BEIRUT — An overnight Israeli special forces operation in eastern Lebanon, aimed at uncovering clues about a navigator missing for nearly four decades, ended without success but at a heavy cost to local residents and fighters, according to the Israeli military and Lebanese authorities.
The raid, which took place late Friday into Saturday, targeted the town of Nabi Chit near the Syrian border, where commandos clashed with Hezbollah militants and local armed groups. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 41 people killed and 40 wounded in the violence that erupted in Nabi Chit and surrounding areas. Among the dead were three Lebanese soldiers, the army said, as the incursion prompted a rapid response from ground forces and residents.
Israel has long sought answers about Ron Arad, an air force navigator who ejected from his F-16 fighter jet over southern Lebanon on Oct. 16, 1986, during a bombing mission against suspected Palestinian militants. Captured alive by local gunmen shortly after parachuting to safety, Arad was held by the Shiite Muslim faction known as the Believers' Resistance. Early photos of the captive were released, but his trail vanished after 1988, following intense fighting in the nearby village of Meidoun between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops.
The Israeli military confirmed Saturday that the special forces unit, inserted via helicopters, did not locate Arad's remains or any related evidence. "The force did not find Arad’s remains or any evidence related to him," Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman, posted on X, formerly Twitter. Adraee added that the Israeli troops suffered no casualties during the operation.
Lebanese state media and the army provided a more detailed account of the incursion. Four helicopters were involved, with two landing commandos in the mountains along the Lebanon-Syria border before they moved toward Nabi Chit, officials said. As the Israelis advanced, they encountered resistance from Hezbollah members and local fighters, leading to prolonged exchanges of fire. The Lebanese army placed troops on high alert, firing illumination rounds to track the intruders, while residents reportedly joined the fray against the foreign force.
A resident of Nabi Chit, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, described a chaotic scene in the town's cemetery. "The Israeli force entered the town and dug up a grave in a cemetery before it left," the man said, offering no additional specifics about what they might have been seeking.
Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, claimed its fighters directly engaged the Israeli commandos. In a statement, the organization said Israel's air force carried out some 40 airstrikes in the area to cover the ground unit's withdrawal, intensifying the destruction. The clashes marked a sharp escalation in the already tense border region, where cross-border skirmishes have simmered for months.
This operation echoes previous Israeli efforts to resolve the Arad mystery. In 1994, helicopter-borne commandos raided deep into Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, capturing Mustafa Dirani, the leader of the Believers' Resistance, and transporting him to Israel for interrogation. Dirani was held for a decade before being released in a 2004 prisoner swap with Hezbollah. More recently, in 2008, Hezbollah relayed a report through mediators suggesting Arad likely died while attempting to escape his captors and flee toward Israel. That assessment, published by Israeli media at the time, offered little closure to Arad's family or the military.
The timing of the raid coincides with heightened hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which erupted earlier this week. The latest round of fighting began on Monday, triggered by Hezbollah's rocket and drone attacks into northern Israel. Those strikes were in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, amid an escalating conflict that started when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28. The broader Middle East war has drawn in multiple actors, with Lebanon bearing much of the spillover violence.
Adding to the intrigue, Lebanese officials and family members suspect Israeli involvement in the December disappearance of retired army officer Ahmed Shukr in eastern Lebanon. Shukr vanished while meeting potential buyers for a plot of land, and his relatives believe he was abducted by Israeli operatives seeking information on Arad's fate. "He does not have any information about Arad’s fate," Shukr's wife and brother told The Associated Press in recent interviews, emphasizing the officer's lack of connection to the long-missing navigator.
Beyond the Nabi Chit operation, Israel's air force conducted additional strikes across eastern and southern Lebanon on Saturday morning. State media reported attacks on the southern villages of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Arab Saleem, and Jibchit. In Jibchit, six people were killed, including four members of the same family, while five deaths were confirmed in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah. These bombings represent the latest in a series of aerial campaigns that have devastated communities and infrastructure since the current fighting intensified.
Lebanese officials condemned the raid as a violation of sovereignty, with the army detailing the helicopters' role and the subsequent clashes. The Health Ministry's casualty figures underscore the operation's toll, though exact breakdowns between civilians, militants, and soldiers remain unclear. Hezbollah's account of the airstrikes aligns with reports from the ground, painting a picture of a coordinated Israeli extraction under heavy fire support.
For Israelis, the quest for Arad remains a poignant symbol of unresolved conflicts from the 1980s occupation of southern Lebanon. Families of missing soldiers have long advocated for answers, and military leaders view such operations as both a duty and a deterrent against adversaries holding captives. Yet, the lack of findings in Nabi Chit raises questions about the intelligence driving the mission and the potential for further incursions.
As the dust settles in eastern Lebanon, the incident threatens to widen the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah confrontation. With Iran's influence looming large after Khamenei's death, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate appear stalled. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati's office has not yet issued a formal response, but calls for international condemnation are mounting from Beirut. Meanwhile, in Israel, officials have remained tight-lipped beyond Adraee's statement, focusing public attention on the broader security threats from the north.
The search for Ron Arad, now entering its 40th year, highlights the enduring scars of regional wars. While this operation yielded no breakthroughs, it serves as a stark reminder of how past abductions continue to fuel present-day violence. As investigations into the raid continue, both sides brace for possible reprisals, with the fragile ceasefire along the border hanging by a thread.