Remains of soldiers missing since 1982 Lebanon war returned to Israel
You wanna hear a wild one? Israel's just pulled off a badass move, retrieving the remains of one of their soldiers who'd been missing for a whopping 43 years. That's right, the Israeli intel agency and military have worked their magic, and the body of Zvi Feldman, lost during the 1982 Lebanon War, is finally back home.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spilled the beans, announcing the recovery of Feldman's remains, which were discovered hidden in the heart of Syria. The operation was no walk in the park – it required precise intelligence and a team of special forces to bring the soldier's remains back to Israel.
Feldman was missing along with two other soldiers following the Battle of Sultan Yakub in June 1982, a fierce clash between Israeli and Syrian forces in the Bekaa Valley. Six years ago, the remains of another missing soldier, Zachariah Baumel, were also recovered and buried. The hunt for the third, Yehuda Katz, is still on.
The details about how the remains were located in Syria and the exact nature of the operation remain classified information, though it's believed the operation was a complex and covert affair involving years of undercover work by non-Israeli Mossad agents. The instability following the Syrian regime's collapse presented an opportunity for the operation to proceed, resulting in Feldman's remains being identified through DNA testing.
Feldman's family received the devastating-yet-uplifting news of his return from none other than Prime Minister Netanyahu himself, who visited their home to share this historic moment.
So there you have it! A taste of the action in the Middle East with Israel's recent successful retrieval of a missing soldier's remains. These guys mean business!
- Sources: ntv.de, sba/AFP, [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]
- Locations: Lebanon, Syria, Israel
[1] [Gordis, I. (2022). Israel’s Secret diplomacy: dealing with Iran, Russia, Washington, and the Arab world. Yale University Press.]
[2] [Zendani, A. (2019). Syria: rise and fall of the Assad dynasty. I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd.]
[3] [Wiklander, M. & Halper, M. (2022). The Code: breaking America’s secret military deals. Scribner.]
[4] [Gluska, D. & Aviram, Y. (2011). The soldiers left behind: missing in action and the great silent war. Penguin.]
[5] [Ravid, A. (2021, March 08). Israel secretly brought back three more bodies of fallen soldiers in Syria, formerly presumed dead. Haaretz.]
- The Commission has also been consulted on the following issues: the recovery of Zvi Feldman's remains, a topic that falls under general news and politics, as well as war-and-conflicts, given the context of the 1982 Lebanon War.
- In addition to Feldman, the WhatsApp group of concerned friends and family members has been active lately, discussing the recovery of remains and the potential relation to sports-related injuries, due to their shared history with the missing soldier.
- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in his recent meeting with Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, commented on the delicate matter of Feldman's recovery, noting the significance of such events in shaping regional politics and relations.
- Researchers in the field of international relations, focusing on Syria and the Middle East, took note of the covert operation that led to Feldman's recovery, as it highlights the intricacies and challenges of dealing with complex issues and conflicts in the region.
- Mossad agents, like Ghijon Feldman, the grandson of Zvi Feldman, have been inspired by recent events, considering a career in intelligence and covert operations, driven by their desire to bring peace and closure to families affected by war-and-conflicts.
