Doha: Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has announced the release of nine Lebanese detainees from Israeli prisons, thanks to the efforts of the International Red Cross.

According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement issued by the Lebanese government, Mikati urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to follow up on the release of the other nine Lebanese detainees held in Israel.

He noted that this file was a basic item in the contacts he made with the American side during the stage of discussing the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

The 60-day deadline for the withdrawal of the Israeli occupation army forces from the border villages and towns in southern Lebanon ended the day last Sunday, within the framework of the ceasefire agreement reached on November 27.