Failure of the Ron Arad mission: a rare Israeli landing in Lebanon ends in withdrawal
The Israeli army announced on Saturday the failure of a special mission carried out by its forces inside Lebanese territory, which aimed to find evidence related to the missing Israeli air navigator Ron Arad.
According to the Israeli military, special forces operated overnight in Lebanon as part of a mission to search for any information or clues related to Arad. It confirmed that the operation ended without discovering any new indications regarding his fate and that no injuries were reported among the participating troops.
Air landing and clashes in the Bekaa
The operation coincided with Lebanese reports of an air landing conducted by Israeli forces near the town of Nabi Chit in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
Lebanese media and local residents reported that Israeli helicopters deployed a ground unit during the night before it came under fire from local fighters.
According to local accounts, the force later withdrew by helicopter, while Israeli aircraft carried out intensive airstrikes in the area to secure the withdrawal.
Heavy airstrikes and casualties
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that Israeli strikes targeting Nabi Chit and its surroundings killed at least 26 people and injured dozens, warning that the death toll could rise further.
Security sources also reported that three Lebanese soldiers were among those killed.
Field reports indicated that Israeli aircraft launched dozens of strikes on the area during the hours of fighting, while heavy gunfire and the roar of warplanes were heard across the region.
Hezbollah: direct confrontation with the force
For its part, Hezbollah announced that its fighters clashed directly with the Israeli force after it landed in the area, stating that the confrontation took place near the cemetery in the eastern neighborhood of Nabi Chit.
The group said the clashes forced Israel to carry out “fire belts” consisting of dozens of airstrikes to cover the withdrawal of its troops, after which Hezbollah fighters launched rockets toward the retreating forces.
Continued Israeli strikes
At the same time as the operation, the Israeli military announced that it had launched a wave of strikes targeting military sites, missile launch platforms, and weapons depots belonging to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region.
The army also stated that it targeted several commanders from Hezbollah’s “Radwan Force” unit in the town of Majdal Selm, without disclosing their identities or the outcome of the strike.
Escalation on the Lebanese front
These developments come after Lebanon became more deeply involved in the regional conflict, following Hezbollah’s launch of rockets and drones toward Israel in response to strikes against Iran.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 200 people in Lebanon since the escalation began, and around 300,000 people have been displaced according to preliminary estimates.
Who is Ron Arad?
Ron Arad was an Israeli air navigator who went missing in 1986 after his aircraft crashed during a military mission in Lebanon. For decades, his fate has remained one of the most sensitive unresolved cases in Israel.
Over the years, Tel Aviv has carried out several intelligence operations in an attempt to determine what happened to him or to recover his remains.
