Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that the remains of Sergeant First Class Tzvi (Zvika) Feldman, who had been missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War, have been recovered and returned to Israel.
The operation was conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Feldman was one of three Israeli soldiers missing in action following the battle. The remains of another soldier, Zachary Baumel, were recovered in 2019. A third soldier, Yehuda Katz, is still listed as missing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement (translated):
“In a special operation by the Mossad and the IDF, we have brought home the body of Armored Corps fighter Sergeant First Class Tzvi Feldman, of blessed memory, who fell in battle at Sultan Yacoub in June 1982 during the First Lebanon War.
For decades, Tzvika was missing, and the efforts to locate him—alongside the other missing soldiers from that battle—never ceased for a moment.
Around six years ago, we returned Sergeant First Class Zachary Baumel, of blessed memory, to an Israeli grave. Today, we have brought Tzvika back, of blessed memory, and we will not stop acting to bring home Sergeant First Class Yehuda Katz, who is still missing from that same battle.
Over many years, I authorized numerous covert operations to locate the Sultan Yacoub missing soldiers, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring Tzvika home.
His parents, Pnina and Avraham, were deeply involved in efforts to bring about his return. They have since passed away. To his siblings—Itzik, Shlomo, and Anat—we return Tzvika, to his family and to the land he loved.
I want to thank the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator for Captives and MIAs, Gal Hirsch, for their efforts and commitment over many years to locating and recovering Tzvika and all of Israel’s missing and kidnapped individuals, both living and deceased.
The State of Israel and the Israeli government under my leadership remain fully committed to this mission.
As the prophet Jeremiah said:
‘There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall return to their own borders.'”
The IDF Spokesperson released the following statement (translated):
“The Mossad for Intelligence and Special Tasks and the IDF have returned to Israel the body of the missing soldier, Sergeant First Class (SFC) Tzvika Feldman, of blessed memory, who fell in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub 43 years ago.
In a special operation led by the IDF and the Mossad, the body of SFC Tzvika Feldman, z”l, was located in the heart of Syria and brought back to Israel. Following its return, it was identified at the IDF Rabbinate’s DNA Identification Center, and the family was notified by the IDF in the presence of the Prime Minister.
The return of SFC Tzvika Feldman was made possible through a complex and covert operation, relying on precise intelligence and operational capabilities that reflected resourcefulness and determination.
This completes an extensive intelligence and operational effort spanning more than four decades, carried out through close cooperation among the Coordinator for Captives and MIAs in the Prime Minister’s Office, intelligence and operational units in the Mossad and Military Intelligence (AMAN), alongside the Shin Bet (ISA) and the IDF’s Manpower Directorate.
This marks the closing of a circle, following the earlier operation in which SFC Zachary Baumel, z”l, was returned in 2019 — an achievement made possible by years of research, intelligence gathering, and operations in enemy territory.
The family of missing soldier SFC Yehuda Katz has been updated regarding the return of SFC Tzvika Feldman, along with the ongoing efforts to locate their loved one.
The defense establishment will continue to work tirelessly, day and night, with deep commitment to bringing home all of our sons and daughters — the living, the fallen, the missing, and the kidnapped — to Israel.”
This development marks another step in Israel’s ongoing effort to locate and return its missing soldiers. The Prime Minister emphasized that efforts to locate Sergeant First Class Yehuda Katz will continue.
