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

The bloodshed, which one analyst said was unlikely to re-spark war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, came hours after the extension of a Sunday 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, updating an earlier toll of one dead.

It said the wounded included a child and a rescuer from the Risala Scouts association, affiliated with Hezbollah ally the Amal movement.

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 kilometres (20 miles) from the border and dismantle any remaining military........

© Al Monitor