Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know
Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization" and "were not involved in terrorism," concluding, "There is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."
Israel will release five Lebanese prisoners as a goodwill gesture as part of the ongoing US-brokered negotiations between the two countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed in a statement Thursday.
An eighth round of talks between the parties is scheduled for later this month in Rome, though no date has been announced. Haaretz reported Thursday that talks could resume in the coming days.
When US-mediated Israel-Lebanon talks kicked off in Washington in April, Netanyahu instructed Israel's negotiating team to prioritize efforts to recover the remains of Jewish community leaders in Lebanon who were abducted and killed by militant groups in the mid-1980s, according to the statement.
“Numerous operations have been carried out to locate them, both by Lebanon and Israel, including field operations,” the statement said. It went on, "In light of this significant activity, it was decided to release five Lebanese citizens who were detained in areas under IDF control in southern Lebanon."
