Lebanon has demanded that Israeli forces fully withdraw from its territory in the south as agreed under a ceasefire agreement involving Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, Lebanese leaders said the Israeli military’s presence in the country in five locations is an “occupation” and said that Beirut was in touch with France and the United States to press the Israeli army to completely withdraw from southern Lebanon.

Under the truce deal, Israel was supposed to complete its withdrawal from the south by January 26, but the deadline was extended to Tuesday after Israel refused to comply.

Lebanon’s army, which under the truce deal should deploy across the south of the country as Israeli forces vacate, reported on Tuesday morning that Israel was present in about a dozen villages and border areas.

Later on Tuesday, Lebanon’s civil defence said it recovered 23 bodies from several towns bordering Israel.

“Specialised teams today … managed to remove 14 bodies from Meiss el-Jabal, three from Markaba and three from Kfar Kila, in addition to three from Odaisseh,” said the civil defence statement published by the state-run National News Agency.

The Israeli military began its partial pullback on Tuesday morning, but said it will remain in five strategic locations, warning it was ready to resume hostilities.

Israeli military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani confirmed that the army will maintain a presence at five hilltop locations to provide vantage points and protection for communities in northern Israel.

He claimed the “temporary measure” was approved by the US-led body monitoring the ceasefire.

Earlier, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held talks with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss Israeli violations of the truce deal, a statement from the president’s office said.

Lebanon is also set to ask the United Nations Security Council to force Israel to comply fully with the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that the army has erected new posts on the Israeli side of the border and sent reinforcements.

“We are determined to provide full security to every northern community,” Katz said.

Hezbollah and Israel agreed on the ceasefire in November, following months of cross-border hostilities and war, as the Iran-aligned Lebanese group reacted to Israel’s war in Gaza with rocket attacks on northern Israel, which were reciprocated by fire from the Israeli side.

Israel then launched a ground incursion and bombardments that killed more than 4,000 people across Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Under the deal, brokered by the US and France, Lebanon’s military was to deploy in the south of the country alongside UN peacekeepers, as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period.

Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30km (18.6 miles) from the border, and dismantle its remaining military infrastructure there.

Fragile deal

The refusal by Israel to withdraw all of its forces confers more uncertainty over the fragile ceasefire deal.

Israel has been engaged in sporadic attacks that it says target Hezbollah forces, in violation of the terms of the ceasefire. The Lebanese group has denied accusations against it.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded 330 air raids and shellings carried out by Israel between November 27 and January 10, and 260 property destructions.

Authorities estimate reconstruction costs could reach more than $10bn, while some 100,000 people remain internally displaced, according to UN figures.

The authorities in Lebanon on Monday rejected any extension of the withdrawal period and urged the sponsors of the deal to pressure Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will do what it has to in order to “enforce” the ceasefire, declaring that “Hezbollah must be disarmed”.