The attack comes as Israeli forces are supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon and allow people to return to their homes.

Israeli forces killed at least 3 people and wounded 31 in Lebanon that day Due to exit According to the ceasefire agreement.

Lebanon’s Public Health Ministry said on Sunday that Israeli forces opened fire on at least two border towns “on citizens trying to return to their villages.”

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee sent a message to residents of more than 60 villages in southern Lebanon early Sunday, telling them not to return.

The Israeli killings violated a ceasefire agreed in November and its forces were due to withdraw from Lebanon at 02:00 GMT on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blames Lebanon for delays, says Hezbollah There has been no retreat from the border area. Lebanon denies the claim and urges Israel to respect the deadline.

Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr reported from Borj al-Mlouk in southern Lebanon that the Israeli military claimed it needed to stay longer Hezbollah disarms and the dismantling of its military infrastructure.

“The Israelis say there are not enough Lebanese troops on the ground and accuse Hezbollah of still being here. There is no independent confirmation of these claims,” ​​she said. “

“People here have been away from their homes for more than a year. They believe that the Israeli military should withdraw under the ceasefire agreement. The 60-day deadline has passed.”

Under the terms of the truce, Lebanese troops will withdraw from the area within 60 days and will be deployed alongside United Nations peacekeepers in the south.

Hezbollah agreed to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

The deal between the United States and France in November ended more than a year of fighting sparked by Israel’s war in Gaza.