Israeli experts who have been involved in prisoner swaps say that England handled the crisis with Iran "in an exemplary manner."

The British threatened Iran with a very big stick: movement of troops and additional sanctions. On the other hand, Iran was given the means to climb down from its position. Both sides got what they wanted.

The experts say, cautiously, that the release of the British servicemen could have a positive influence on Israeli concerns.

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There is a small chance that the Iranian move will influence Hezbollah to show flexibility in permitting some sign of life from the two kidnapped soldiers it holds, they said.

"Much depends on how the Israeli leadership acts in the next few days," said the sources.

Following the release of 15 British sailors seized two weeks ago by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf, the father of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldier Ehud Goldwasser said Thursday that Israel should learn from the British government and hold direct talks with the captors of its seized soldiers.

"I know that they want to make deals through direct one-on-one talks, without mediations in the middle," Shlomo Goldwasser told the 150 demonstrators who had gathered in Tel Aviv as part of a cross-Israel journey in support of releasing the captive IDF soldiers.

"It doesn't interest me that according to the law Hezbollah is defined as a terror organization," Goldwasser said. "We can talk to Hezbollah in order to return our sons home."

The cross-country demonstration began last month in Eilat and will end in northern Israel, near where Goldwasser and his fellow reservist Eldad Regev were captured by Hezbollah guerillas last July.

Iran: Britain sent letter of apology before troops' release
An adviser to Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Thursday that Iran had received a letter of apology from Britain before the release of 15 military personnel, state television reported.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the British sailors and marines on March 23, and accused them of entering Iran illegally, a charge Britain denied. The 15 Britons were released on Wednesday and arrived back in England on Thursday.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser on international affairs to Khamenei, said Iran had achieved its "objectives" in the political standoff with Britain over the arrests.

"Iran set a condition that Britain accepts there was a violation (of Iranian waters) and gives apologies. On Tuesday we received a letter of apology," Velayati was quoted as saying.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday that Britain had taken a measured approach to the incident "not negotiating but not confronting either."

Britain angered Iran earlier in the crisis by seeking and securing the support of the United Nations and European Union for its cause. The United States had also backed Britain.

The flight carrying 15 British military personnel freed by Iran after a tense two-week stand-off arrived back in England on Thursday, a day after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he had decided to release them as a "gift to the British people."