A hostage deal with Hezbollah will likely not be completed in the next few days, according to top officials in Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported Saturday morning. The details of the hostage swap deal have yet to be finalized, the top officials said, adding that Israel would be willing to consider the release of Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani as well as Palestinian prisoners. The officials stressed, however, that no prisoners with “blood on their hands” would be released, in accordance with the government’s principles. The hostages include reserve IDF colonel Elhanan Tennenbaum, three IDF soldiers kidnapped three years ago by Hezbollah and who the army has since declared as soldiers who died in action and whose burial place is unknown, and navigator Ron Arad who has been missing since he bailed out over Lebanon in 1986. On Friday, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Iran was responsible for the fate of the missing Israeli navigator, for his wellbeing and for his safe return home. Full Story
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