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.
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Lebanon thanks US for prisoner release efforts
“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,” read a statement from Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who also thanked the United States for its “efforts exerted in this regard.”
In Washington, the US State Department said the releases were the “result of US-led mediation between two legitimate governments” and were finalized during a recent trip to Israel by the US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa.
“We commend the government of Israel and the government of Lebanon for demonstrating good faith through these initial steps, and hope this will serve as the basis for expanded discussions on other civilian issues,” added the statement.
Dozens of Lebanese prisoners are believed to be held in Israeli detention centers, including several Hezbollah militants but also a number of civilians and at least one Syrian national, according to a list of more than 30 people compiled by the prisoners’ families.
Why did Israel agree to release Lebanese prisoners?
As part of the deal to secure the release of the detained Lebanese civilians, Lebanon has been assisting in the search for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who Israel says were “abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations” during the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s.
A Lebanese official told the Associated Press that Lebanese authorities were “actively searching for the bodies of the Lebanese Jewish leaders.”
The statement from Netanyahu’s office described these “field operations” as “significant activity.”
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Nevertheless, despite the prisoner release, peace talks remain at an impasse.
In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a US-mediated framework deal under which Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah. But little progress has been made.
Israel-Lebanon talks remain stalled
The news came as Israeli forces reportedly detained more Lebanese citizens.
Lebanese state media reported that troops had entered the town of Halta in southern Lebanon earlier Thursday and seized three men “after the force surrounded several houses and prevented residents from leaving.”
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately comment.
“However difficult the negotiation process may seem, we will continue to mobilize all necessary efforts to safeguard Lebanon’s rights and the interests of the Lebanese people,” said Lebanese Prime Minister Salam ahead of further talks in Rome, Italy, later in September. “Particularly our people in the south.”
Hezbollah is not a party to the talks and insists it will not give up its weapons in any area north of southern Lebanon’s Litani river.
Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said their forces will not withdraw unless the Iran-backed militia is disarmed throughout Lebanon.
Edited by; Zac Crellin
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