But Canadian journalist says Afghan captors did not harm her
CNN Nov 9, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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Canadian officials secured the release yesterday of a reporter who was kept in an underground cave in Afghanistan for a month, CNN reports. Melissa Fung said her abductors bound her hands and feet, but that she was never mistreated. Afghan authorities arrested three people in the case and are looking for three others. Fung’s employer, Canadian Broadcast Corp., asked colleagues not to report her kidnapping for her safety.
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Prez refused plea to back bombing of nuke facilities
Guardian (UK) Sep 26, 08 3:00 AM CDT
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Israel asked Washington for a green light to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities but was told no, reports the Guardian . Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made the request in a private meeting with President Bush in May, but Bush feared air strikes over several days would lead to full-scale war and terrorist attacks in the US.
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Fighters aim to follow steps of 'martyred'
Hezbollah leader
Associated Press Jul 17, 08 2:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
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A day after being freed in a prisoner exchange, Hezbollah fighters vowed to continue to fight Israel as they prayed at the grave of a fallen commander, the AP reports. “At this moment, I am yearning more than before to confront them,” Samir Qantar, who had been jailed in Israel for almost 30 years, said at a cemetery near Beirut.
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Hezbollah brass band greets child killer released after nearly 30 years
Times (UK) Jul 17, 08 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Freed terrorist Samir Qantar, who bludgeoned a 4-year-old child to death with the butt of his rifle in a raid on an Israeli community, was given a red-carpet and rose-petals hero's welcome yesterday by Lebanese president Michel Suleiman and Hezbollah leaders , reports the Times of London. Qantar, who has been in prison nearly 30 years, and four Hezbollah guerrillas were released in a swap with Israel for the remains of two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006.
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Exchanges for remains of 2 missing soldiers
New York Times Jul 16, 08 11:39 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Israel released five Lebanese prisoners and nearly 200 bodies today, the New York Times reports, completing a deal with Hezbollah that netted the Jewish state the bodies of two of its captured soldiers. The most notable prisoner was Samir Kuntar, who had spent more than three decades in Israeli prison for murdering a 4-year-old girl. He was 16 at the time.
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Corpses of servicemen who sparked 2006 war back home
Reuters Jul 16, 08 4:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Hezbollah handed over the corpses of two slain Israeli soldiers in an exchange at the Lebanon-Israel border this morning, Reuters reports. The soldiers' capture sparked the 2006 war that killed 1,200 in Lebanon and 159 Israelis. Once the remains are identified, Israel will free five Lebanese prisoners, including one serving a life sentence for killing a 4-year-old girl and her family.
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Militant group gets one cabinet slot among 16 for opposition in move to calm strife
Reuters Jul 11, 08 1:15 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Lebanon’s political factions finally formed a unity government today, Reuters reports, with militant group Hezbollah included in the coalition formed after weeks of wrangling. With Hezbollah and its allies effectively holding veto power, it appears Syria—long allied with the militants—will regain some of the dominance it long held in Lebanon—where fears of civil war are now greatly diminished.
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Notorious killer will be released
BBC Jul 8, 08 3:45 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Israel has signed a prisoner exchange deal with Hezbollah which includes the release of a terrorist who has been in an Israeli prison for 29 years. The release of Samir Qantar, who took part in a terror raid in which a child was murdered, is the most controversial element of the deal for Israelis, reports the BBC.
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Hezbollah hails swap as evidence of its growing power
Reuters Jun 29, 08 7:33 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Israeli officials today approved a prisoner swap with Hezbollah to release the bodies of two soldiers whose capture triggered a 2006 war, Reuters reports. In return, Hezbollah secured the freedom of five gunmen, including one of Israel’s “most notorious convicts,” the New York Times says. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert said he “vacillated deeply” over the deal, which Hezbollah touted as a victory.
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Disputed sliver along border on table; offer follows Rice visit to region
New York Times Jun 18, 08 2:06 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Israel today invited the Lebanese government to direct negotiations, adding that it would be willing to discuss all issues, including a long-disputed area along their border, the New York Times reports. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited both nations earlier this week, is attempting to use negotiation over Shabaa Farms to kick-start wider talks.
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Exchange could foreshadow more controversial deals
Independent (UK) Jun 2, 08 3:39 PM CDT
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The weekend swap of a Hezbollah spy for the remains of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers has whipped up speculation about the release of more Lebanese prisoners, the Independent reports. Although Israel denied the return of the remains was negotiated, the German foreign minister has been facilitating talks between the parties, which may be addressing the fate of 10 Lebanese operatives and two Israeli soldiers.
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Prisoner swap may be under way with Lebanon
BBC Jun 1, 08 3:27 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Israel returned a Hezbollah spy to Lebanon today and may have started a prisoner exchange, BBC reports. Hezbollah quickly handed over the bodies of Israeli troops killed in 2006, but officials on both sides deny a swap is under way. Secret talks clearly are, perhaps aided by German mediators; a larger prisoner swap may include the two Israeli soldiers whose capture sparked the 2006 war.
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But foreign policy, Hezbollah arsenal still divide nation
Washington Post May 25, 08 5:26 PM CDT
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Lebanon elected its first leader in 6 months today by naming Gen. Michel Suleiman as president, the Washington Post reports. Fireworks filled the sky to a chorus of car honks after Suleiman secured the post with a near-unanimous 118 of 127 parliamentary votes. But the nation remains torn between US-Saudi backing and the forces of Hezbollah.
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