Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeSaleh Abu-Hussein, after returning to Israel, on Thursday. Credit: Michael Dimenstein / GPOSaleh Abu-Hussein, after returning to Israel, on Thursday. Credit: Michael Dimenstein / GPOAugust 21, 2025Lebanon returned an Israeli citizen to Israel on Thursday after he had been held in the country for a year, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced.The man, Salah Abu-Hussein from the village of Rumana in northern Israel, was transferred following months of negotiations with the assistance of the Red Cross. Abu-Hussein had been imprisoned in Lebanon since July of last year, and Israeli officials said that no one was released in exchange for him. Security agencies are examining the circumstances under which he crossed the border and was detained.Ahmad Rahal, head of the Al-Batuf Regional Council, which includes Rumana, told Haaretz that Abu-Hussein is known in the village as someone with mental health issues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Abu-Hussein's return, saying: "This is a positive step and a sign of things to come."Abu-Hussein's family had been searching for him for about a year after he disappeared and could not contact him. Rahal explained that because Abu-Hussein was often absent from his family home for work in central Israel, his relatives did not report his disappearance for several months. Only in February of this year did they contact the police, which then issued a public notice. It was only today that the family learned he had been held in Lebanon.In October of last year, another Israeli citizen, Joshua Tartakovsky, 42, who also holds a British passport, was detained in Lebanon and deported the following day. He had arrived in Beirut in the previous two weeks, presenting himself as a journalist. Upon verification, Lebanese security authorities discovered he held an Israeli passport and detained him. An Israeli source said that "this is not the first time Israeli citizens have entered enemy countries, despite it being illegal and posing a clear danger to their safety." The National Security Directorate added: "We wish to reiterate the prohibition against entering these countries.".In the NewsIDF Officer Killed in Southern Lebanon, Third Soldier Killed in North This WeekProtests Against Netanyahu Government Took Place Across IsraelIsraeli Day Trip: The Ancient Mound Where Philistines and Crusaders Cross PathsNYC Mayor Mamdani Shares Nakba Day Video, Sparks Backlash for One-sidednessFormer MK Joseph Jabareen Elected Head of Arab-Jewish Hadash–Ta'al PartyRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Hasidic Jews Behind Florida's Giant Golden Trump StatueStarlink Users, Beware – Israeli Tech Can Reveal Your IdentityIt Wasn't Just Revenge That Israel Was After in GazaIsraeli Artists Slam Venice Biennale Participation: 'Again, Israel as a Victim'Trump Collides With Reality in Latest Iran StandoffIsraeli Teens Storm Muslim Quarter in Old City, Haaretz Reporter Attacked