Hezbollah, Israel begin multi-statge swap

BEIRUT -- Hezbollah and Israeli occupation regime concluded a swap of three bodies and a war prisoner, Alalam TV correspondent in Beirut said Monday.

The correspondent reported that Israel turned over to Hezbollah its fighter Hassan Naim Aqil who was captured during the 2006 confrontation.

The Zionist regime also turned over to Hizbullah the bodies of two fighters were martyred in the 34-day war. They were identified as Ali Wazwaz and Mohammed Damshaq.

Hizbullah, in return, turned over to Israel the remains on an Israeli "settler", the correspondent reported.

An ambulance took the remains of an Israeli to the Naqoura crossing on the border with occupied Palestine.

Alalam TV correspondent stressed that the process was sponsored by German mediator.

Besides, the Israeli occupation regime confirmed that an exchange was carried out with Hezbollah on Monday in a first concrete step in negotiations for the return of missing Israeli soldiers.

"The Israeli government announces that during this evening a new step was taken within the framework of negotiations for the return of kidnapped Israeli soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser," the Israeli prime minister's office said.

Hezbollah captured Regev and Goldwasser in a deadly clash in occupied territories in July 2006 that triggered 34 days of war last year.

Under the deal brokered by German and UN mediators, Hezbollah handed over the body of Ethiopian-born Israeli civilian, Gabriel Daweit, whose dead body was washed up on the Lebanese coast.