Israel freed a convicted Hezbollah spy on Sunday and the militant group announced moments later that it was turning over the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war in Lebanon. The swap could be the preliminary stage of a prisoner exchange between the bitter enemies.
Israeli authorities released Nasim Nisr early Sunday after he completed a six-year sentence for espionage, driving him from a prison in central Israel to the northern Rosh Hanikra crossing to Lebanon. Cameramen surrounded the white van Nisr was sitting in as a blue gate swung open to allow him through the frontier.
A Hezbollah official said the militant group handed over a box containing what it said were the remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the monthlong war in Lebanon.
An Israeli security official confirmed that the remains were being transferred to Israel. Hezbollah had agreed to turn over the remains as a "gesture" and the move was not coordinated with Israel, he said.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding the ongoing negotiations.
Helge Kvam, a Red Cross spokesman in Jerusalem, called Hezbollah's move a "complete surprise."
After being freed, Nisr was "nervous but happy," said his lawyer, Smadar Ben-Natan.
"I certainly hope that this heralds a prisoner swap deal in the near future," said Ben-Natan, who represents two of the Lebanese prisoners still held by Israel.
Hezbollah
Israel is believed to be holding seven Lebanese prisoners, while Hezbollah has been holding two Israeli soldiers it captured in a 2006 cross-border raid that sparked the 2006 war. The soldiers are believed to have been badly wounded, and Hezbollah has offered no proof that they are still alive.
Nisr, 39, was born in Lebanon to a Jewish Lebanese mother and a Shiite Muslim father. He later moved to Israel and became a citizen. He has a 10-year-old son from his first wife and two daughters, aged 10 and 7, from his current wife.