In a televised speech on Wednesday, the Hezbollah leader said he expected the swap to take place in one to two weeks.

He said that the exchange should include the release of Samir Kantar, a Lebanese prisoner who is serving multiple life terms for infiltrating northern Israel in 1979 and killing three Israelis - a man, his 4-year-old daughter and a police officer.

"I will not set an exact date. The sooner it takes place the better," he said.

"I believe that in a week or two it will be implemented ... July 15 is the most probable, a bit before or a bit after."

The deal - approved by Israel on Sunday - would see Hezbollah return two captured Israeli soldiers, believed to be dead, for five Lebanese prisoners and the remains of around 200 suspected Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab fighters.

"We shoud also gain further information as to the fate of those fighters missing in previous wars, especially those who disappeared before 1982, and after 1982," Nasrallah said.

Al Jazeera's Rula Amin, reporting from the southern suburbs of Beirut, said that Nasrallah felt he had proved a point in the group's handling of Israel and its policies.

"He said the prisoner swap proved that Hezbollah and Lebanon can get what it wants from Israel without making politicla concessions, or without signing a peace treaty," she said.

"He believes success can only come through fighting Israel. He also maintains that the country is weaker than many think."

Soldiers' fate unknown

The capture of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, two Israeli army reservists, in a cross border raid in July 2006 triggered Israel's 34-day war on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

At the time, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, ruled out negotiations for the soldiers' return.

He later relented, negotiating through a UN-appointed German mediator.

Hezbollah has never confirmed whether the soldiers are still alive and Olmert has said he believes the two are dead.

Nasrallah dismissed speculation regarding the soldiers' fate.

"We have not released any information to any party about the fate of the two soldiers," he said.

In his speech Nasrallah said Hezbollah would provide information on missing Ron Arad, an Israeli pilot whose plane crashed in Lebanon in 1986.

Agencies