Israel launched a military operation in Lebanon after the Hizbollah movement took two Israeli soldiers hostage on Wednesday.
"We have used all channels to free your soldiers," Vladimir Putin told an Israeli journalist at a news conference in Strelna near St. Petersburg at the end of day two of the G8 summit.
"I want to say ... that we have every reason to believe that our efforts were not in vain," Putin said, but declined to offer more details.
"Due to some circumstances, I will refrain from revealing these secrets," he said.
G8 leaders adopted a statement on the Middle East situation Sunday, calling on Israel to exercise control.
"We call upon Israel to exercise utmost restraint, seeking to avoid casualties among innocent civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure and to refrain from acts that would destabilize the Lebanese government," the statement said.
