THE Hezbollah leader claimed yesterday that the guerrilla organisation would not have kidnapped two Israeli soldiers had it known what Israel’s response would be.

In an interview with Lebanese television last night, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said: “We did not think, even 1 per cent, that the capture would lead to a war at this time and of this magnitude. You ask me, if I had known on July 11 . . . that the operation would lead to such a war, would I do it? I say no, absolutely not.”

Sheikh Nasrallah also said Italy was trying to broker an Israel-Hezbollah prisoner exchange. “Contacts recently began for negotiations. It seems that Italy is trying to get into the subject. The United Nations is interested and the negotiations would be through [parliamentary Speaker Nabih] Berri,” he said.

Hezbollah has been holding two Israeli soldiers since July 12, when it captured them in a cross-border raid. It wants an exchange for some of the thousands of Arabs in Israeli prisons. The operation led to 34 days of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which controlled large parts of southern Lebanon. More than 1,300 people were killed, mostly Lebanese civilians.

The UN resolution that led to the August 14 truce suggested Hezbollah must free the two Israelis and that a solution be found for prisoners in Israel. Haaretz, the Israeli newspaper, reported that Israel was willing to discuss an exchange. However, an Israeli official said last night: “There are no negotiations over the exchange of prisoners.”

Sergio De Gregorio, the head of the Italian senate defence committee, said that Iran, which backs Hezbollah, wanted Italy to be involved. He said that Ali Larijani, the Iranian national security chief, had told him that he would ask Hezbollah to negotiate with Italy. The senator expected talks to begin this week.

Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, will discuss the deployment and role of a planned 15,000-strong peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon in Beirut today.

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