Report from Lebanon: One of captive soldiers dead
Lebanese newspaper quotes German diplomats, reports only one of two kidnapped soldiers in Lebanon alive
One of the two kidnapped IDF soldiers in Lebanon are dead, according to estimates by German security sources, who were quoted in the Lebanese newspaper, An-Nahar, Saturday.
“Security forces understood that one of the kidnapped soldiers is still alive, however, the other is dead,” An-Nahar reported.
According to the report, senior diplomatic sources in Berlin said that the German government had begun to get seriously involved in negotiations for the release of captive soldiers, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.
The report said that the Germans were in direct contact with the Christian general, Michel Aoun, who is currently in the midst of a presidential campaign in Lebanon.
The diplomats were trying to get information regarding the fate of the two soldiers, who were kidnapped by Hizbullah last July. However, Aoun, who is cooperating with Hizbullah against the Siniora government, refused to comment on the issue.
Goldwasser’s parents dismissed the report, saying Hizbullah was making “cynical use” of unsubstantiated information. “It’s a psychological game. If they want to transmit credible information, they should do so through ordinary channels,” said Miki Goldwasser, Ehud’s mother.
“As for us, this information will only be real when the Red Cross visits them, or a tape is presented to us,” she added.
The issue of the kidnapped soldiers continues to make waves in Israel, as well as Lebanon. While Israel demands a sign of life from the two soldiers, Hizbullah Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah said he would not give away information about Regev and Goldwasser for free.
“I’m the only one authorized to give information about their condition,” Nasrallah said in an interview with Al-Jazeera.
