Israel recovers body of soldier missing since 1982

The remains of Staff Sgt. First Class Tzvi Feldman, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War, have been returned to Israel in a special operation conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defence Forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday morning.

“For decades, Tzvika was missing, and efforts to locate him and the other MIAs from that battle never ceased,” said Netanyahu. “Today, we have brought Tzvika home.”

Feldman was one of three IDF soldiers declared missing in action during the tank battle against Syrian forces in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. Roughly six years ago, the remains of one of them, Sgt. First Class Zechariah Baumel, were returned and buried in Israel. The final soldier, Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, remains unaccounted for.

According to a joint announcement by the Mossad and the IDF, Feldman’s body was recovered in the heart of Syria and returned to Israel as part of a complex and covert operation, enabled by precise intelligence and operational capabilities demonstrating ingenuity and courage. His remains were identified at the Military Rabbinate’s Genomic Centre for Identifying Fallen Soldiers, and his family was informed in the presence of the prime minister.

“I authorised numerous covert operations over the years to locate the missing soldiers of Sultan Yacoub,” Netanyahu said, adding that he had personally promised the Feldman family he would not stop until their son was found. “Though his parents, Pnina and Avraham, sadly passed away, we now return Tzvika to his siblings—Itzik, Shlomo and Anat—and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he so loved.”

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the return of Feldman’s body “an immensely emotional moment and the closing of a circle after more than four decades.”

“I spoke this morning with the Feldman family, who shared with me their feelings of emotion, relief and pain after so many years of grief and uncertainty,” Herzog said.

“Tzvi was declared missing since falling in the battle of Sultan Yacoub in June 1982, during the First Lebanon War. I thank everyone involved in this important operation—a principled and determined effort that enabled his return for burial in the Land of Israel and ensured he received final honours.”

Herzog emphasised that “Israel will always continue to act to bring back Staff Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, who remains missing from the same battle.

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“The sacred mission of returning all of our captives and missing—living and fallen alike, until the very last one—must always remain at the top of our priorities,” the president said.

The operation marked the culmination of more than four decades of intelligence and field efforts, conducted in close coordination among the Prime Minister’s Office’s hostage and missing persons coordinators, the Mossad, the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF Personnel Directorate.

The family of Katz was also updated on the recovery of Feldman’s remains and the continued efforts to locate their missing loved one.

Netanyahu expressed his deep appreciation to all agencies involved, including the Mossad, IDF and Shin Bet, and Hostage and Missing Coordinator Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, praising their “principled, determined and courageous” work.

Quoting the Prophet Jeremiah, Netanyahu concluded: “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall return to their own border.”