By Xinhua,
Beirut : Final preparations were made by the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah to celebrate their “major victory” over Israel Wednesday on prisoners swap operation, local Daily Star reported Tuesday.
Hezbollah is planning a “hero’s welcome” for its fighters, with celebrating banners along the coastal road, the daily added.
“We are a people who do not abandon our detainees in prison,” read one banner, which was taken from a pledge in a speech delivered by Hezbollah Chief Hasan Nasrallah following the abduction of two Israeli soldiers in 2006 to use them in an exchange operation.
The swap operation, which is expected to start at 9 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Wednesday at Nakoura point on the southern Lebanese borders, will be carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The spokeswoman for the ICRC Jessy Chahine said the prisoners swap will be supervised and implemented by the ICRC.
Afterwards, an official welcome ceremony will take place at the Lebanese international airport, with the attendance of top Lebanese officials including President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minster Fouad Seniora.
Another popular parade will be held in the southern suburbs on Wednesday evening, during which Nasrallah will deliver a speech.
Israel is to free five Lebanese prisoners including Samir Kontar, Khaled Zidan, Maher Kurani, Mohammed Sarur and Hussine Sulieman, and will transfer to Lebanon the bodies of 199 Palestinian and Lebanese fighters who died in operations against Israel.
Hezbollah in return will give Israel the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah in a deadly cross-border raid in July 2006.