV station Al Manar appeared to encourage people to return south and, in some places, convoys arrived waving the yellow and green flag of the group.
The passing of the ceasefire deadline is the first major test for the new Lebanese president, army chief Joseph Aoun, who is keen to bring stability to a country exhausted by multiple crises.
In a statement issued on Sunday, he said Lebanon's "sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable", adding that he was "following this issue at the highest levels".
The conflict escalated last September, leading to an intense Israeli air campaign across Lebanon, the assassination of Hezbollah's senior leaders and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon. The offensive killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon - including many civilians - and led to the displacement of more than 1.2 million residents.
