Israel releases 2 Syrians detained in southern Lebanon

BEIRUT

Israel released two Syrian men on Friday who were detained by its military a day earlier in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese state news agency NNA.

The Israeli military freed Ahmad Amin and Taher Rimi, who were held in Wadi al-Hujeir, a region in southern Lebanon.

They were handed over to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at Israel’s Al-Abbad site before being transferred to the Lebanese Red Cross.

The Lebanese military on Thursday had accused Israel of violating the country’s sovereignty, saying in a statement that Israeli military vehicles had entered several areas in the country's south.

It described the incidents as “a continuation of breaches of the cease-fire agreement and an assault on Lebanese sovereignty.”

The NNA said Israeli vehicles advanced through Wadi al-Hujeir to the village of Al-Qantara.

A cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon took effect on Nov. 27 to end over 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The truce, however, has been violated multiple times by Israel, according to Lebanese authorities.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio