Jonathan Pollard to Be|Released in November

(CN) - Jonathan Pollard, sentenced to life in prison in 1985 for passing classified documents to the Israeli government, will be released on parole in November, the United States Parole Commission announced Tuesday.

Pollard. who is now 60 and is being held in a federal facility in North Carolina, had been scheduled for mandatory parole in November, but could have been jailed longer if the U.S. government objected to his relief.

Last week, the Justice Department announced it would not object to his release. Under the terms of his parole, Pollard must remain in the United States for the next five years. However, his attorneys, Elliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman said President Obama could allow him to move to Israel sooner by commuting his sentence to time served.

Pollard's health has deteriorated in recent years, as he's developed problems with his kidneys, gall bladder and intestines, according to the Jerusalem Post.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Pollard's release is not tied to the nuclear agreement with Iran, following speculation that the release was arranged to help warm U.S. ties with Israel despite disagreement over the nuke deal.

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