Washington, 27 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Israel and Lebanon have agreed to extend their ceasefire until February 18, US officials have announced.

According to a White House statement, officials from Lebanon, Israel and the US are to begin negotiations on the return of captives taken since the conflict escalated on October 7, 2023.

Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia agreed on a ceasefire at the end of November after more than a year of conflict. The US is one of a group of countries tasked with monitoring compliance with the ceasefire.

Tensions had once again been rising after a deadline expired for Israeli troops to withdraw from Lebanon as part of the deal.

The extension gives Israel more time to withdraw beyond the original agreement.

The Israeli withdrawal was then to be followed by a deployment of the Lebanese army, which would patrol the border area with Israel in southern Lebanon alongside UN peacekeepers to prevent Hezbollah from returning and re-establishing a military presence in the area.

Sunday's agreement came hours after Lebanon said Israeli forces killed 22 people in confrontations in the south of the country.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health said at least 22 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 124 others injured in the Israeli attacks.

The Lebanese army said one of its soldiers was killed and another injured by Israeli fire in two separate incidents. It accused Israel of failing to comply with the ceasefire deal.

The Israeli army said its troops operating in southern Lebanon had fired warning shots to "remove threats in a number of areas where suspects were identified approaching the troops."

The military added that suspects were apprehended for posing an imminent threat to its troops and were being questioned.

Despite the violence, many people were nevertheless attempting to return to homes they had fled during months of cross-border hostilities.

The United Nations said it is not yet safe for people to return to their places in southern Lebanon.

"As seen tragically this morning, conditions are not yet in place for the safe return of citizens to their villages," UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the head of the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Aroldo Lázaro, said in a joint statement.

Some locals sounded resolute about returning to their towns in the region against the odds.

"We are determined to enter our villages, whatever the cost may be," Fatma, a woman from the southern town of Mais al-Jabal, told dpa as she was trekking towards her home town.

"We are here as civilians and not as armed people. We are the people of the land," Mohammed, a native of the southern town of Maroun al-Ras, said.

People were seen entering Maroun al-Ras and standing facing the nearby Israelis tanks, witnesses said.

"My son is still dead under the rubble. You have to allow me to enter to bury him properly," Zeinab, a woman from the southern town of Khiyam, shouted as she was speaking to Lebanese soldiers.

For his part, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, an ex-army chief, called on people to exercise restraint.

"Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable. I am following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity," Aoun, who took office earlier this month, told the southerners, according the official Lebanese National News Agency.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, more than 4,000 people have been killed and about 17,000 injured in the cross-border conflict.

Photo: MIA archive