Netanyahu says 5 Lebanese freed in return for Jewish Lebanese remains

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that Israel decided to release five captive Lebanese civilians after “significant efforts” were made to “locate and repatriate the remains of leaders of Lebanon’s Jewish community who were abducted and killed” in the mid-1980s.

“As part of the negotiations with Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed officials to advance efforts to locate and repatriate the remains of leaders of Lebanon’s Jewish community who were abducted and killed by terrorist organizations in the mid-1980s,” the office said.

“The prime minister has been involved in this issue for decades, dating back to his tenure as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations,” it added.

It revealed that in recent months, both Lebanon and Israel have carried out numerous efforts to locate the remains, including operations on the ground.

“In light of these significant efforts, a decision was made to release five Lebanese citizens who had been detained in areas of southern Lebanon under Israeli military control,” the office added.

“After the investigation was completed, it was determined that they were civilians who did not belong to any terrorist organization and had not engaged in terrorist activity. Therefore, there was no justification for continuing to hold them in Israel,” it said.

The statement comes after one of the five captives was handed over to the Lebanese Army through the International Committee of the Red Cross. The other four captives were expected to be released within two hours, media reports said.

The development follows a visit to Israel by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa.