Israel and Lebanon Open Border Negotiations as Israel Agrees to Withdraw from Five Positions

In a statement, Netanyahu’s office said, “A four-party meeting was held today in Naqoura, Lebanon, with representatives from the Israeli army, the United States, France, and Lebanon.”

He added that the parties agreed to form three joint working groups aimed at stabilizing the region, focusing on various issues.

One key issue under discussion is the Israeli army’s withdrawal from five positions it has occupied in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire with Hezbollah. The negotiations will also address the original land border between Israel and Lebanon prior to the war.

Netanyahu further stated that the negotiations would include the release of Lebanese detainees who have been held in Israel since the beginning of the war.

“As a goodwill gesture toward newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, and in coordination with the United States, Israel has agreed to release five Lebanese detainees,” he said.

Israel and Lebanon Agree to Border Talks

The U.S. news website Axios reported on Tuesday that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to begin negotiations to resolve disputes over their land borders.

A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously, stated that as part of the understanding between the two sides, Israel released five Lebanese individuals who were captured by its forces during combat operations last year.

Red Cross Facilitates Lebanese Prisoner Exchange

Meanwhile, vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross headed to the southern Lebanese border area of Ras Naqoura on Tuesday evening to receive six Lebanese prisoners who had been detained by the Israeli army in recent weeks.

Sources familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated, “Red Cross vehicles are en route to the Naqoura border area with Israel to receive six Lebanese detainees held by the Israeli army for weeks.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the pro-Hezbollah Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israel was expected to release six Lebanese civilian detainees out of a total of 11 at the Ras Naqoura border crossing later in the day.

As of 3:20 PM GMT, no official Lebanese or Israeli statement had been issued regarding the release.

Lebanon Demands Full Israeli Withdrawal

Beirut has long demanded that Israel withdraw from occupied Lebanese border hills and release Lebanese detainees captured during Israel’s recent war on the country.

Israel launched an attack on Lebanon on October 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war on September 23, 2024. The conflict resulted in 4,115 deaths and 16,909 injuries, including a large number of women and children, and displaced approximately 1.4 million people.

Despite a ceasefire agreement taking effect on November 27, 2024, Israel has committed over 1,000 violations, leading to at least 86 deaths and 285 injuries, according to an Anadolu Agency tally based on official Lebanese sources.

Israel failed to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by the agreed-upon February 18, 2025, instead conducting only a partial pullout while continuing to occupy five key Lebanese border points.

Additionally, Israel has recently begun constructing a border strip extending one to two kilometers into Lebanese territory, according to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Israel claims that its continued presence in Lebanese border areas is due to the Lebanese army’s alleged failure to fully meet its security obligations under the ceasefire agreement and its inability to control the region along the “Blue Line.”

For decades, Israel has occupied land in Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria while refusing to withdraw from these territories or recognize an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.