'Our honorable people, you amaze the world;' Hezbollah praises returnees to border villages

BEIRUT — Hezbollah issued a statement on Sunday praising southern Lebanese residents who have returned to their villages despite ongoing tensions.

“Our honorable people … today, you amaze the world once again, proving that you are a proud, loyal and courageous people,” the party statement read. 

The statement follows the return of thousands of residents to their homes in southern Lebanon after the deadline for the application of the 60-day truce agreement between Hezbollah and Israel officially ended. The Israeli army had issued orders for civilians not to return.

At least 15 people were killed including two Lebanese soldier and tens were injured in southern Lebanon after the Israeli army opened fire on residents returning to their villages and towns.

Under the agreement that concluded the two-month war between Hezbollah and Israel on Nov. 27, only the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers are permitted in southern Lebanon, from where the Israeli army was supposed to have completed its withdrawal by Jan. 26.

The agreement, which took effect on Nov. 27 and ended more than two months of warfare between Hezbollah and Israel, stipulates that the Lebanese Army must be deployed alongside U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, from where the Israeli army must "gradually" withdraw over 60 days. It also states that only the Lebanese Army and U.N. peacekeepers operate south of the Litani, from which Hezbollah is expected to withdraw and dismantle its infrastructure. 

Despite the expiry of the 60-day deadline for its withdrawal from Lebanese territory as part of the truce with Hezbollah, the Israeli army remains deployed in southern Lebanon. 

On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli army would not withdraw from southern Lebanon by the planned deadline, arguing that the agreement outlines a "phased withdrawal ... worded this way with the understanding that the withdrawal process may continue beyond 60 days." He also accused the Lebanese state for not having "fully enforced it," adding "the phrased withdrawal process will continue, in full coordination with the United States."