The Iranian embassy in Lebanon says four Iranians, including threediplomats, who disappeared in Beirut in 1982 are still alive and arebeing held in Israel.

An embassy statement called for theirrelease in a statement Thursday marking the 26th anniversary of theirdisappearance. It says Iran has information indicating Israel hasdetained the four.

The son of one of the missing Iranians Thursdaysaid former prisoners in Israel have confirmed seeing the four alive inIsraeli jails.

Tehran says militants from the Christian LebaneseForces kidnapped the four in Beirut during the 1982 Israeli invasion ofLebanon. The militant group has said they died in Lebanon.

Theembassy statement comes a day after the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollahopposition, Hassan Nasrallah, said Israel would provide the group withinformation on the fate of the four Iranians as part of a prisonerexchange deal. 

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and.