The IDF confirmed the capture of the two Israeli soldiers on 13 July. They were both reservists on their last day of operational duty.^[15]

Hezbollah released a statement saying "Implementing our promise to free Arab prisoners in Israeli jails, our strugglers have captured two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon."^[16] Later on, Hassan Nasrallah declared that "No military operation will return them…[t]he prisoners will not be returned except through one way: indirect negotiations and a trade of prisoners."^[17] No Hezbollah casualties were reported.^{[citation needed]}

On 6 August the IDF announced one of the Hezbollah participants was captured in a commando operation.^[18]

On 27 August the Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has said he would not have ordered the abduction of two Israeli soldiers if he had known it would lead to such a war. "Had we known that the kidnapping of the soldiers would have led to this, we would definitely not have done it," he said in an interview on Lebanese TV.^[19] On the other side, however; Israeli P.M. Ehud Olmert testified before the Winograd Commission that he had fully planned for an intensive war upon a kidnapping as early as March.[3]

Nasrallah stated on 31 October 2006 that indirect talks with Israel on hostage return had begun.^[20]

Haaretz reported in March 2007 that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert testified to the Winograd Commission that several meetings regarding Hezbollah were held upon his taking office, and that in response to the likely scenario of soldiers again being abducted, he chose one of several plans of action instead of having to make a snap-judgement if and when such a scenario occurred.^[21]

On 6 December 2006, a previously classified report released by Israel stated that the two soldiers were critically wounded during the abduction.^{[22][23][24][25]}

On June 29, 2008, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared the two captives dead. On July 16, 2008 Hezbollah swapped the bodies of Ehud and Eldad for Samir Kuntar, four Hezbollah prisoners captured during the 2006 Lebanon war and the bodies of 199 killed Palestinian and Lebanese fighters.