A huge vulture captured by Lebanese villagers on suspicion of being an Israeli spy has been released after UN intervention.
Israeli officials confirmed that the bird, that had escaped from a game reserve in the occupied Golan Heights and flown over the border, had been returned.
The huge griffon vulture was captured by Lebanese villagers in Bint Jbeil on Tuesday after they became suspicious of the Israeli tracking device on its tail.
Initially from Catalonia, the bird is part of an attempt to increase the population of endangered vultures in the region.
The griffon vulture has been nearly extinct from the mountains of Israel and is the subject of a reintroduction project.
