Israeli troops kill several, wound dozens as hundreds of residents try to return to south Lebanon
At least 22 people were killed and dozens more were wounded on Sunday after Israeli troops reportedly opened fire on residents trying to return to their homes in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces remain on the ground despite the end of the 60-day withdrawal period stipulated in the ceasefire agreement that ended the war with Hezbollah.
Israeli forces in southern Lebanon on Sunday opened fire on protesters demanding their withdrawal in line with a ceasefire agreement, killing at least 22 and injuring more than 80, Lebanese health officials reported.
The dead included two women and a Lebanese army soldier, the Health Ministry said in a statement. People were reported wounded in more than a dozen villages in the border area.
Demonstrators, some of them carrying Hezbollah flags, attempted to enter several villages to protest Israel’s failure to withdraw from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israel-Hezbollah war in late November.
Israel has said that it needs to stay longer because the Lebanese army has not deployed to all areas of southern Lebanon to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence in the area. The Lebanese army has said it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw.
The Israeli army blamed Hezbollah for stirring up Sunday's protests.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
Read also:
Israel says its troop withdrawal from Lebanon will extend beyond ceasefire deadline
Why Israel and Hezbollah's fragile ceasefire may already be faltering