Israel uses Lebanese civilians as bargaining chips

Israel uses Lebanese civilians as bargaining chips Submitted by Maya Saad on Thu, 09/10/2026 - 12:08 Raids, abductions and occupation deepen insecurity and fear for border communities in southern Lebanon Israeli troops take a break as they prepare to enter south Lebanon, in Rosh HaNikra, northern Israel, on 4 September 2026 (AFP) Off Lebanese farmer Saleh* woke up before dawn on 3 September to harvest his fig trees in the southern Lebanese border village of Halta.

When he stepped out and saw lights outside his neighbours' house, abandoned during the war, Saleh knew an Israeli army unit was there.

The Israeli soldiers were searching houses in the village and called three residents on their mobile phones instructing them to come outside.

After several hours of interrogations, they took the three men away, including Hatem Abdel-Aal, a member of the municipal council. The Israeli army returned Hatem at around midnight.

“They told him you have to come to us by foot, without a car,” Saleh told Middle East Eye. “The man followed their instructions and headed their way.

He couldn’t refuse. ” During the raid, the soldiers used loudspeakers to warn residents to stay inside while artillery repeatedly shelled the hills above the village.

“Whenever they are in the area, they fire artillery shells as a warning to residents not to come close or leave their homes,” added Saleh, who stayed in Halta throughout the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing he would lose his home and land if he left.

“We’ve come to understand all these things,” he said.

Kidnappings as leverage Israel has repeatedly abducted Lebanese civilians during military operations in the country over the past three years, claiming they are lawful captures of combatants.

While there is no official tally of Lebanese citizens seized during the past two wars with Israel, a list of 35 people, including at least 12 Hezbollah members and 16 civilians, has been compiled by a committee working on their cases.

Ali al-Taher: What Israel’s 'operational control' of the hill really means for Hezbollah and Lebanon Read More » Hours after Israeli forces kidnapped the three residents from Halta, Israel announced it was freeing five detainees, including two Syrian nationals, upon concluding that they were not related to Hezbollah.

The fate of Lebanese detainees held in Israel has been on the agenda of US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

The issue, however, has made little progress as other thorny matters remain unresolved, most notably Israel’s failure to withdraw from the “pilot zones”, which were established under the framework agreement to allow the Lebanese army to take control of the areas.

Earlier this week, US ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv to attempt to break the impasse in negotiations and address some of Lebanon’s demands.

The subsequent release of detainees was hailed by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam as the successful result of Issa’s efforts.

Life in the buffer zone Halta is a Sunni village of some 350 residents on the outskirts of Kfarchouba, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

While it has been relatively spared the total destruction of most Shia border towns inside Israel’s so-called Yellow Line, Halta is no stranger to Israeli incursions and kidnappings.

'Whenever they are in the area, they fire artillery shells as a warning to residents not to come close or leave their homes' - Saleh, farmer In May, Israeli soldiers abducted three farmers belonging to the Atiyyeh family while they worked the land.

Lubna Salha, a member of Kfarchouba’s municipality, says the village has repeatedly tried to find information on their whereabouts through the Red Cross and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, to no avail.

“We know that they’re not involved in anything and have no political affiliations with anyone. They are labourers.

They just work to make a living and provide for their families,” she said. More than four months after their forced disappearance, their fate remains unknown.

Surrounded by Israeli flags Analysts told MEE that Israel’s return of some Lebanese detainees was merely a symbolic gesture, coming as the Lebanese state faced heavy domestic criticism for failing to secure significant results from US-brokered peace talks.

“Israel gave something with one hand and took something with the other,” said Lebanese political analyst Johny Mounayer.

“They also kidnapped other people from other locations and announced operational control over Ali al-Taher.

In practical terms, the Israelis haven't given Lebanon anything,” said Mounayer, referring to the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, a flashpoint of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel.

In Kfarchouba, life is 'a big prison' under Israeli occupation of south Lebanon Read More » The ridge sits at the edge of Israel’s self-proclaimed ‘buffer zone’ and overlooks the major southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh.

Israel says Hezbollah has established a command centre there and a network of tunnels beneath.

As well as using detainees as a bargaining chip, Israel could also be signalling goodwill to Washington, the mediator in increasingly faltering negotiations with Lebanon, according to Michael Young, senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Center.

“There seemed to be some indication that this was done as a favour to the Americans,” he said. “You know, a lot of Israeli actions aren’t really directed at anyone other than the Americans.

” Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed his gratitude for the Trump administration’s role in the realease of the detainees in a statement last Friday.

Local media reports say the next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon could be held on 15-16 September.

But every day that passes without a resolution to Lebanon’s impasse puts further strain on the residents of the occupied villages.

“We’re sitting in our houses and there’s Israeli flags on the hills and villages around us,” Saleh said. “We’re surrounded from four sides.

” *Name changed for security reasons. Israel's war on Lebanon News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0