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Covert Mossad and IDF operation in post-Assad Syria retrieves remains of soldier missing since 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub; DNA confirms identity as search continues for final MIA comrade.

After more than four decades of uncertainty, Israel has recovered the remains of Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, one of three soldiers missing since the bloody 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon. The announcement, made Sunday by the Prime Minister’s Office, the IDF, and Mossad, follows a secret and high-risk operation deep inside Syrian territory—launched and executed without direct Israeli presence on the ground.

The mission marked the culmination of decades-long intelligence efforts and was carried out by local operatives recruited and directed by Mossad. These non-Israeli agents had maintained deep cover for years inside Syria and, according to defense sources, were able to operate effectively in the chaotic power vacuum following the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime. In the past five months, they identified and revisited a graveyard believed to hold Feldman’s body, ultimately retrieving remains that were flown to Israel and verified through DNA matching. His military overalls were also recovered.

The recovery marks a profound milestone in one of Israel’s most painful and unresolved military episodes. The Battle of Sultan Yacoub, fought in the Beqaa Valley during the First Lebanon War, saw Israeli armored units ambushed by Syrian forces during a rapid advance. Dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed and injured, and three were declared missing in action: Feldman, Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, and Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz.

Baumel’s body was recovered in 2019 with assistance from Russian forces, who also returned a captured Israeli tank from the battle. With Feldman’s return, only Katz remains unaccounted for. Defense Minister Israel Katz (no relation) reaffirmed the state’s unwavering commitment: “Just as we returned Zachary Baumel, and now Zvi Feldman, we will not rest until we bring Yehuda Katz home as well.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally notified Feldman’s family, stating, “For decades, Zvika was missing, and the efforts to locate him never ceased—not for one day. Today we bring him home, fulfilling a sacred duty to our fighters and their families.”

The operation was reportedly carried out under fire, and the agents risked their lives traversing dozens of kilometers within hostile territory. Israeli officials have not disclosed the exact location of the graveyard, but sources indicated it was “in the heart of Syria”—far from Israeli-controlled zones in the Golan Heights buffer.

Feldman’s return also sparked reflection from groups representing families of Israel’s current hostages and MIAs. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum issued a statement honoring the achievement while calling on the government to accelerate efforts to secure the return of the remaining 59 hostages held in Gaza. “A grave is not a privilege,” the group said, “but a basic duty of the state. In Israel, no one is left behind.”

That principle, etched into Israeli military ethos, has driven decades of operations—overt and covert—to locate and return missing soldiers. The return of Feldman’s body after 43 years stands as a solemn yet triumphant moment for the country, and a reminder of the human cost behind each battlefield disappearance.

The IDF has maintained a presence at posts inside southern Syria since Assad’s fall, operating in coordination with UN observers in a zone extending up to 15 kilometers from the Israeli border. The military continues to monitor weapons smuggling and extremist activity in these areas, some of which may have yielded clues relevant to the Feldman case.

As the nation prepares to bury one of its long-lost sons with full military honors, attention now turns to Yehuda Katz—the last soldier missing from that fateful 1982 battle. Officials insist the search will continue, and with renewed momentum.