Detainee releases open new chapter in Lebanon-Israel talks — the details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

As Lebanese detainees begin to be released from Israeli prisons, diplomacy between Tel Aviv and Beirut is entering a new phase of understanding.

Israel has agreed to release five Lebanese detainees in a move that informed sources described as one of the key outcomes of a meeting between U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu said the detainees being released have no ties to armed groups and that their release is part of negotiations with Lebanon to recover the remains of leaders of the Jewish community who were killed there in the 1980s. He has been following the issue for decades.

The next outcome of the meeting is expected to emerge during the Rome negotiations, despite Israel’s continued intransigence over the security belts, the ongoing deployment of its forces in southern Lebanon and, most importantly, Ali al-Taher Hill, which has remained a key point of contention amid escalating threats between Israel, Iran and Hezbollah.

Iran has placed Ali al-Taher Hill high on its list of priorities and warned that any Israeli attack on the site would trigger a strong response, particularly as Iranian military personnel, including two senior officers, along with Hezbollah fighters, are reportedly sheltering there.

Military officials revealed that the number of Hezbollah fighters at the site has decreased after some managed to exit through tunnels despite the Israeli army’s encirclement of the area.

The Israeli-Iranian confrontation extends beyond Ali al-Taher Hill to the broader issue of Iran itself.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued threats hours after a message conveyed by the U.S. president to Israel, reassuring it that there was no need to be concerned about the possibility of an Iranian attack. 

U.S. officials explained that the current objective is not to expand the conflict with Iran, but rather to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on ships and prevent Tehran from strengthening its missile arsenal.

Israel, however, has continued issuing threats and warnings, while the country’s air force and air defense systems have announced full readiness for any escalation with Iran.

Amid the Iranian escalation and Israeli response, the United States is seeking to maintain the track of understandings between Beirut and Tel Aviv, while any regional escalation could still derail the process.