Israeli forces opened fire in south Lebanon on Sunday as war-displaced residents were trying to return home, killing 22 people and wounding 124 others, the Lebanese health ministry said.

"The aggression of the Israeli enemy against our citizens who were trying to return to their villages that are still under occupation has led to 22 dead, including six women and a soldier, and 124 wounded" across 19 border towns and villages, said a ministry statement, revising an earlier toll of 15 killed.

The dead included two women and a Lebanese army soldier, the health ministry said in an earlier statement. People were reported wounded in more than a dozen villages in the border area.

Residents attempted to enter several villages to protest Israel’s failure to withdraw from southern Lebanon by the 60-day deadline stipulated in a ceasefire agreement that halted the Israeli escalation against Lebanon and Hezbollah in late November.

Israel has claimed that it needs to stay longer because the Lebanese army has not deployed to all areas of southern Lebanon to ensure that Hezbollah does not reestablish its presence in the area.

The Lebanese army has said it cannot deploy until Israeli forces withdraw.

Lebanese 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 I am following up on this issue at the highest levels to ensure your rights and dignity."

He urged them to "exercise self-restraint and trust in the Lebanese Armed Forces." The Lebanese army, in a separate statement, said it was escorting civilians into some towns in the border area and called on residents to follow military instructions to ensure their safety

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal Movement party is allied with Hezbollah and who served as an interlocutor between the group and the U.S. during ceasefire negotiations, said that Sunday's bloodshed "is a clear and urgent call for the international community to act immediately and compel Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories."

Last week, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned that any delay in Israel's withdrawal "would necessitate a firm response from the state." The group also threatened to resume rocket and drone fire if Israel failed to withdraw on time.

The Israeli aggression has displaced over 1 million people in southern Lebanon. While many have returned, around 112,000 Lebanese remain displaced.

In the village of Aita al Shaab, families wandered over flattened concrete structures looking for remnants of the homes they left behind. No Israeli forces were present, AP reported.

"These are our houses," said Hussein Bajouk, one of the returning residents. "However much they destroy, we will rebuild."