Israel said Thursday it would release five Lebanese detainees following what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office described as significant Lebanese assistance in efforts to locate and recover the remains of prominent figures from Lebanon's Jewish community who were abducted and killed decades ago.

The announcement came as U.S.-mediated negotiations between Lebanon and Israel continued, with prisoner releases seen as a potential confidence-building measure aimed at supporting direct talks and easing tensions between the two countries.

Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying that Lebanon and Israel had undertaken "numerous efforts" in recent months to locate the remains, including operations on the ground.

"In light of this significant activity, it was decided to release five Lebanese civilians who were detained in areas of southern Lebanon under IDF control," the statement said.

The statement said questioning had established that the detainees were civilians who did not belong to a terrorist organization, had not been involved in terrorist activity and no longer needed to be held in Israel.

Netanyahu had instructed officials to press ahead with efforts to locate and return the bodies of leaders of Lebanon's Jewish community, whom his office described as victims who were abducted and murdered by terrorist organizations in the mid-1980s.

Several members of Lebanon's Jewish community, including senior communal figures, were abducted in Beirut during that period by Shiite armed groups, with a number of them later killed.

The announcement confirmed earlier reports in Israeli media that Israel planned to return five Lebanese detainees on Thursday in what was described as a goodwill gesture intended to support the ongoing negotiations.

The Lebanese Army said it had already received one of the detainees, identified as Malek Ghazi, from the International Committee of the Red Cross after Israel released him and transferred him through the Naqoura crossing along the Israel-Lebanon border.

The transfer of the four remaining detainees, however, was postponed, according to a Lebanese security source cited by Sky News Arabia. The source said Israel was expected to hand them over to the International Committee of the Red Cross at 11 a.m. on Friday.

The four individuals expected to be released were identified as Ali Shour, Hussein Ayyash, Asaad al-Hseika and Sam Ibrahim al-Samawi. Two are Lebanese and two are Syrian, according to the reports.

Information published by Lebanese newspaper Annahar said the names of the four detainees had not appeared on a list of prisoners previously circulated by Lebanon's Committee for Prisoners and Freed Prisoners.

Israel's Channel 12 had earlier reported that five Lebanese detainees were expected to be released as part of the broader negotiations between Beirut and Jerusalem, with the process being coordinated with the United States.

According to the channel, preliminary lists of detainees had been exchanged during the latest round of negotiations, held in Rome.

Israeli media have portrayed the releases as a confidence-building gesture designed to bolster talks aimed at reducing tensions and helping bring an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The next round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is scheduled to take place later this month in Rome.

A Lebanese political source told local broadcaster MTV that the release of one or more Lebanese detainees could provide a boost to the direct negotiations.

The release of Ghazi had initially been expected on Wednesday but was postponed until Thursday for logistical reasons, the source said.

Saudi broadcaster Al-Hadath reported that another Lebanese citizen expected to be returned was Malik Kamal Razi, adding that the transfer was expected to take place through the Naqoura crossing.

The detainee releases come amid parallel discussions over the recovery and identification of human remains.

An official told The Times of Israel last month that Lebanon and Israel were conducting separate negotiations over the identification and return of the remains of Lebanese nationals and Israeli Jews in exchange for the release of Lebanese detainees.

The developments came two days after Netanyahu met in Jerusalem with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. Both diplomats have been involved in the Washington-mediated direct talks between Lebanon and Israel.

Salam vows to press for release of all detainees

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam welcomed the return of the first released detainee, calling it an important step toward resolving the broader issue.

“The safe return of any Lebanese detainee to his country is an important step toward resolving this issue,” Salam said in a statement.

He thanked the U.S. administration, particularly U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, for the efforts that helped secure the release.

“We will continue working until all our detainees are freed, the fate of the missing is determined, and Israel has fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory,” Salam said.

Despite the challenges facing the negotiating process, Lebanon would continue to make every effort to safeguard its rights and protect the interests of the Lebanese people, particularly those of residents in the south, he added.

Salam said the government remains committed to ensuring that displaced residents could return safely and with dignity to their land and villages, while restoring the Lebanese state's full sovereignty over all of its territory.