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, resulting in 16 deaths and 35 people injured, according to the report. It is not clear if the casualties included combatants, civilians or boths.
16, 1986 when a severe plane malfunction during
an operation in Lebanon forced him to eject. GPO/AFP via Getty Images
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.
But Arad’s widow called for an end to the operation.
“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.
