This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7429735.stm
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 3 | Version 4 |
---|---|
Israel sends back Hezbollah spy | Israel sends back Hezbollah spy |
(about 1 hour later) | |
An Israeli citizen convicted of spying for Hezbollah in 2002, Nissim Nasser, has been deported to Lebanon. | |
And amid rumours the release might be part of a prisoner swap, Lebanese group Hezbollah returned remains of Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 war. | |
Mr Nasser was born in Lebanon to a Jewish mother and a Shia Muslim father. He left the country in 1982 and became an Israeli citizen. | Mr Nasser was born in Lebanon to a Jewish mother and a Shia Muslim father. He left the country in 1982 and became an Israeli citizen. |
Israel revoked his citizenship when his six-year sentence ended a month ago. | |
Mr Nasser was driven to the border crossing near Lebanon's southern town of Naqoura in an unmarked white jeep and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). | Mr Nasser was driven to the border crossing near Lebanon's southern town of Naqoura in an unmarked white jeep and handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). |
Hezbollah party | Hezbollah party |
Hezbollah officials had prepared a celebratory party for his return, with a stage erected near the border and loudspeakers blaring patriotic music across a main square. | Hezbollah officials had prepared a celebratory party for his return, with a stage erected near the border and loudspeakers blaring patriotic music across a main square. |
Nissim Nasser after his release | Nissim Nasser after his release |
A more extensive prisoner swap between the two sides could involve two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006 - an act which prompted the 33-day war between Israel and the Shia militant group - and a number of Lebanese citizens held by Israel. | A more extensive prisoner swap between the two sides could involve two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in 2006 - an act which prompted the 33-day war between Israel and the Shia militant group - and a number of Lebanese citizens held by Israel. |
There has been no comment from Hezbollah on those rumours, and Israel has denied that this deportation is part of any wider deal. | There has been no comment from Hezbollah on those rumours, and Israel has denied that this deportation is part of any wider deal. |
But as Mr Nasser was released, Hezbollah said it had handed over the remains of the Israeli soldiers to the ICRC, in order that they could be returned to Israel. | |
The ICRC confirmed it had received a box of human remains from Hezbollah which it had turned it over to Israel. | The ICRC confirmed it had received a box of human remains from Hezbollah which it had turned it over to Israel. |
The exchange was a clear signal that negotiations had been going on behind the scenes, possibly facilitated by German mediators, says the BBC's Mike Sergeant in Beirut. | |
Born in 1968, Mr Nasser left Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of 1982 and joined his mother's family in Israel, where he settled near Tel Aviv. | Born in 1968, Mr Nasser left Lebanon during the Israeli invasion of 1982 and joined his mother's family in Israel, where he settled near Tel Aviv. |