Israel has agreed to release five civilians in exchange for Lebanese assistance in locating the bodies of missing Lebanese Jewish leaders killed in the 1980s. Talks aimed at ending the war with Hezbollah remain stalled.
A Lebanese man who had been held prisoner in Israel was released on Thursday, the first such handover since the outbreak of the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah six months ago.
The release of prisoner Malek Ghazi was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated his handover to the Lebanese army in the city of Tyre, Lebanon.
Ghazi is to be first of five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon who Israel has agreed to release.
“After their interrogation was completed, it became clear that they are civilians who are not members of any terrorist organization, have not engaged in terrorism, and there is no reason to continue holding them in Israel,” read a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lebanese officials told the AFP news agency that the four remaining prisoners are expected to be released on Friday.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel had agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were “abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations” in the 1980s, during Lebanon’s civil war.
Netanyahu’s statement said the five Lebanese captives after interrogation were found not to be “members of a terrorist organization” or “involved in terrorism.”
Prisoner released after US mediation
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the U.S. and its ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, for assisting in the release.
“We will continue working until all our prisoners are released, the fate of the missing is revealed, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory is achieved,” he said in a statement.
AFP/ AP
