By: Dim Amor

He returned home, but in a coffin. The body of missing soldier Staff Sergeant Tzvi Feldman was returned to Israel after 43 years in a special operation led by the IDF and the Mossad. In a complex and covert operation conducted in the heart of Syria, Feldman's body was located and returned to Israel, as reported last night in a joint statement from the Mossad spokesperson and the IDF spokesperson.

Staff Sergeant Tzvi "Tzvika" Feldman fell in the battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War in 1982, and since then was considered missing with his whereabouts unknown. The announcement of locating his body was delivered to his family by the IDF in the presence of the Prime Minister, after it was definitively identified at the Genomic Center for Identifying Fallen Soldiers of the Military Rabbinate.

The defense establishment emphasizes that this represents a historical and emotional closure after efforts that lasted more than four decades. The operation to retrieve Feldman's body was made possible thanks to precise intelligence and the use of advanced operational capabilities which demonstrated the ingenuity and courage of the Israeli security forces.

"This completes extensive intelligence and operational activity that continued for more than four decades", stated the official announcement, "through cooperation and shoulder-to-shoulder work of the POW/MIA coordinators in the Prime Minister's Office, intelligence and operational units in the Mossad and Military Intelligence, together with the Shin Bet and the Personnel Directorate".

The operation to return Feldman's body joins a similar operation conducted in 2019, in which the body of Staff Sergeant Zacharia Baumel was returned to Israel, who had also been missing since the battle of Sultan Yacoub. The return of Baumel's body was also made possible thanks to extensive research efforts and intelligence gathering, alongside numerous activities and operations in enemy territory.

While the Feldman family finally received the difficult news that ends a long chapter of uncertainty for them, the family of missing soldier Staff Sergeant Yehuda Katz, who also went missing from the same battle, was updated about Feldman's return and informed that efforts to locate their loved one continue without pause.

The operation was made possible following intensive intelligence and counterintelligence work by Israeli intelligence agencies, which worked over the years to try and locate information about missing IDF soldiers. This operation reveals a glimpse of Israel's ongoing covert activity in enemy territory, even decades after the original events.

According to previous publications, the battle of Sultan Yacoub is one of the hardest and most traumatic battles of the First Lebanon War. The battle took place in the Bekaa Valley on June 11, 1982, when an Israeli armored force was ambushed by Syrian and Palestinian forces. In this battle, 20 IDF soldiers were killed and 30 were wounded. Additionally, three soldiers – Yehuda Katz, Zacharia Baumel, and Tzvi Feldman – went missing and were considered possible prisoners.

Israel has not ceased efforts to locate its missing soldiers, not only from the Sultan Yacoub battle but from all wars and operations. Finding Tzvika Feldman's body in the heart of Syria after more than four decades emphasizes the commitment of the State of Israel to the principle of "not abandoning wounded in the field" and "not leaving soldiers behind."

With the disclosure of the operation to retrieve Feldman's body, the defense establishment emphasized the deep commitment to returning all sons and daughters of Israel – the living, the fallen, the missing, and the abducted – home. "The defense establishment will continue to work tirelessly, day and night, with a deep commitment to returning all our sons and daughters – the living, the fallen, the missing, and the abducted – home to Israel", stated the official announcement.

The news of the return of Staff Sergeant Feldman's body comes during a particularly sensitive period for Israeli society, as the country is still working to secure the return of those abducted on October 7. The complex operation emphasizes the resources, capabilities, and determination that Israel invests in its efforts to bring its sons home, even when dealing with the fallen and even when decades have passed.

The operation to return Feldman's body, similar to the operation to return Baumel, serves as testimony to Israel's intelligence and operational capabilities, and to its ability to operate deep in enemy territory even during complex periods. These capabilities are based on close cooperation between various intelligence and security agencies, working together toward a common goal.

The State of Israel invests significant resources in locating and returning its missing and fallen throughout history. The IDF's Unit for Locating Missing Persons (ILAN) and the National Center for Identifying Fallen Soldiers in the Military Rabbinate work continuously, using the most advanced technologies for location and identification. The Genomic Center for Identifying Fallen Soldiers, which definitively identified Feldman's body, uses advanced scientific methods and innovative DNA technologies to identify fallen soldiers even many years after their death.

The operation to return Feldman is another reminder of the value-based and moral commitment of Israeli society to bringing its sons and daughters home, at any cost and over any period of time. This is a commitment that has become an integral part of the Israeli ethos and the unwritten contract between the state and its soldiers.

In the coming days, the funeral of Staff Sergeant Tzvika Feldman is expected to take place, bringing to an end a long journey of 43 years. He has returned home, finally, for burial in the land of Israel.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson