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Israel Moves Lebanese Prisoners Ahead of Swap


Israel says it has moved four Lebanese detainees to a new facility to prepare for a prisoner swap with the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday.

A prison spokesman says the four men will join another Lebanese man, Samir Kantar, at the Hadarim prison. Kantar was jailed for life for killing three Israelis in a cross-border attack in 1979.

All five men are scheduled to be released on Wednesday in exchange for two Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah captured the soldiers in a cross-border raid in 2006, sparking a month-long war. Israeli officials believe the soldiers are dead.

The Israeli government approved the deal last month.

In return for the prisoners, Hezbollah has also given Israel a report about missing Israeli airman Ron Arad, whose plane went down in Lebanon in 1986.

In the report, Hezbollah says it believes Arad is dead. But Israel says the document does not give a clear answer about the pilot's fate.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.

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