Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Tuesday that Israel had freed nine Lebanese prisoners under the terms of a more than six-week-old ceasefire and urged the release of another nine.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said Monday that Israel should withdraw from the occupied border areas in southern Lebanon, rejecting the extension of the cease-fire arrangements to Feb. 18.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared, "On this day, as the people of the wounded south expressed their deep attachment to their land and identity despite the Israeli threats, we extend our utmost respect to our resilient citizens,

Israeli forces killed 15 people and wounded 80 others Sunday when displaced residents of southern Lebanon defied Israel's decision not to withdraw from border villages and tried to return home.

Israeli forces kill two Lebanese civilians, wounding many others, as Lebanese villagers peacefully attempt to return to their homes in the south.

Over the weekend, thousands of Lebanese, some of them being supporters of Hezbollah, had an encounter with Israeli Defense Forces.

Lebanon said Monday it would extend implementation of a ceasefire agreement with Israel until February 18, after Israel failed to meet the deadline for withdrawing troops from the country's south.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hosted U.N. Friday evening at his residence in Beirut. The meeting was attended by U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix,

Two people were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley area, the Lebanese health ministry said on Friday, after the Israeli military said it had struck several Hezbollah targets overnight in the Bekaa Valley and along the Syrian-Lebanese border.

Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Will the people rally behind Aoun and Salam or return to Hezbollah's stubbornness, ask Karim Safieddine and Ahmed Sabra.

Naim Qassem insisted Hezbollah had emerged from the fight with Israel victorious, despite painful and unprecedented setbacks, and was unwilling to concede the group’s domestic position. Qassem also expressed Hezbollah’s satisfaction with Lebanon’s post-war political direction and said his group had a productive and positive relationship with Lebanon’s new president and prime minister-designate.

Five people were injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Selm on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said.