Israel hands over first of five Lebanese detainees to Lebanon

Israel released and handed over Malek Ghazi, a Lebanese man held prisoner since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war six months ago, in the first such handover of the conflict. The transfer was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Lebanese security officials. Four more detainees are scheduled for release Friday morning as part of a US-mediated deal in which Lebanon is helping Israel recover the remains of Lebanese Jews.

Why this matters. The prisoner exchange, mediated by the US State Department, is the first tangible confidence-building step between Israel and Lebanon since the war began, testing whether wider de-escalation on the Lebanon front can hold alongside continued Hezbollah-IDF exchanges.