‘Israel’ says found no remains of missing airman in Lebanon operation

• ‘Israeli’ special forces carried out an overnight helicopter raid in the town of Nabi Sheet to locate the remains of airman Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986; however, the military confirmed that no traces were found at the search site, which reportedly included a cemetery belonging to the Shukr family.
• The operation triggered intense ground battles with Hezbollah fighters and was supported by over 40 ‘Israeli’ airstrikes, resulting in a "preliminary toll" of 16 to 26 people killed—including Lebanese soldiers and civilians—and dozens more wounded as the commandos evacuated under heavy fire.

The ‘Israeli’ military said Saturday it had carried out an operation in Lebanon to find remains of airman Ron Arad, but failed to uncover any trace of the navigator missing since 1986.

"As part of IDF activities in Lebanon, IDF special forces operated overnight in an attempt to locate findings related to the missing navigator Ron Arad. No IDF injuries were reported," the ‘Israeli’ army said in a statement.

"No findings related to him were located at the search site."

Hezbollah said earlier Saturday it had confronted ‘Israeli’ troops that infiltrated an east Lebanon town overnight by helicopter, with Lebanese authorities reporting at least 16 killed in ‘Israeli’ strikes on the area.

Air force navigator Arad has been missing since he was captured after he ejected from his combat jet over Lebanon in 1986 as the aircraft went down.

Arad is presumed dead, though his remains have never been returned.

The ‘Israeli’ army said in its statement that it "will continue to operate relentlessly, day and night, out of a deep commitment to bringing all of Israel's sons, the fallen and the missing, back home to the State of Israel."

After news of the ‘Israeli’ operation emerged, Arad's wife Tami thanked the military but said the lives of soldiers should not be put "at risk" in the hunt for traces of her husband, Hebrew media reported.

In its statement, Hezbollah said its fighters had "observed the infiltration of four Israeli enemy army helicopters from the Syrian direction".

After landing and disembarking, the advancing troops "were engaged" by a group of Hezbollah fighters as they reached a cemetery in the east Lebanon town of Nabi Sheet, Hezbollah said.

"The clash escalated after the enemy force was exposed," it added, saying the ‘Israeli’ troops launched intense strikes before evacuating.

A Hezbollah official in the Bekaa region, where Nabi Sheet is located, told AFP that the cemetery the ‘Israelis’ raided belonged to the Shukr family.

Last month, Lebanese authorities charged four people with kidnapping Ahmad Shukr -- whose brother Hassan is suspected of involvement in the capture of Arad -- on behalf of ‘Israel's’ Mossad intelligence agency.

Lebanon's east, where Hezbollah holds sway, was subjected to heavy ‘Israeli’ strikes on Friday, particularly Nabi Sheet, which was struck at least 13 times, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The Lebanese health ministry said at least 16 people have been killed in strikes in the area, with 35 wounded.

In a separate statement, Hezbollah said it targeted using rockets an "evacuation area" for the ‘Israelis’ outside Nabi Sheet.

‘Israel’ has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired missiles at ‘Israel’ to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.