Middle East crisis Israel-Hezbollah

The death toll rises after Israel opened fire on returning Lebanese

The death toll rises after Israeli military opened fire on Lebanese who tried to return to villages in southern Lebanon. According to information from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, eleven Lebanese have been killed and over 40 injured. According to the Lebanese military, one of the dead is a soldier, the news agencies report.

The Israeli military has banned residents from returning to villages in southern Lebanon, but according to AFP, hundreds of residents have defied the ban. The Israeli military is said to have opened fire when people tried to cross barriers set up by Israel. Some of the people trying to get to the villages were carrying Hezbollah flags, writes Reuters.

At noon on Sunday, the Israeli military stated that they had fired warning shots at several places in Lebanon after suspicious troops approached.

According to the ceasefire agreement signed at the end of November, the Israeli military was supposed to have left southern Lebanon by today. But on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it will not happen, as he believes that the Lebanese state has not followed through on its commitments in the agreement.

Lebanon has denied Israel's accusations and is urging the country to meet the deadline, Al Jazeera reports.

Macron urges parties to respect ceasefire

French President Emmanuel Macron is urging all parties to respect the ceasefire in Lebanon, TT reports.

The announcement comes after Israel announced on Friday that it will not leave southern Lebanon today, which was the intention according to the ceasefire agreement that was signed at the end of November.

Israel has accused Lebanon of not living up to its commitments in the agreement, while Lebanon in turn believes that Israel is trying to delay the ceasefire.

On Sunday morning, reports of injuries and deaths came after Israeli military opened fire on Lebanese trying to return to villages in southern Lebanon.