The Lebanese Hizbollah movement and Israel have made considerable progress on the exchange of prisoners, reported The Jerusalem Post newspaper Monday, quoting a Lebanese TV report.
The paper added that a deal is due to be worked out within 10 days.
The report said that German delegation met Hizbollah representatives on the subject last week, the daily said adding that, Hizbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nassrallah has confirmed that the Germans are mediating.
A similar report was carried by the Lebanese newspaper al-Saffir which says that Israel made several concessions after Hizbollah refused to accept all the Israeli terms, the paper added.
Hizbollah has been calling for the release of all Arab prisoners in Israel, particularly Lebanese militants captured during Israel's 22-year occupation of south Lebanon, reported AFP.
The ICRC has asked in vain to see Israeli prisoners held in Lebanon, but faced a rejection by Hezbollah because Israel denies access to one of the 19 Lebanese it is detaining, fundamentalist leader Hajj Mustafa Dirani, said the agency.
Hizbollah captured three Israeli soldiers in early October in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa Farms. The three soldiers taken were Omar Suad and Avraham Binyamin, and Sergeant Adi Abitan.
On October 18, Hizbollah said it had captured an Israeli colonel working for Israeli intelligence who had entered Lebanon on a false passport.
In Israel, he was identified as Elhanan Tannenbaum, a reserve colonel specializing in electronics – (Several Sources)
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