The Mossad did not succeed in a special operation to find the remains and information about Israeli Air Force (IAF) Navigator Ron Arad last month.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed the operation in a speech to the Knesset plenum on Monday. Despite the dramatic announcement, he did not give any further information about the fate of the captive, who has long been presumed dead. Nor was his office forthcoming with context or explanations of the timing of the prime minister’s statement revealing the secret operation.
Defense sources said that the operation was a failure and they did not find any new information about Arad’s fate.
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Bennett told the Knesset he authorized the operation for the airman who has been missing since 1986 out of the spirit of the Jewish concept of redeeming captives and that he had informed Arad’s family.
“Last month, Mossad agents – men and women – embarked on a complex, wide-ranging and daring operation to find the remains and whereabouts of Ron Arad,” said the Prime Minister.
“That is all that can be said at the moment,” Bennett said. He also thanked the IDF and Shin Bet for the “outstanding collaboration” in the special operation.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks at the Knesset plenum in the presence of President Isaac Herzog and Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy on October 4, 2021. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Bennett added that “redeeming prisoners is a Jewish value that became one of the holiest values of the State of Israel…It defines us and makes us unique. We will continue to act to bring all our sons home from anywhere.”
The prime minister also said that he informed Arad’s family of the operation. His relatives told Channel 12 that they “continue to hope that maybe one day we will know what was Ron’s fate.”
Arad was captured on October 16, 1986, after a bomb his plane dropped caused damage to the aircraft, forcing him and the plane’s pilot to bail out. The pilot was saved, but Arad was taken by Lebanese Shiite group Amal, and later transferred to Iranian forces.
Arad sent three letters from captivity, and two photos of him were released. Israel lost track of Arad in 1988.
There have been several Israeli operations to get more information about Arad’s fate, including the capture of Hezbollah members and offering a $10 million reward. A joint report by Mossad and the IDF determined in 2016 that Arad likely died in 1988.
A spokesman for Bennett would only say that the reason for the announcement was to “update Knesset members.”
Asked if it was connected to a likely upcoming trip by the prime minister to Moscow, the spokesman said no. No date has been set for the visit, but Bennett agreed to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian military found the remains of Israeli missing soldier Zachary Baumel in 2019, returning them to Israel. Russia maintains a military presence in Syria.
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