Israel, Hezbollah prisoner swap set for Wednesday

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A prisoner swap between Israel and Hezbollah is set for Wednesday, but first the Israeli Cabinet will review the deal one last time on Tuesday, the government said.

Under the proposed exchange with the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militia, Hezbollah prisoners, including convicted murderer Sami Kuntar, would be traded for two Israeli soldiers captured in 2006. Both soldiers are presumed dead, Israel's prime ministers office said.

The capture of those soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev sparked the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah two years ago.

As part of the agreement, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah issued a report on the status of long-missing Israeli airman Ron Arad to Israel. That report was released recently.

Israel officials, who spoke with the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement was released, said in the report Hezbollah told Israel it didn't know what happened to Arad but that he is believed to be dead.

On June 29, Israel approved the outline of the prisoner swap, but the Cabinet is expected to vote again Tuesday after reviewing the Ron Arad report. It is widely believed the deal will be approved.

Arad was the navigator of an Israeli warplane that crashed in Lebanon in October 1986. His family's last contact with him came in 1987. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon promised the Arad family in 2004 that Kuntar would not be released unless Hezbollah provides information on Arad. Kuntar was convicted in a 1979 attack in which he shot and killed an Israeli man in front of his 4-year-old daughter, then smashed her head against a rock with his rifle butt. He denies involvement in the death.

Besides Kuntar and four Lebanese fighters, the bodies of what Israel calls "dozens of infiltrators and terrorists," including eight members of Hezbollah, will be delivered to Lebanon.

Information on four missing Iranian diplomats will be delivered by Israel to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Israel says Palestinian prisoners will be released after the deal is implemented.

"The number and identities of the prisoners will be determined at the sole discretion of the state of Israel," Israel said.

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