Israel returns three women, one body to Lebanon

All four were affiliated with the South Lebanon Army; Red Cross handles border crossing

By Michal Shmulovich 24 July 2012, 8:10 pm

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Israel returned a mother and her two daughters, relatives of a South Lebanese Army soldier, and the body of a former SLA soldier, to Lebanon on Tuesday. The move was handled by members of the Red Cross at the Rosh Hanikra border crossing between Lebanon and Israel.

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The women had asked Israel for permission to leave the country and return to their village in the south of Lebanon. The soldier, whose body was returned at the request of his relatives, had died of natural causes, Ynet reported.

The four Lebanese citizens had been in Israel since the IDF withdrew from South Lebanon in 2000, the report added.

In 2012, the Red Cross has assisted in returning seven citizens, and four bodies, to Lebanon.

The SLA, which transformed into a political party in 2000, was closely allied with Israel during the South Lebanon conflict (1982-2000) and the concurrent Lebanese Civil War. The group helped Israel in its fight against the PLO and Hezbollah until Israel withdrew its forces from the security zone in South Lebanon twelve years ago.