Israeli soldiers have killed 22 people and wounded 124 in southern Lebanon, the health ministry says, as the Israeli military remained deployed past a deadline for their withdrawal and Hezbollah's removal from the area. Thousands of residents returned to towns and villages near the border, despite warnings that the region was unsafe.

Three people were killed and 31 others wounded while trying to return to homes in south Lebanon as Israeli forces, defying a ceasefire agreement, remain in the region past the stipulated withdrawal deadline.