Sultan Yacoub: Israel Recovers Last Missing Soldier

This week marked the end of a 44-year wait for one Israeli family: the remains of Staff Sergeant Yehuda Yekutiel Katz, the last soldier missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub in the First Lebanon War, were returned to Israel. Behind this historic achievement lies an unprecedented intelligence operation involving Israel's most secretive security branches, Military Intelligence (Aman), the Shin Bet internal security service, and the Mossad, working together in a relentless, multi-year effort.

According to reports first published by Israel's Channel 12 News, the breakthrough in the complex investigation came from a focused decision to locate the specific tank in which Katz had been positioned during the battle. An intelligence source involved in the operation explained that once this decision was made, a new investigative avenue opened. The work revealed that even discovering evidence that appeared to identify the vehicle needed extensive verification, forcing the team to reconsider how to achieve absolute certainty.

Zecharia Baumel (Family photo)

Alongside gathering new intelligence, investigative teams reexamined archival materials collected over the years. A major turning point came in 2000, when the IDF Chief of Staff decided to establish a dedicated team to investigate the fate of the crew members.

"You can't work on this without taking it very personally," said Lieutenant Colonel Y., who was involved in the investigation for three years. "The initial working assumption was based on the likelihood that he was not alive, but we always maintained doubt so we wouldn't give up."

The intelligence breakthrough led to a series of daring operations in hostile territory that continued for approximately three years and required unique operational conditions. After numerous obstacles and setbacks along the way that demanded boundless persistence, the objective was achieved. To ensure absolute certainty and out of tremendous sensitivity to the family, officials decided that the complete identification process would be conducted only in Israel.

Lieutenant Colonel Y. summarized the operation's complexity: "There's continuous, unceasing work here spanning 40 years. You can't investigate a case like this and start from the assumption that you're the smartest person in the room; this is a long and complex relay race."

The Battle of Sultan Yacoub, which took place on June 11, 1982, was among the most difficult battles of the First Lebanon War. That day, 20 IDF soldiers were killed, dozens were wounded, and six fighters were declared missing. Of those missing, three remained without a known fate for decades. Seven years ago, the body of Staff Sergeant Zechariah Baumel was returned for burial in Israel, and last year the body of Staff Sergeant Zvi Feldman was recovered in a special operation conducted inside Syria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday: "For many long years, I authorized numerous covert operations to locate the missing soldiers of Sultan Yacoub. I promised their families that we would never stop working to bring them home. Today all of us, all the people of Israel, embrace the Katz family."

Netanyahu added that Yehuda's beloved parents, Sarah and Yosef, of blessed memory, never stopped working to locate and return their son, but sadly have already passed away. "We are returning to you, the brothers Avi and Prachiya, your dear Yehuda—to you and to the soil of the Land of Israel that he loved so much," the Prime Minister said.

The funeral of Staff Sergeant Katz will take place this Friday, departing from Kerem B'Yavneh Yeshiva, where he studied in his final years before enlisting in the IDF, proceeding to the military section of the Mount of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem.