BEIRUT: Israeli firing on returnees to Southern Lebanon ahead of ceasefire deadline has killed a woman and injured many others, International media reports said.
Israeli forces opened fire on a group of residents attempting to return to the village of Houla in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese state-run news agency reported.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the incident, which comes two days before the deadline for implementation of a ceasefire agreement that ended the latest war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in late November. It includes a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
The original deadline was in late January but Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend it to Feb. 18. Hours before they agreed to the extension on Jan. 27, hundreds of protesters attempted to enter villages still occupied by the Israeli army to demand its withdrawal, and Israeli forces opened fire in several locations, killing more than 20 people. Israel blamed Hezbollah for sending “rioters.”
It remained unclear whether Israel will fully withdraw from Lebanese territory on Tuesday.
Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said in a televised speech on Sunday that Israel “must withdraw from all of the Lebanese territory that it has occupied” on Feb. 18.
“There can be no excuses, no five points or other details under any pretext or any title. This is the agreement,” he said.
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