Israeli soldiers pronounced dead

Assaf Avitan, right, brother of missing Israeli soldier Adi Avitan, cries as a military rabbi tears his shirt, a traditional Jewish act of mourning

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces has officially pronounced that three soldiers abducted by Hezbollah guerrillas last year are dead.

The soldiers are Sgt. Adi Avitan of Tiberias, Staff Sgt. Benny Avraham of Bnei Brak, and Staff Sgt. Omer Souad of Salma.

The statement from Brig. Gen. Yirael Weiss was released Friday.

He based his decision on IDF intelligence reports and made the decision after discussions with other rabbis.

On Monday, the IDF had updated its intelligence assessment on the fate of the three, saying "there is a very high probability that the three soldiers are dead."

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IDF officers informed the soldiers' famlies of the decision, and Weiss is to visit the families.

The soldiers were kidnapped October 7, 2000 when they were on patrol on the Israel-Lebanon border.