The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Sunday that it is "very concerned about reports of Lebanese civilians returning to villages where" Israeli forces are still present and of "casualties due to Israeli fire."

Israeli troops fired at residents of south Lebanon on Sunday, killing 22 and wounding 124, health officials said, as hundreds of people tried to return to their homes on the deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from the area.

The dead included six women and a Lebanese army soldier, the Health Ministry said in a statement. People were reported wounded in more than a dozen villages in the border area.

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Lt. Gen. Aroldo Lázaro on Sunday issued a statement commenting on the situation in south Lebanon after Israel refrained from withdrawing its troops prior to the January 27 deadline.

The Lebanese army said Sunday that it was escorting civilians into some southern Lebanese border towns and called on residents to follow military instructions to ensure their safety, as Israeli gunfire killed at least three of the returnees and wounded 44 others.

President Joseph Aoun said in a statement addressing the people of southern Lebanon on Sunday that “Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable" and that he is "following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity.”

"This is a day of victory for Lebanon and the Lebanese -- a victory of right, sovereignty and national unity. As I share you this great joy, I call on you to show restraint and trust the Lebanese Armed Forces, which are keen on protecting our sovereignty and security and securing your safe return to your homes and towns," Aoun said in a statement.

President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam are “not opposed to giving the finance portfolio to the Shiite community, but not to the Shiite Duo,” MTV reported on Friday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday confirmed that Israel will keep its army in south Lebanon beyond the 60-day deadline mentioned in the ceasefire agreement, accusing Lebanon of not fully implementing its part of the arrangements.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah al-Yahya began an official visit Friday to Lebanon, after the country elected a new president and appointed a PM-designate.

Hezbollah said Thursday that it will be the responsibility of the Lebanese state to act and press the countries sponsoring the ceasefire agreement should Israel delay its military pullout from south Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat said on Thursday he believes crisis-hit Lebanon’s newly elected president and his prime-minister designate are capable of spearheading long-sought reforms.

"We are greatly confident in the ability of... the president and the prime minister to initiate reforms necessary to bolster Lebanon’s security, stability and unity," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after meeting President Joseph Aoun in Baabda, during the first high-level Saudi visit in more than a decade.