Israel and Lebanon’s Hizbollah guerrilla group said on Saturday they had agreed to a German-mediated prisoner swap deal after more than three years of tortuous on-off negotiations. The two sworn enemies confirmed an announcement by the German government that they would exchange within a week an Israeli businessman and three Israeli soldiers presumed dead for 400 Palestinian, 23 Lebanese and 12 Arab prisoners. “With this agreement Israel and Hizbollah have achieved a breakthrough in seeking to soothe one of the most painful consequences of the Middle East conflict,” the German statement said. The agreement came days after Hizbollah fire killed an Israeli soldier and wounded another on the Lebanese-Israeli border, triggering Israeli air raids on Hizbollah positions in south Lebanon. Full Story
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