Huckabee: Israel-Lebanon Peace Hinges on Hezbollah Removal

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded Thursday to the release of five Lebanese detainees, confirming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement that the move represents a goodwill gesture within the framework of ongoing contacts between Israel and Lebanon. The development came one day after Huckabee met with Michel Issa, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.

In his remarks, Huckabee said: "I am grateful to have hosted the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon. The agreement was a result of our meeting with Israel's Prime Minister, which continues the historic advancement of peace between Israel and Lebanon, which will improve the moment the Iranian puppet, Hezbollah, disappears."

The Prime Minister's Office announced Thursday that "as part of negotiations with Lebanon, Prime Minister Netanyahu has directed efforts to locate and return the bodies of leaders of the Jewish community in Lebanon, martyrs who were kidnapped and murdered in the mid-1980s by terrorist organizations."

According to the statement, extensive efforts have been undertaken in recent months to locate them, both by Lebanon and Israel, including field operations. In light of this, the decision was made to release five Lebanese citizens who had been detained in areas under IDF control in southern Lebanon.

Netanyahu explained that the detainees are not members of terrorist organizations and there is no further reason to hold them. Following completion of their interrogations, it was determined they are civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization, were not involved in terrorism, and there is no reason to continue holding them in Israel.

The Prime Minister's Office added that Netanyahu has been deeply engaged with this issue since his tenure as Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, and that the released detainees are part of gestures of appreciation for the joint effort with Lebanon.