Israel in talks with Lebanon to demarcate border, Netanyahu says

Netanyahu says Israel will free five Lebanese prisoners as a goodwill gesture

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel has begun negotiations with Lebanon to demarcate their border and withdraw from five outposts in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday evening.

The declaration followed a four-way meeting in Naqoura involving representatives from the Israeli military, the US, France, and Lebanon, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The statement said the Naqoura talks resulted in an agreement to form “three joint working groups” aimed at stabilizing the region.

These groups will focus on key issues, including the Israeli withdrawal from five points in south Lebanon, as well as revisiting the original pre-war land border between Israel and Lebanon, the statement detailed.

The negotiations will also address “the release of saboteurs detained since the war began and held in Israel,” the statement noted.

“In coordination with the US and as a gesture to the new Lebanese president, Israel agreed to release five Lebanese detainees,” the statement added.

Kaynak: