Latest news with #BattleofSultanYacoub
Indian Express
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Israel retrieves 2,500 items belonging to spy Eli Cohen, 60 years after his execution
In a secret operation spanning decades, Israel's Mossad has recovered some 2,500 personal and intelligence-related items belonging to the legendary Israeli spy Eli Cohen, 60 years after his execution in Damascus. The Prime Minister's Office announced the operation on Sunday, coinciding with the anniversary of Cohen's hanging on May 18, 1965. The cache includes Cohen's handwritten letters, personal belongings, surveillance photos, forged passports, and official documents—making up the entire Syrian intelligence archive on the Israeli operative. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the operation was carried out with the assistance of a foreign intelligence agency. The items were presented to Cohen's widow, Nadia Cohen, in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director David Barnea. 'This archive will educate generations and expresses our tireless commitment to returning all of our missing persons, prisoners of war, and hostages,' Netanyahu said, as quoted by The Times of Israel. Barnea described the recovery as 'another step in advancing the investigation to locate the burial place of our man in Damascus,' reaffirming the Mossad's ongoing mission to account for Israel's fallen and missing. The retrieved items include Cohen's final will, written just hours before his execution, as well as personal letters he sent to his family while undercover in Syria. Other recovered artefacts include: Also found was a thick orange folder titled 'Nadia Cohen,' containing Syrian intelligence surveillance records on Cohen's widow, who had campaigned internationally for his release. Cohen, born into a Jewish family in Egypt, joined the Mossad in the early 1960s and rose through the ranks of Syria's political elite under the alias Kamel Amin Thaabet. His intelligence was credited with helping Israel capture the Golan Heights during the 1967 Six Day War. He was arrested and publicly hanged in Damascus in 1965. Despite repeated efforts, his body has never been recovered. This operation to retrieve his belongings comes just a week after the Mossad and IDF retrieved the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub. According to the report, Feldman's remains were recovered from 'the heart of Syria'. (With inputs from The Times of Israel)
New York Post
13-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Israeli soldier laid to rest 43 years after disappearance
Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who went missing during the First Lebanon War in 1982, was laid to rest Monday at Israel's Holon Military Cemetery, bringing closure to a decades-long national and personal tragedy. Feldman vanished during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, a fierce tank engagement between Israeli and Syrian forces in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Advertisement He was one of three Israeli soldiers reported missing after the battle. The remains of one, Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, were returned in 2019. The third soldier, Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, is still unaccounted for. The recovery of Feldman's body was made possible through a covert operation carried out by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally notified the Feldman family of the discovery. 4 Feldman was killed in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in June 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Courtesy Feldman Family 4 Relatives and friends mourn during a funeral of Israeli soldier Zvi Feldman in Holon military cemetery near Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Advertisement At the funeral, Feldman's sister, Anat, spoke emotionally about her brother's dedication to Israel. She described his return as a moment of deep pride and sorrow, calling him 'a warrior who died defending our people.' Feldman's brother, Itzik, also spoke at the funeral, delivering a eulogy that moved many across the nation. 'His words expressed deep pain—but also hope and faith,' Netanyahu said in a post to his X account, where he shared a video clip of Itzik's remarks. 4 Mossad Director David Barnea greets relatives of Israeli soldier Zvi Feldman during his funeral in Holon military cemetery near Tel Aviv on May 12, 2025. AFP via Getty Images 4 Feldman's body was recovered through a joint covert operation. Courtesy Feldman Family Advertisement 'I was deeply moved to hear the words of Itzik Feldman at the funeral of his brother, Staff Sgt. Zvi Feldman, of blessed memory, who fell in Lebanon,' Netanyahu wrote. 'We are not stopping for a moment. We are working day and night to bring back all our sons and daughters—all of our hostages.' The repatriation highlights Israel's longstanding commitment to bringing home all missing soldiers. Netanyahu emphasized this during his remarks, stating that the government had pledged to return Feldman and fulfilled that promise.
Shafaq News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Israel recovers soldier's remains 43 years after Lebanon battle
Shafaq News/ Israel recovered the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in 1982 during a battle in eastern Lebanon, following a 'special operation' deep inside Syrian territory. In a joint statement, the Israeli army and Mossad revealed the body belongs to the Staff Sergeant Tzvika Feldman, without disclosing the timing or exact location of the operation. Feldman was one of three soldiers missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, where Israeli forces clashed with Syrian troops during Israel's large-scale invasion that reached Beirut and parts of central and eastern Lebanon. The announcement came amid heightened Israeli activity in the Golan Heights. Following the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by opposition factions on December 8, Israeli forces advanced into the buffer zone monitored by the United Nations under the 1973 disengagement agreement. Israel captured part of the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed the territory in 1981—a move not recognized internationally, except by the United States. Additionally, the Israeli army continues to search for the remains of other missing soldiers, including airman Ron Arad, captured in Lebanon in 1986, and Guy Hever, who disappeared in the Golan in 1997. Israel previously recovered the remains of another soldier from the same battle, Battalion Commander Zachary Baumel, in 2019. The fate of the third missing soldier, Yehuda Katz, remains unknown.
Vancouver Sun
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Remains of Israeli soldier missing since 1982 recovered in Syria
The remains of Staff Sgt. First Class Tzvi Feldman, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War, have been returned to Israel in a special operation conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defence Forces, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday morning. 'For decades, Tzvika was missing, and efforts to locate him and the other MIAs from that battle never ceased,' said Netanyahu. 'Today, we have brought Tzvika home.' Feldman was one of three IDF soldiers declared missing in action during the tank battle against Syrian forces in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley. Roughly six years ago, the remains of one of them, Sgt. First Class Zechariah Baumel, were returned and buried in Israel. The final soldier, Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, remains unaccounted for. וידאו: ראש הממשלה נתניהו מעדכן את משפחת פלדמן על השבתו ארצה של צבי פלדמן, זכרו לברכה: "התחייבנו שנביא אותו - והבאנו אותו. היה פה מאמץ גדול של המוסד, של צה״ל, של כל זרועות הביטחון." According to a joint announcement by the Mossad and the IDF, Feldman's body was recovered in the heart of Syria and returned to Israel as part of a complex and covert operation, enabled by precise intelligence and operational capabilities demonstrating ingenuity and courage. His remains were identified at the Military Rabbinate's Genomic Center for Identifying Fallen Soldiers, and his family was informed in the presence of the prime minister. 'I authorized numerous covert operations over the years to locate the missing soldiers of Sultan Yacoub,' Netanyahu said, adding that he had personally promised the Feldman family he would not stop until their son was found. 'Though his parents, Pnina and Avraham, sadly passed away, we now return Tzvika to his siblings—Itzik, Shlomo and Anat—and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he so loved.' Today I went to the family, to his sister Anat, and to his brothers, Shlomi and Itzik. In a very emotional moment, I told them that following a daring Mossad and IDF operation, the State of Israel had brought Tzvika Feldman back home. It was very emotional. » Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the return of Feldman's body 'an immensely emotional moment and the closing of a circle after more than four decades.' 'I spoke this morning with the Feldman family, who shared with me their feelings of emotion, relief and pain after so many years of grief and uncertainty,' Herzog said. 'Tzvi was declared missing since falling in the battle of Sultan Yacoub in June 1982, during the First Lebanon War. I thank everyone involved in this important operation—a principled and determined effort that enabled his return for burial in the Land of Israel and ensured he received final honours.' Herzog emphasized that 'Israel will always continue to act to bring back Staff Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, who remains missing from the same battle. 'The sacred mission of returning all of our captives and missing—living and fallen alike, until the very last one—must always remain at the top of our priorities,' the president said. Israel must always bring home its sons and daughters. The body of IDF soldier Tzvi Feldman, who had been declared missing after a battle in Lebanon in 1982, was recovered from Syria in a special mission by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces. The operation marked the culmination of more than four decades of intelligence and field efforts, conducted in close coordination among the Prime Minister's Office's hostage and missing persons coordinators, the Mossad, the IDF Intelligence Directorate, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF Personnel Directorate. The family of Katz was also updated on the recovery of Feldman's remains and the continued efforts to locate their missing loved one. Netanyahu expressed his deep appreciation to all agencies involved, including the Mossad, IDF and Shin Bet, and Hostage and Missing Coordinator Brig.-Gen. (res.) Gal Hirsch, praising their 'principled, determined and courageous' work. Quoting the Prophet Jeremiah, Netanyahu concluded: 'There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall return to their own border.' The Israeli defence establishment reaffirmed its commitment to bring back all Israeli captives and MIAs—whether living, slain, missing or abducted—through unwavering effort, day and night. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Jordan News
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
Israel Recovers Remains of Soldier Missing Since 1982 War in Special Operation - Jordan News
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel has recovered the remains of a soldier killed during the 1982 Lebanon War, following a special operation conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). اضافة اعلان According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the remains of Sergeant First Class Tzvika Feldman—who went missing during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in June 1982—were brought back to Israel. The battle, which took place in the Beqaa Valley of eastern Lebanon, saw Israeli forces clash with the Syrian army during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. In a separate joint statement, the IDF and Mossad confirmed that Feldman's remains were located in Syria and repatriated through a special operation. Hebrew media sources reported that Feldman had served in the Armored Corps. The Battle of Sultan Yacoub, which occurred nearly 43 years ago, resulted in the deaths of 21 Israeli soldiers and injuries to over 30 others, according to The Times of Israel. Netanyahu remarked: 'For decades, Tzvika was missing, but efforts to locate him—alongside other missing soldiers from that battle—never ceased for even a moment.' Israeli newspaper Maariv, citing a military source, described the mission to recover Feldman's body as a complex operation carried out inside Syria. Families of Israeli prisoners and missing persons welcomed the news but expressed concern, saying: 'We fear having to wait another 43 years to bring back our loved ones.'
