Israel is expected to release Lebanese detainees as part of an emerging understanding with Beirut involving efforts to locate and identify the remains of Lebanese and Israeli Jews who disappeared during Lebanon’s civil war.
An Israeli official told reporters last month that Israel and Lebanon had been conducting indirect negotiations over the identification and return of human remains, alongside the release of Lebanese detainees.
Saudi-based Al-Hadath reported that one of the Lebanese citizens slated for release was identified as Malek Kamal Razi, with the handover expected to take place through the Naqoura crossing along the Israel-Lebanon border.
However, subsequent reporting by the Associated Press identified the first released detainee as Malek Ghazi.
The development comes against the backdrop of broader US-mediated contacts between Israel and Lebanon aimed at reducing tensions along their border and addressing outstanding security and political issues.
It also follows a meeting in Jerusalem between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Both American diplomats have been involved in efforts to facilitate direct discussions between Israel and Lebanon.
The prisoner release is being viewed as a potential confidence-building measure in the wider negotiations.
According to the latest reports, Israel agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces after Lebanon assisted in efforts to locate the remains of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were abducted and killed by militant groups during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s.
Israeli authorities said the detainees were found, after interrogation, not to have been members of terrorist organisations or involved in terrorism.
The first detainee, identified by Lebanese officials as Malek Ghazi, was handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at Naqoura before being transferred to Lebanese authorities.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the development and thanked Washington for its role in facilitating the release, while stressing that Beirut would continue working to secure the release of other Lebanese detainees and determine the fate of missing persons.
Israel set to release Lebanese detainees in exchange for information on missing Jewish remains