Daijiworld Media Network – Beirut

Beirut, Sep 5: Four Lebanese prisoners held by Israel were released and handed over to Lebanese authorities through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Friday as part of a US-mediated understanding between Israel and Lebanon.

The release followed an agreement under which Lebanon would assist in searching for the remains of Jewish Lebanese citizens who went missing during the country’s civil war in the 1980s.

Five civilians in total were released under the arrangement. The first detainee, Malek Ghazi, was handed over to the ICRC and subsequently to the Lebanese army on Thursday.

The four released on Friday included two Lebanese citizens and two Syrians who had been detained in Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials. It was not immediately clear whether the Syrian nationals would be returned to Syria.

An ICRC convoy carrying the detainees travelled towards the Naqoura border crossing in southern Lebanon before returning to the Lebanese army barracks in Tyre.

Families gathered to welcome their relatives. Hussein Ayash, from Harouf, told his family after crossing into Lebanon that he had been detained for around three months.

Ayash later returned to his hometown, where relatives welcomed him with hugs and kisses as villagers showered him with rose petals. He described his release and return home as feeling “like the day you are born anew”.

The ICRC said it had not been granted access to detainees held in Israel since October 2023 and urged authorities to allow its teams to visit those still in detention.

“Many families in Lebanon are still waiting for answers about the fate of loved ones who may be detained, deceased or otherwise unaccounted for,” the organisation said.

The issue of missing detainees remains a concern. Lebanese officials said several residents of the village of Halta were still unaccounted for following previous Israeli raids.

An Israeli military statement said three people recently detained in Halta were members of the Lebanese Resistance Brigades, which it said operates on behalf of Hezbollah. A local official, however, said the men were civilians and that Hezbollah had no presence in the village.

The prisoner release comes amid ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, which do not have diplomatic relations. The talks have been facilitated by the United States as the two sides seek to address security issues following renewed fighting involving Israel and Hezbollah.

A framework agreement signed in June called for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in return for the disarmament of Hezbollah. However, implementation has made little progress, with Israel insisting on Hezbollah's disarmament across Lebanon and the militant group rejecting demands to surrender its weapons north of the Litani River.

Another round of talks is expected to be held in Rome later this month.

Meanwhile, Lebanon's Health Ministry said Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley on Friday killed three people and injured 23 others. Israel said the strikes were carried out in response to a Hezbollah drone attack on its forces in southern Lebanon.