2 killed in southern Lebanon as protests against Israeli presence erupt for a second day

BEIRUT (AP) — Firing by Israeli troops killed two people and wounded 17 on Monday in the 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 troops remain.

The shooting came a day after 24 people were killed and more than 130 wounded when Israeli troops opened fire on protesters who breached roadblocks set up along the border.

Under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Nov. 27, Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah was to move north of the Litani River by Jan. 26. While the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers had already deployed in several villages before the deadline, Israel remained in over a dozen villages.

The United States and Lebanon announced later on Sunday that the deadline to meet the ceasefire terms had been extended to Feb. 18.

In a pre-recorded speech aired Monday, Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said his group won’t accept the extension of the ceasefire deadline, without addressing the fact that the Lebanese government had already done so.

“Israel has to withdraw because the 60 days are over,” Kassem said. “We won’t accept any excuses to extend one second or one day.”

“Any delay in the withdrawal is the responsibility of the United Nations, the US, France and Israel,” he added.

Kassem also said his group has not violated the ceasefire terms and acknowledged that they considered retaliating against Israeli airstrikes but were advised by Lebanese authorities against it.

Protests resumed Monday particularly in eastern border villages, where residents again attempted to return home. Israeli troops opened fire, killing one person in the town of Odaisseh and wounding seven others across four southern villages, the Health Ministry reported.

The Israeli military has blamed Hezbollah for pushing people to protest and has said soldiers fired warning shots when demonstrators approached.

In the village of Aitaroun, scores of unarmed residents, some waving Hezbollah flags, marched hand-in-hand or rode motorcycles, escorted by ambulances, bulldozers and Lebanese army tanks. They approached the edge of the town but stopped short of Israeli positions, unable to enter.

“We are coming with our heads held high and crowned with victory to our village, Aitaroun,” said Saleem Mrad, head of the municipality. “Our village is ours, and we will bring it back more beautiful than it was before. We are staying.”

Hassan al-Ahmad, a Aitaroun resident, said, “We have to give our blood and our souls. If there had not been blood spilled, the land would not have been liberated.”

Lebanon’s national news agency reported that Israel dropped a bomb at the entrance of the southern village of Yaroun to deter residents from proceeding farther.

In the town of Bint Jbeil, Hezbollah members handed out flyers featuring slain leader Hassan Nasrallah with the words, “Victory has arrived.” Some residents waved Hezbollah flags.

Israel blamed the Lebanese army for not deploying to the region fast enough, while the Lebanese military accused Israel of stalling its withdrawal, complicating its deployment efforts.

Some family members who entered border villages Sunday discovered the bodies of their relatives. Israeli strikes have killed over 4,000 people during the war, but Lebanese authorities do not distinguish between fighters and civilians in their death toll.

Since the ceasefire began, Israel has conducted near-daily operations such as house demolitions, 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.

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Associated Press journalist Bilal Hussein in Aitaroun, Lebanon, contributed to this report.