Israeli forces killed 22 people and wounded 124 others Sunday when displaced residents of southern Lebanon defied Israel's decision not to withdraw from border villages and tried to return home.

Demonstrators, some carrying Hezbollah flags, attempted to enter several villages to protest Israel’s failure to withdraw by the 60-day deadline.

Any prolonged Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon could breathe new life into Hezbollah, a group that was founded to liberate Lebanon from Israeli occupation and has portrayed itself as the only force capable of protecting Lebanon’s borders,

The Lebanese army said Saturday it was ready to deploy its forces in the country's south, accusing Israel of "procrastination" in its withdrawal under a ceasefire, a day before the pullout deadline.

The U.S. said on Sunday that the agreement between Lebanon and Israel would remain in effect until Feb. 18, after Israel said on Friday it would keep troops in the south beyond the Sunday deadline set out in a U.