NAQOURA, Lebanon - A fifteen-year-old Lebanese boy who was detained earlier Friday by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon was released and handed over to the Lebanese army, a UN spokesman said.

"The UN troops facilitated the transfer of the boy from the Israeli army into the Lebanese territories and handed him over the to the concerned authorities," the spokesman of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Liam McDowall said.

"We are still investigating the incident and gathering facts," he said without elaborating.

Earlier, the UN spokesman said the Israeli Army had confirmed they were "holding in custody a man detained Friday near the technical fence, east of the southern Lebanese (village of) Houla."

Lebanese police identified the boy as Mahmoud Hussein Hajj, a resident of Houla. They said he was gathering scrap metal in an area close to the border with Israel when he was detained.

The police could not confirm whether the boy was detained on the Lebanese or the Israeli side of the border. -DPA