Lebanon extends ceasefire amid Israel's failure to withdraw troops
BEIRUT

Lebanon has said that it would extend a ceasefire deal with Israel until mid-February, even though the Israeli military failed to meet a deadline to withdraw its troops and killed 22 people in the south of the country.
The deadly violence recorded by health officials on Jan. 26 came as residents tried to return home as Israel was scheduled to pull its troops from southern Lebanon.
The withdrawal deadline is part of a ceasefire agreement reached two months ago that ended Israel's war with Iran-backed Hezbollah, which had left the Lebanese militant group weakened.
The deal that took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, said the Lebanese military was to deploy alongside U.N. peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that ends on Jan. 26.
The parties have traded blame for the delay in implementing the agreement.
Israeli forces opened fire on “citizens who were trying to return to their villages that are still under [Israeli] occupation,” Lebanon’s Health Ministry said.
Some 22 people including six women and a soldier were killed and 124 more wounded.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its "troops operating in southern Lebanon fired warning shots to remove threats" where "suspects were identified approaching the troops.”