Israeli forces killed two people in southern Lebanon while trying to help displaced people return. Israel attacks Lebanon News

Israeli forces shot dead at least two people and wounded 17 on Monday in a second day of deadly protests in southern Lebanon, health officials said, as residents displaced by the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah. Attempted to return to villages where Israeli soldiers remained.

The shooting came a day after 24 people were killed and more than 130 were injured when Israeli troops opened fire on protesters who broke through border barriers.

Under a ceasefire brokered by the United States on 27 November, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah was to move north of the Litani River, about 30 km (20 mi) from the border, by 26 January.

While Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers had already deployed to several villages before the deadline, Israeli forces remained in more than a dozen villages.

The US and Lebanon announced on Sunday that the deadline to meet the terms of the ceasefire had been extended to February 18.

Protests resumed on Monday, especially in eastern border villages where residents attempted to return home.

The Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing one person in the town of Odaise and wounding seven others in four southern villages.

The Israeli military has blamed Hezbollah for inciting the protests and said soldiers fired warning shots when protesters approached.

On Monday, large numbers of unarmed residents, some waving Hezbollah flags, marched arm in arm or on motorcycles in the village of Ataroun, accompanied by ambulances, bulldozers and Lebanese Army tanks. They reached the edge of the city, but stopped short of Israeli positions and were unable to enter.

“We are coming to our village Aitaroun with our heads held high and wearing the crown of victory,” municipality head Salim Marad told the Associated Press news agency. “Our village is ours, and we will make it even more beautiful than before. we are staying.”

Lebanon’s official government National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israel dropped a bomb at the entrance to the southern village of Yaroun to prevent residents from moving forward.

In the city of Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah members distributed leaflets bearing the photo of leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September, and the words: “Victory has arrived.” Some residents waved Hezbollah flags.

“They think they are scaring us with their bullets, but we lived under bombardment, and bullets don’t scar us,” Mona Bazi told AFP news agency in Bint Jbeil.

Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from the Lebanese capital Beirut, said the protests were a show of defiance by Hezbollah and its supporters.

“Hezbollah has been severely weakened by the war over the past year, but the message from the group was that it has not been destroyed and that it still has influence in this country,” he said.

The NNA reported on Monday that Lebanese “army reinforcements” had arrived near Meis al-Jabal, a border town where residents had gathered to join forces.

The news agency said Israeli forces “fired in the direction of Lebanese forces” near Meis al-Jabal, although there were no casualties.

“We waited in long lines for hours but couldn’t enter,” Mohammed Chouker, 33, told AFP from Meis al-Jabal. He reported that Israeli soldiers were firing intermittently at civilians gathered at the entrance to the city.

In Houla, where the health ministry confirmed two injuries, NNA reported that residents managed to enter after the Lebanese army deployed in several areas.

Both sides have made allegations for delaying the implementation of the agreement.

Israel accused the Lebanese army of not deploying to the area fast enough, while the Lebanese army accused Israel of blocking its withdrawal, complicating its deployment efforts.

On Sunday, the Lebanese army confirmed it had entered several border areas, including Dhayra, Maroun al-Ras and Aita al-Shaab.

Some family members who entered border villages on Sunday found bodies of their relatives. More than 4,000 people were killed in Israeli attacks during the war.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has carried out almost daily operations such as demolishing homes, shelling and airstrikes in southern Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating ceasefire terms by attempting to move weapons. Lebanon, in turn, has accused Israel of hundreds of ceasefire violations.

Israeli military spokesman Avichai Adraee on Monday reiterated his call for residents of southern Lebanon to “wait” before returning.

Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said he did not expect a resurgence of major violence.

“Hezbollah no longer wants any further conflict with Israel; Its goal is to protect its achievements in Lebanon,” he told AFP.