The name of Israeli pilot Ron Arad returned to the forefront of events at dawn today, Saturday, after news circulated about an attempt to land an Israeli in the cemetery of the town of Nabi Sheet in the northern Bekaa. Information indicates that the attacking force was seeking to search for his remains or any evidence leading to knowing his fate, which for many decades has been one of the most complex and sensitive issues in Israel.
Since his disappearance in Lebanon in 1986, Ron Arad has become an issue stuck in the Israeli security and political consciousness, and there have been many stories, investigations, and intelligence operations about him, but Israel has not succeeded in conclusively determining his fate or recovering his body.
The name of Ron Arad was on the scene again at dawn today, after it was linked to the circulating news about a “failed” Israeli landing attempt in the Prophet Shet cemetery. A reporter stated that the northern Bekaa region witnessed unprecedented field tension since the night hours, amid intense overflights of warplanes and helicopters, and the sounds of explosions and clashes were heard.
The reporter also indicated that the Israeli army intensified its raids on the town of Nabi Sheet, east of Baalbek, coinciding with the receipt of field information about an attempt to land a landing in the town’s cemetery at one o’clock after midnight.
According to these data, an Israeli commando group attempted to carry out an operation inside the cemetery, amid reports that it was seeking to exhume remains at the site. Information indicates that a military group from the Radwan Force affiliated with Hezbollah, with the support of the people of the area, confronted the attacking force, which led to the outbreak of a clash that ended with the group’s withdrawal after casualties occurred among its ranks.
In parallel with field developments, unconfirmed information is being circulated linking the landing attempt to the file of missing Israeli pilot Ron Arad.
On the other hand, circulated information indicated that the Israeli force may have been seeking to reach a member of the Shukr family in the region, with talk about the possibility of the Israelis taking the retired officer Ahmed Shukr, who had previously been kidnapped in the region, to guide them to a site believed to be linked to the Arad file.
Until this moment, no official confirmation has been issued by the military or security authorities regarding the accuracy of the information circulating about the landing operation, nor has any official clarification been issued linking the operation directly to the name of Ron Arad.
However, the mere return of his name to the forefront of field developments in the Bekaa shows the extent of the symbolic importance that this file still holds within Israel, and confirms that the case of the pilot who has been missing for nearly 40 years is still present in the accounts of war, intelligence, and Israeli memory.
Man ho Ron Arad?
Ron Arad: “An Israeli pilot who was born in 1958 and served in the Israeli Air Force, before he went missing on October 16, 1986 during a military mission over Lebanon.”
According to the Israeli account, Arad was participating in a bombing mission in the Sidon region, when a technical defect occurred that led to a shell exploding near the plane in which he was traveling with another pilot. The two pilots were able to parachute out, but while the second pilot, Yishai Aviram, was quickly rescued, Arad was lost after landing on the ground.
Since then, Israeli accounts began to talk about his captivity in Lebanon, with suggestions that he was captured first by the Amal Movement, before being transferred between different parties, in light of ongoing conflicting information about whether he remained in Lebanon or was transferred to Iran and was later returned.
Over the following years, Ron Arad’s file became an intelligence priority in Israel, and there were many reports of his death, but without a final resolution.
Israeli reports indicate that Arad likely died between 1988 and 1995, while other estimates indicate that he died only about two years after his capture. In 2006, former Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah said that the party believed Arad had died, but his burial place was unknown.
In 2008, German mediator Gerhard Konrad conveyed to Israel that Hezbollah indicated that Arad died during an escape attempt in 1988. Several Israeli documents and reports were also later published suggesting his death, but without providing a final answer about where he was buried or how he died.
Although decades have passed since his disappearance, Ron Arad’s name has remained present in Israeli prisoner exchanges, negotiations, and secret operations. The Mossad also carried out subsequent operations to try to obtain any information about him, including an operation announced in 2021, but it did not achieve conclusive results.
