In pictures: Lebanese troops return

Lebanese troops and police have been given a rousing welcome by residents of southern Lebanon as they returned to territory lost to the Israelis more than 20 years ago. Israel pulled out in May.

The returning troops were given a hero's welcome, as about 1,000 tanks drove into southern Lebanon.

Lebanese people did not hold back from showing their joy. Their villages had been Israeli-occupied since 1978.

Residents showered the troops with rose petals and rice. "We spent all night waiting for them," said one.

United Nations peacekeepers have been in the area for a week; tensions remain between Lebanon and Israel.

At the weekend Israeli troops shot at Lebanese civilians throwing stones over the border. Four were injured.

Reports say there was little sign of Hezbollah fighters, despite banners of their leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The Lebanese re-occupation was a symbolic moment, as troops took up their patrol duties.