Lebanon has received four more prisoners released by Israel, with the handover facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of ongoing efforts to return Lebanese detainees.
An ICRC convoy on Friday travelled to Ras al-Naqoura on the Lebanese-Israeli border, where it received the four detainees from the Israeli side.
The convoy then transported them to the Mansouri area south of Tyre, where the prisoners were handed over to the Lebanese army.
The latest release follows the return of another Lebanese prisoner through the Red Cross a day earlier, bringing the number of detainees handed back to Lebanon this week to five.
Beirut hails releases as step towards full sovereignty
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomed the releases, saying the return of the first group of detainees held by Israel reaffirmed the value of Lebanon's firm position.
Aoun praised the efforts that helped secure the releases, highlighting the role of the United States under President Donald Trump and international actors, particularly the ICRC.
He congratulated the freed prisoners and their families and said Lebanon would continue working to achieve its “full national demands and goals.”
The president said the latest development must be followed by the completion of measures outlined under the trilateral framework, with the goal of restoring Lebanon's full sovereignty.
“Those steps should lead to the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty, not lacking an inch of our land and not missing a single person from our people,” Aoun said.
The releases came after Israel transferred detainees to Lebanon on Thursday and Friday as part of US-coordinated discussions with Beirut.
The prisoner returned Thursday was identified by Israel's public broadcaster KAN as Malik Kamal Ghazi, who it said was detained by Israeli forces in Ain Ata in southern Lebanon in October 2025. Ghazi was handed to the Red Cross at the Naqoura crossing before being transferred to the Lebanese army for medical examinations.
Dozens of Lebanese detainees remain unaccounted for
The exact number of Lebanese prisoners held by Israel remains unclear.
However, the Lebanese Association for Prisoners and Freed Prisoners published a list on August 26 identifying 36 Lebanese detainees, including civilians, farmers, fishermen, volunteers and fighters.
