BEIRUT, Aug 27, 2006 (AFP) - Israeli troops still occupy nine positions in southern Lebanon two weeks after a ceasefire between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah ended more than a month of heavy fighting, a Lebanese military official said Sunday.

Israeli troops also continue carrying out nightly incursions in border villages, "taking advantage of respect for the ceasefire from the Lebanese side," the official, who did not want to be named, told AFP.

Under a UN-brokered ceasefire that put an end to the fighting August 14, Lebanese troops have continued pushing into the country's south for the first time in decades, but have so far not deployed directly along the border with Israel.

The spokesman said the Lebanese military was awaiting the arrival of UN peacekeepers at many points along the contested frontier. Some 15,000 foreign troops are expected in southern Lebanon under an expanded UN peacekeeping mission.

The Israeli withdrawal could be completed within one week following the deployment of UN troops, the spokesman said.

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