Israelis deny exchange for airman's body

TEL AVIV, Israel, May 20 (UPI) -- Israeli officials deny reports in the Arab media that they are close to a deal to exchange the body of an Israeli airman for a convicted terrorist, the newspaper Haaretz says.

The newspaper cites senior government sources calling stories in a newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates "media spin" and "a disinformation campaign."

Al Itihad said in a story from Beirut that there is evidence that Ron Arad is dead and that the group Hezbollah has his body. The newspaper said that Arad's body would be returned to Israel in exchange for the release of Samir Kuntar, imprisoned for the 1979 murder of a police officer and three others.