Deep in Syria, IDF retreives remains of soldier abducted 43 years ago

Israeli forces operating in Syria locate and retrieve the remains of an IDF soldier who was killed 43 years ago, during the First Lebanon War.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli forces operating in Syria located, retrieved, and identified the remains of a fallen IDF soldier declared missing in action nearly half a century ago, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, IDF, and Mossad all announced on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Israeli military and Mossad intelligence agency issued a joint statement, announcing that the remains of Sgt. First Class Tzvi Feldman have been returned to Israel.

In a special operation led by the IDF and the Mossad, Feldman’s remains were located deep in Syrian territory and successfully returned to Israel.

Upon their arrival in Israel, the IDF Rabbinate’s DNA Identification Center for Fallen Soldiers examined the remains, positively identifying them as belonging to Feldman.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Feldman’s siblings, Itzik, Shlomo, and Anat, to update them on the recovery of their brother’s body.

According to the Mossad and the IDF, the return of Feldman’s remains was accomplished through a complex and covert operation, enabled by precise intelligence and the use of operational capabilities that demonstrated ingenuity and determination.

The operation came six years after Israel managed to recover the remains of another soldier lost alongside Feldman, Staff Sergeant Zachary Baumel.

Feldman, a 22-year-old IDF soldier, was declared missing in action following the Battle of Sultan Yaqub in 1982 during the First Lebanon War.

During the battle, Syrian army forces surrounded the embattled IDF 90th Division in eastern Lebanon, knocking out 13 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles and killing 30 IDF soldiers.

Five other IDF soldiers were taken captive by terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), who had fought alongside the Syrian forces.

According to a few reports, some of the soldiers, including Feldman, were alive at the time of their capture and were paraded through the streets of Damascus.

“For decades, Tzvika has been missing, and the efforts to locate him, as well as the other MIAs from the same battle, have not ceased,” Netanyahu said during his visit to the Feldman home in Tel Aviv.

“Approximately six years ago, we returned for a Jewish burial Sgt. First Class Zecharia Baumel; today, we have returned Tzvika, of blessed memory. We will not cease our efforts to return Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, who is also an MIA from the same battle.

“The dear parents, Pnina and Avraham did not cease their efforts on the issue; unfortunately, they have passed on. We return dear Tzvika to you – Itzik, Shlomo and Anat – to you and to the soil of the Land of Israel the he so loved.”