Three abducted, three released” — and the countdown begins.
By cabinet order, and on his own timetable, serving his electoral agenda, Benjamin Netanyahu decided to release five detainees: three Lebanese nationals and two Syrians, citing a statement from his office saying there was no evidence of their affiliation with terrorist organizations.
It was a political show written, directed and headlined by Netanyahu, who presented it to the Israeli public as an achievement. He also played the “remains” card, turning Israeli voters’ attention to the case of Jewish people who went missing in Lebanon by ordering intensified efforts to locate the remains of Jews who were kidnapped and killed in the mid-1980s.
Netanyahu linked the issue of prisoners held in Israeli jails to an even more complicated file, incorporating the two issues into the framework of the ongoing negotiations with Lebanon and giving the American side the impression that he had offered something to the Lebanese government.
The Israeli move came a day after the trilateral meeting in Tel Aviv between Netanyahu and Ambassadors Mark Huckabee and Michel Issa. While positive from a humanitarian perspective, Netanyahu sought through it to send a “goodwill” message to US President Donald Trump, signaling that he had taken a step forward on the Lebanese file.
But there is more beneath the surface.
An analysis of the new course set by the Israeli prime minister shows that he has effectively set the ceiling for the Rome negotiating table at “five detainees,” after declaring the pilot areas a failure and repeatedly insisting that Israel would not withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories, linking any withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Political sources commented on the move, telling Al Jadeed that it represents an American push to the Lebanese government that the negotiating track can move toward practical steps. They added that progress is slow, but certain.
Accordingly, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam thanked the US administration, particularly Ambassador Michel Issa, for the efforts made in this regard. Salam noted that the return of any freed Lebanese national to his homeland represents an important step toward resolving this issue.
As for the road to Rome, the third round is still being scheduled, amid information that it could take place toward the end of this month, following the Paris meeting to support the military and security institutions.
All files are being prepared, while the overall situation remains dependent on developments on the ground.
The entry into Ali al-Taher Hill is a key element in this equation — whether because it could become an electoral bargaining chip for Netanyahu, or because it could serve as a parallel pressure card to the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, according to Reuters, reportedly sent a warning through Oman to Washington that it would respond forcefully to any Israeli attack on Ali al-Taher.
And until events take their course, the authorities concerned in Lebanon appear to have entered a state of “clinical death” when it comes to people’s everyday concerns, leaving their fate at the mercy of the generator mafia.
Citizens’ cries over generator tariffs have grown louder, as exorbitant prices continue to burn through their pockets, with charges exceeding the minimum wage.
Amid this service-sector chaos, and with Électricité du Liban unable to deliver on promises made by the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces to secure electricity supply, Al Jadeed is opening the door to accountability and confrontation with generator operators.
It is also placing the Ministry of Energy — along with the Ministry of Economy, which appears inactive — before its responsibility, while referring violations to the competent judiciary, so that citizens do not remain victims of whatever officials choose to do.