The Israeli army has recovered the remains of a soldier who went missing in 1982 and transferred them to Israel, the military said on Tuesday.
Lance corporal Yehuda Katz disappeared a few days after the start of Israel’s Lebanon campaign in June 1982, following a tank battle with the Syrian Army.
His remains were identified in Israel and his family was informed, the military said. It did not initially disclose where the remains had been found.
Katz was the last of a total of three soldiers who went missing following the battle at the Lebanese village of Sultan Yacoub, fought between Israeli and Syrian forces.
Last year, Israel recovered the body of another soldier who was killed in the battle during a special operation in Syria.
Seven years ago, the body of a third soldier, who had also been killed at the time, was handed over. Russia had assisted Israel in 2019 with the search for the soldier’s remains.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the remains were discovered by Russian special forces during an operation in Syria. Israel subsequently released two Syrian prisoners, apparently in exchange for the handover of the body.