A bitter question is being asked across Lebanon today: Is the Lebanese authorities actually being deceived, or are they deceiving themselves—and their own people?
What is unfolding in the prisoner-exchange file and security negotiations with the Israeli occupation can only be described as political impotence and complete disregard for the dignity and sovereignty of the state.
A Losing Equation—and Prisoners Not Even on the Lists
The details of the latest deal reveal the extent of the failure in managing the negotiations. Israel releases only five detainees, only for it to emerge that the list includes Syrian detainees—Asaad Al-Hasika and Wissam Ibrahim Al-Samawi—alongside Lebanese detainees Ali Shour and Hussein Ayyash, whose names were not even included in the official lists previously circulated by the Prisoners’ Authority.
Even more absurdly, while this release is being presented as a “success” for Lebanese negotiations, the occupation continues its daily abductions. Its forces have reportedly abducted three more people from Lebanese territory, making the entire process look like a revolving door: prisoners are released only for new detainees to be taken.
Handing Over the Land and Inspecting Graves
The disregard for sovereignty has reportedly gone beyond the prisoner issue. According to reports circulating in Israeli media, the Lebanese authorities have provided Israel with maps and photographs of graves and sites inside Lebanese territory where the remains of, or evidence relating to, Israeli soldiers are suspected to be located.
For a state to open its territory and graves to satisfy the security demands of the enemy—without securing the most valuable issue for itself, namely information about the fate of missing Lebanese nationals, or imposing strict sovereign conditions—reflects a disturbing degree of official dependence and surrender of decision-making authority.
The Malek Ghazi Case: A Model of Abduction and Political Spin
These developments coincide with what happened on Thursday, September 3, 2026, when the Lebanese Army Intelligence Directorate received 20-year-old Malek Kamal Ghazi through the Naqoura crossing under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Malek Ghazi, from the town of Ain Ata in the Rashaya District, was abducted in October 2025 in a security ambush while exercising between Ain Ata and Rashaya Al-Wadi, and was transferred into occupied territory.
Although his return took place through an official handover protocol and received considerable media coverage, portraying the operation as a “goodwill gesture” or diplomatic achievement ignores the fundamental reality:
Malek was a civilian Lebanese citizen taken hostage from inside his own country. His return was not a favor granted by the occupation—it was the restoration of a stolen right.
More Than 35 Detainees Remain in Israeli Custody
Against a backdrop in which official decision-makers celebrate the release of small numbers of detainees under the enemy’s conditions and timetable, one stark fact remains:
More than 35 Lebanese detainees are still being held in Israeli prisons.
The current political conduct demonstrates that this file is not being managed from a position of equality or in defense of national sovereignty. Instead, rights are being surrendered while illusions are being sold to the public.
Unless the approach to detainees and border violations changes fundamentally, the Lebanese authorities will remain the weaker party in an equation in which the enemy dictates the terms.