Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu instructed the advancement of efforts to locate and retrn the bodies of Jewish community leaders in Lebanon who were kidnapped and murdered by terror groups in the mid-1980s, the Prime Minister's Office said Thursday. As part of the process, five Lebanese civilians detaind in IDF-controlled areas in southen Lebanon were released after their investigations confirmed they had no ties to terror organizations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered the acceleration of efforts to locate and repatriate the remains of Jewish community leaders in Lebanon who were abducted and killed by terror organizations in the mid-1980s, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed Thursday afternoon. As part of the operation, five Lebanese civilians who had been detained in IDF-controlled areas in southern Lebanon were released after their investigations confirmed they had no ties to terror organizations.
Earlier Thursday at 13:29 Jerusalem, reports emerged that Israel was expected to release five prisoners of war to Lebanon as part of US-mediated negotiations (N12), and that Lebanese authorities were searching for remains of missing Jewish individuals (Ynet). The PMO confirmation now officially links the release to the broader body recovery effort. The Zioneer reported in August that Israel and Lebanon were discussing a prisoner swap that would include the return of Jewish remains in exchange for Lebanese detainees.
The issue of the missing Jewish leaders — referred to in Hebrew as 'harugei hamalkhut' — has been a personal priority for Netanyahu since his tenure as Israel's ambassador to the UN. The release of the five detainees serves as a tangible goodwill gesture within the broader bilateral framework, which has included US-mediated talks. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday, September 1, Netanyahu met with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Issa and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who are leading the negotiations.
No timeline has been provided for the completion of the body recovery operation. The location and identification of the remains remain unconfirmed.
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