New information has come to light about the daring and secretive mission that led to the recovery of the body of Sgt. Maj. Tzvi (Tzvika) Feldman, an IDF officer who was killed during the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub in the First Lebanon War and listed as missing in action for over four decades.
The complex and dangerous operation was conducted by Mossad, working hand in hand with IDF Military Intelligence. The mission required covert penetration deep inside Syrian territory. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Y., a retired officer who returned to active duty solely to oversee this delicate and high-stakes assignment.
The mission unfolded far beyond Israel’s borders, in a cemetery situated in an area that was once under the control of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Mossad operatives faced extreme danger on the ground, navigating through armed hostiles and active gunfire before reaching the grave where Feldman was buried.
After five months of intensive investigative work, intelligence officials discovered a narrow window of opportunity to act. A foreign team was the first to access the site and remove the remains. They delivered a DNA sample to Israel, where testing confirmed that the remains belonged to Sgt. Maj. Feldman. Only after this confirmation was the full body recovered and returned.
Feldman was one of the soldiers lost in the brutal confrontation at Sultan Yacoub, a battle that claimed the lives of 21 IDF troops and left many others wounded. The final identification of his remains was made at the Genomic Center for the Identification of Fallen Soldiers, under the direction of the IDF Military Rabbinate.
His levayah is set to take place on Monday in Cholon.
This mission represents a deeply emotional achievement for Israel, following the 2019 recovery of Sergeant Zechariah Baumel through a similarly sophisticated intelligence effort. The IDF noted that the family of Yehuda Katz, another soldier missing from the same battle, has been briefed, and the search to bring him home is ongoing.
{Matzav.com Israel}