2 dead, 17 hurt as citizens try again to return to southern border villages

Lebanon's heath ministry said Israeli fire killed two people Monday and wounded 17 others in the south, in a second day of Israeli violence as residents tried again to return to border villages.

The bloodshed, which one analyst said was unlikely to re-spark war, came hours after the extension of a deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from south Lebanon under a November ceasefire deal.

The ministry said Israeli fire killed 24 returnees on Sunday.

"Israeli enemy attacks as citizens attempt to return to their towns that are still occupied have led... to two dead and 17 wounded," the health ministry said Monday in a statement.

It reported one dead and two wounded in the border town of Adaisseh, with others wounded in Bani Hayyan, including a child, as well as in Yaroun and Houla.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said earlier Monday that Lebanon had agreed to an extension of the ceasefire deal between Hezbollah and Israel until February 18, after the Israeli military missed Sunday's deadline to withdraw.

In south Lebanon, residents accompanied by the army were again trying to return to their villages, official media and AFP correspondents reported.

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem is scheduled to deliver a televised address at 6:30 pm (1630 GMT).

- 'Bullets don't scare us' -

In the village of Burj al-Moulouk, an AFP photographer saw dozens of men, women and children gathering in the morning behind a dirt barrier, some holding yellow Hezbollah flags, hoping to reach the border town of Kfar Kila, where the Israeli military is still deployed.

In the city of Bint Jbeil, an access point for many border villages, Hezbollah supporters were distributing sweets, water and images of former chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in September.

Others handed out stickers celebrating the "victory from God" as women held pictures of slain Hezbollah fighters.

"They think they are scaring us with their bullets, but we lived under the bombing and bullets don't scare us," said Mona Bazzi in Bint Jbeil.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said that Lebanese "army reinforcements" had arrived near the border town of Mays al-Jabal, where people had started to gather at "the entrance of the town" in preparation for entering alongside the military.

It said the Israeli army had "opened fire in the direction of the Lebanese army" near the town, without reporting casualties there.

"We waited in a long line for hours, but couldn't enter," said Mohammad Shqeir, 33, from Mays al-Jabal, adding that Israeli troops "were opening fire from time to time on civilians gathered at the entrance of the town."

In nearby Houla, where the health ministry reported two wounded, the NNA said residents entered "after the deployment of the army in several neighborhoods."

Under the ceasefire deal that took effect on November 27, the Lebanese military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period, which ended on Sunday.

Hezbollah was also to pull back its forces north of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border.

- Bulldozers -

Both sides have traded blame for delays in implementing the deal, which came after more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.

Lebanon's army said Sunday that it had entered several border areas including Dhayra, Maroun al-Ras and Aita al-Shaab.

An AFP photographer in Aita al-Shaab on Monday saw widespread destruction, with newly returned families among the ruins of their homes, as bulldozers worked to open roads and rescue teams searched for any bodies leftover from the conflict.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee on Monday called again for south Lebanon residents to "wait" before returning.

Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, said he did not expect a return to major violence.

"Hezbollah no longer wants any further confrontation with Israel, its goal is to protect its achievements in Lebanon," he told AFP.

The health ministry said Monday that Israeli fire killed 24 people who were trying to return to their villages the previous day, updating an earlier toll of 22 dead.

The Israeli military had said soldiers "fired warning shots to remove threats" where "suspects were identified approaching the troops."

The Lebanese Army said Sunday it would "continue to accompany residents" returning to the south and "protect them from Israeli attacks."