Israel has agreed to release five Lebanese detained during operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
Earlier on Tuesday, “a quadrilateral meeting was held in Naqoura, Lebanon, with the participation of IDF representatives, as well as representatives from the U.S., France and Lebanon,” the PMO said.
They agreed to “establish three joint working groups aimed at stabilizing the region and will focus on the following issues: the five points Israel controls in Southern Lebanon; discussions on the Blue Line [de facto border] and points that remain in dispute; and the issue of Lebanese detainees held by Israel,” according to the statement from Jerusalem.
“In coordination with the U.S. and as a gesture to the new Lebanese president, Israel agreed to release five Lebanese detainees,” it added.
The statement did not name the individuals set for release and whether or not they were members of the Hezbollah terror group. According to Al-Jazeera, a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross was on its way to transfer the prisoners to Lebanon.
In an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed television channel shortly before the PMO issued its statement, Morgan Ortagus, U.S. deputy special envoy to the Mideast, confirmed that a “civilian working group” was launched to address diplomatic issues between Israel and Lebanon.
Ortagus said the United States was working on making the Lebanese Armed Forces the sole authority in Hezbollah-dominated Southern Lebanon.
Earlier on Tuesday, Lebanon’s Hezbollah-linked Al Akhbar newspaper reported that Jerusalem was set to return to Lebanon five individuals arrested by the Israel Defense Forces, as well as a Lebanese soldier.
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that a Lebanese individual, shot by Israeli soldiers after approaching the border on Monday, had been evacuated for treatment in a hospital inside the Jewish state.
According to the Lebanese Armed Forces, the wounded individual in question was an LAF soldier wearing civilian clothes.
The Israeli military did not confirm that the individual was a member of the LAF or where the incident occurred, saying only that its soldiers had acted according to “standard operating procedures” during the incident.
The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. The ceasefire, which went into effect on Nov. 27, ended more than a year of war after Hezbollah began launching attacks on Oct. 8, 2023, the day after the Hmas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The IDF confirmed last month that its forces would remain in five outposts in Southern Lebanon beyond the ceasefire deadline. The decision was made in conjunction with the U.S. administration.
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