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| Hezbollah confirms prisoner swap | Hezbollah confirms prisoner swap |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group has said it will hand over two captured Israeli soldiers in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners. | The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group has said it will hand over two captured Israeli soldiers in exchange for five Lebanese prisoners. |
| Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also said the group would provide information on missing Israeli airman Ron Arad. | Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also said the group would provide information on missing Israeli airman Ron Arad. |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he believes the two soldiers are dead. Hezbollah has not confirmed that. | Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he believes the two soldiers are dead. Hezbollah has not confirmed that. |
| Their capture triggered Israel's 2006 offensive against Hezbollah. Israeli ministers approved the swap on Sunday. | Their capture triggered Israel's 2006 offensive against Hezbollah. Israeli ministers approved the swap on Sunday. |
| Cross-border raid | |
| Mr Nasrallah said he expected the exchange to be completed within one to two weeks. | |
| Speaking at a televised news conference in Beirut, he said: "I officially announce that we accept this deal." | |
| Reports say Samir Qantar, who has been in jail since 1979 for his part in a deadly guerrilla raid, will be among the Lebanese prisoners released by Israel. | |
| Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were seized in a cross-border raid into Israel, triggering a 34-day war between Israel and the Hezbollah movement. | |
| Another Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, remains a prisoner of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. | |
| He was seized in June 2006 during a raid on an Israeli army position on the edge of the Gaza Strip. Hamas has said it would consider releasing him as part of a prisoner exchange. |