Middle East

Israel exchanges Hezbollah collaborator for soldiers' remains

Article published on the 2008-06-01 Latest update 2008-06-01 12:32 TU

Nessim Nasser with his mother Valentine upon his arrival at Naqoura
(Photo: Reuters)

Israel has freed a Lebanese-born man accused of working with the Shia-Muslim-based Hezbollah movement in exchange for the supposed remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 invasion of south Lebanon. Nessim Nisr was welcomed by his mother, Valentine, at the frontier village of Naqura, while a coffin was handed to Red Cross/Red Crescent officials.

Nisr was born in 1968 to an Israeli Jewish mother and a Lebanese Muslim father and held Israeli citizenship at the time of his arrest in 2002. He was sentenced to six years in prison for collaborating with Hezbollah.

A senior Israeli army official confirmed that the military had received a coffin but said tests are to be carried out to confirm that they contain body parts of Israeli soldiers.

Israeli army radio last week said that Israel is ready to release five Lebanese prisoners and return the bodies of ten Hezbollah fighters in exchange for two servicemen captured during a cross-border raid in July 2006. The raid sparked the 34-day war that summer.

Israel and Hezbollah have carried out a number of such exchanges over the years.

"Hopefully, we will soon see the return of all Lebanese detainees to Lebanese soil," Nisr said on arriving in Naqura.