Israel to release five Lebanese detainees amid talks with Lebanon
Israel is releasing five Lebanese detainees as part of ongoing negotiations to recover the remains of Jewish leaders killed in the 1980s. This move follows a U.S.-mediated framework agreement aimed at prisoner exchanges and regional stability.
Why it matters
The release serves as a diplomatic gesture amid complex regional tensions and ongoing efforts to resolve long-standing humanitarian and security issues between Israel and Lebanon.
Israel will release five Lebanese citizens detained in southern Lebanon after finding they had no links to militant groups, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Thursday (September 3, 2026).
It said the decision came amid negotiations with Lebanon to recover the remains of Jewish community leaders kidnapped and killed there in the mid-1980s.
Israel and Lebanon have carried out several efforts in recent months to locate the remains, including operations on the ground, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said.
Israel has already released one of the five, Malek Kamal Ghazi, who was captured in October 2025 and handed over by the Red Cross to Lebanese authorities at the Naqoura crossing, a Lebanese security source and a source at the prisoners’ commission told Reuters .
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