JERUSALEM/ANKARA 

Israel said Thursday that it had retrieved an Israeli citizen held in Lebanon for nearly a year following “secret negotiations” with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“Salah Abu-Hussein, an Israeli citizen, who had been imprisoned in Lebanon for approximately one year, was returned to Israel this afternoon,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on the US social media company X.

“Pursuant to negotiations that were held in the past few months, with the assistance of the Red Cross, Abu-Hussein was handed over to Coordinator for the Hostages and the Missing Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch by the Lebanese authorities, at the Rosh Hanikra crossing.”

Israel’s security services are investigating the circumstances of the case though no details were provided on the nature of the negotiations.

Netanyahu’s office did not explain the reasons or conditions of Abu Hussein’s detention in Lebanon.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that Abu Hussein entered Lebanon “by mistake” through a rugged border area and was immediately arrested, without specifying the exact date of his detention.

KAN said the release followed several months of talks between Israel and Lebanon “with US mediation, a common practice given the absence of direct diplomatic relations between the two countries.”

The broadcaster said the release was unilateral, with no official indication of what, if anything, Israel offered in return. It identified Abu Hussein as being from the town of al-Maghar in the Galilee, inside Israel.

The daily Yedioth Ahronoth described the talks as “secret,” without providing further information.

No official comment had been issued from the Lebanese side.

Israel launched a military offensive in Lebanon on Oct. 8, 2023, which escalated into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 people and injuring around 17,000.

A ceasefire was reached in November, but Israeli forces have conducted near-daily attacks in southern Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah activities.

Under the truce, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Tel Aviv refused to comply.

Israel still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.