Netanyahu Links Five Releases to Search for Murdered Lebanese Jewish Leaders

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he directed negotiators to advance the recovery of Lebanese Jewish community leaders abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations in the mid-1980s. He said Israel and Lebanon have conducted numerous recovery efforts in recent months, including activity on the ground. Israel decided to release five Lebanese civilians held in IDF-controlled southern Lebanon after investigations found they were not members of terrorist organizations and had not engaged in terrorism. Netanyahu linked the decision to the significant joint effort to locate and return the victims’ remains.