State Department commends Israel’s release of Lebanese prisoners, wants more talks

The State Department on Thursday commended Israel’s release of Lebanese prisoners to Lebanon and said it hoped for further talks between the two countries, which have been at war for decades.

“In 2006, Hezbollah destroyed South Lebanon by trying to kidnap Israelis and hold remains to exchange for detainees. Today, as a result of US-led mediation between two legitimate governments, Israel is releasing detainees and Lebanon is helping Israel recover the lost remains of Lebanese Jews,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that Israel had agreed to release five Lebanese civilians detained by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon after Lebanon provided assistance in searching for the bodies of Lebanese Jewish leaders who were “abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations” in the 1980s, during Lebanon’s civil war.

The State Department official said Lebanon and Israel held direct talks on civilian issues during last month’s US-mediated talks in Rome.

According to the official, US ambassadors in Lebanon and Israel finalized the release of Lebanese prisoners during Michel Issa’s trip to Israel this week.

Issa, the US envoy to Beirut, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his earlier visit to Tel Aviv, helping set the stage for the release.

The State Department praised the “good faith” measures by Lebanon and Israel and said it hoped they would serve as a basis for expanded discussions on other civilian issues.

Washington is preparing for the next round of Lebanese-Israeli talks in Rome later this month. “We remain committed to the full implementation of the Trilateral Framework,” the State Department official said, referring to a signed agreement among the three countries that is supposed to lead to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and the disarmament of Iran-backed Hezbollah.