JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army said Thursday that it released three Lebanese women, whom it had arrested earlier in the day, but detained two men who it accused of trying to illegally cross the Israel-Lebanon border.
On Thursday morning, Lebanese security forces reported that Israel "kidnapped" five of its citizens and then released three women, leaving two others detained.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the men were trying to cross the Israel-Lebanon border, a spokeswoman told Xinhua.
"A short time ago, IDF soldiers identified suspects crossing the Israel-Lebanon border into Israel. Two suspects were detained and taken in for questioning," the IDF spokeswoman said.
One Israeli security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that three men originally crossed the border into Israel, two of them were caught, while the third had fled back to Lebanon. The men were reportedly unarmed.
This account contrasts from reports given by Lebanese security sources. The Lebanese army earlier reported that an Israeli commando unit crossed the international boundary separating Lebanon from Israel near the Shebaa farms on Thursday at noon and kidnapped five Lebanese citizens, detaining them in the occupied territories.
According to one source, who spoke to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, a 12-member Israeli commando unit crossed into Lebanon for a length of about 150 meters and kidnapped the farmers while they were working in the fields.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is working in coordination with the Lebanese army and the Israeli army to secure the release of the detained.
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