TEL AVIV Ñ Israel has determined that three soldiers abducted by Hizbullah more than a year ago have died.

Israeli commanders said the military has determined that the three soldiers abducted on Oct. 8, 2000 along the border with Lebanon died of their wounds in a Hizbullah attack. A Hizbullah squad seized the mortally-wounded soldiers and brought them to Lebanon in a United Nations vehicle.

The commanders told the families of the three soldiers on Monday evening that there is virtually no evidence that their sons are alive. The commanders said the assessment was based on intelligence information.

"The likelihood that the boys are dead is very high," Israeli military manpower chief Maj. Gen. Gil Regev said. "This is an updated intelligence assessment based on reliable information. We knew that the soldiers were badly wounded in the event. Our assessment is that they were killed in the first clash or soon after."

Regev said the last intelligence report Ñ received last week Ñ confirmed earlier suspicions that the soldiers were killed. The general would not elaborate but said the report did not include physical evidence.

Earlier, Hizbullah said it had been close to concluding a deal for an exchange of the Israeli soldiers for Lebanese and Palestinians being held in Israel. But the organization said the deal was being delayed by the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan.

Over the weekend, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met with Israeli leaders and discussed the abducted soldiers. Fischer also met with the families of the soldiers.

At the same time, a German envoy discussed the abducted Israeli soldiers in a meeting with Hizbullah envoys in Beirut. The envoy was said to have requested additional information on the soldiers.

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