The Israel Defense Force conducted a deadly ground operation in Lebanon overnight Friday connected to the 1986 capturing of downed fighter pilot Ron Arad.
Israeli troops and helicopters entered Lebanon via the Syrian border on the way to a cemetery in the village of Nabi Chit in the Beqaa valley, The Jerusalem Post reported.
During the mission, Hezbollah exchanged gunfire with the IDF which left 16 people dead and 35 hurt, according to the report.
Ron Arad went was taken by Shi’ite group Amal on Oct.
16, 1986 when a severe plane malfunction during
an operation in Lebanon forced him to eject. GPO/AFP via Getty ImagesThe IDF did not suffer any casualties and it is not clear if the dead included combatants, civilians or both.
No materials connected to Arad were recovered, according to Israeli authorities.
The IDF stated it will “continue to operate tirelessly, day and night, and out of a deep commitment to returning all of our sons, the fallen and the missing, home to Israel,” the outlet reported.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on the nation’s commitment to recovering the remains of the dead.
“For many years we have been pursuing that goal relentlessly. The operation last night did not yield the findings we were looking for, but the commitment to the State of Israel and my own commitment to complete all the missions regarding our captives and missing is absolute and constant,” Netanyahu said in a statement shared on X, adding, “So it has been and so it shall be.”
But Arad’s widow called for an end to the operation.
Damage done in the deadly mission overnight Friday which resulted in 16 people killed and dozens more injured. AP
Family for Arad called for the Israeli government to respect the “sanctity of life” and end the search if it puts more lives at risk. AP“We understand that our words until now have not been understood by the decision-makers and therefore it’s important for us to clarify: Our desire to know what happened to Ron stops as soon as there is risk to IDF soldiers,” Tami Arad wrote on Facebook, The Times of Israel reported.
“We thank the IDF soldiers and security forces and appreciate those who worked for Ron, and we ask that our request to sanctify life be honored,” she concluded.
Arad was on a bombing raid in southern Lebanon targeting the Palestinian Liberation Army on Oct. 16, 1986 when one of the explosives malfunctioned and damaged the IAF F-4 Phantom navigator, forcing him and another pilot to eject from the cockpit.
Pilot Yishai Aviram escaped, but Arad was taken into custody by Lebanese Shi’ite group Amal with the Israeli government losing track of his whereabouts in 1988, The Jerusalem Post reported.
