Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said indirect negotiations between his group and Israel over a prisoner exchange had begun through a UN-appointed mediator.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah
"I would like to assure all those interested in this file that there are serious negotiations that are continuing," Mr Nasrallah told Hizbullah's television station in an interview.
"The delegate appointed by the UN secretary-general is conducting this mission and is meeting a Hizbullah delegation and also on the other side Israelis concerned with this file."
It was the first word that indirect talks were under way to secure the release of the prisoners. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
"We have reached the stage of exchanging ideas or, more accurately, exchanging conditions," Mr Nasrallah said.
Hizbullah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12th. That attack, in which eight Israeli soldiers were killed, sparked a 34-day onslaught by Israel on Lebanon and Hizbullah rocket attacks on northern Israel.
About 1,200 Lebanese and 157 Israelis were killed in the fighting.
A UN resolution ended the war in mid-August. It called for the soldiers to be freed and for a solution to be found to the plight of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan then appointed a secret envoy to follow up the issue. Mr Nasrallah refused to go into details or speculate how long the talks would last. His group is believed to want to exchange the two soldiers for Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners.