Israel Releases Five Lebanese Detainees in Bid to Secure Return of Jewish Remains

Israel released five Lebanese detainees on Thursday in a move aimed at advancing efforts to bring back the remains of leaders of Lebanon’s former Jewish communities, according to an announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office.

The five detainees were arrested in recent months. The move follows a similar step taken a year ago, when Israel released five Lebanese detainees captured during fighting in Lebanon as part of negotiations with the Lebanese government.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the five individuals released Thursday are civilians and have no affiliation with Hezbollah. They were detained during fighting, but were not identified as members of the Iran-backed organization.

Israel-Lebanon talks reportedly include return of Jewish remains

The reported prisoner release comes amid negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over a possible exchange involving Lebanese detainees and the remains of Jews buried in Lebanese cemeteries.

On August 10, the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israel and Lebanon were discussing a “civilian prisoner exchange deal.” According to the report, Israeli officials had raised the possibility of transferring the remains of Jews buried in Lebanese cemeteries to Israel.

The issue reportedly emerged during talks concerning Lebanese prisoners and detainees held by Israel. The discussions focused in particular on individuals Israel considers civilians whose ties to Hezbollah were unclear, but who were nevertheless detained because they were viewed as posing a danger to IDF forces.

Israeli representatives reportedly highlighted what Al-Akhbar characterized as a substantial number of Jewish remains located in cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told The Jerusalem Post that the latest round of discussions between Israel and Lebanon was “positive.” Israeli and Lebanese military representatives participated in the talks, which were held in Rome.

Idan Kweller and Shir Perets contributed to this report.