After 43 Years, Zvika Feldman Comes Home: The Secret Mission Behind His Return

New details are emerging about the dramatic and covert operation deep inside Syria to return the remains of fallen soldier Zvika Feldman, who died during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub 43 years ago. This complex and risky mission involved clever tactics, life-threatening challenges, and a team that has been operating in Syria for several years.

According to military correspondent Doron Kadish of Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio), in the past five months, following the fall of the Assad regime, significant progress was made in the mission to retrieve the remains of Feldman.

The operation to recover the body was executed with an elaborate cover story, and involved high-risk strategies with the use of "Mossad assets." Israeli soldiers did not participate directly in the operation, but Mossad agents made dangerous and complicated moves.

One of the defining moments was when a team encountered Feldman’s uniform, confirming they were in the right place. The operation’s leader sent a note to Mossad’s head, saying: “We’ve found the uniform.”

How it went down:

Saudi channel Al-Arabiya reports from its "sources" that the body of Zvi Feldman, z"l, was buried in the cemetery of the Palestinian refugee camp Al-Yarmouk on the outskirts of Damascus, with only five living people aware of the location of his remains.

After the fall of the Assad regime, four graves were located at the site where searches were conducted for the body.

An Israeli commando force, along with local armed groups, transferred four bodies from the site to Israeli territory.

The announcement of Feldman's identification was delayed due to the difficulty in identifying his body.

Additional remains brought from Syria to Israel are still being examined, according to the report, with one of the bodies being investigated as possibly belonging to Israeli spy Eli Cohen, who was executed in Damascus in 1965.

According to Al-Arabiya, the remains were transferred to Israel a few weeks ago.

In the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, on June 11, 1982, ten Israeli soldiers were killed and many others wounded. Three soldiers, Yehuda Katz, Zvika Feldman, and Zachary Baumel, were listed as missing. Six years ago, Baumel’s remains were returned to Israel, and now, Feldman’s remains have also been repatriated. Israel hopes that the return of these remains will provide significant leads in the case of Yehuda Katz, the last missing soldier from that battle.

A joint statement from the IDF Spokesperson and the Mossad announced that through a special operation led by the IDF and Mossad, Zvika Feldman's remains were recovered from deep within Syria and brought back to Israel. The remains were identified by the IDF's DNA laboratory, and the family was informed personally by the IDF and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The statement revealed that the recovery of Feldman’s remains was made possible by precise intelligence and operational capabilities, demonstrating Israel’s commitment to its fallen soldiers and their families.

Prime Minister Netanyahu personally visited the Feldman family in Tel Aviv to inform them of the return of Zvika. He expressed the government's dedication to bringing back all missing soldiers, referring to the fulfillment of a promise made to the Feldman family.

Netanyahu added that, just as the remains of Zachary Baumel were returned in 2019, Israel will continue its efforts to bring home Yehuda Katz.

Defense Minister Israel Katz also commented on the return of Feldman’s remains, emphasizing that after 43 years of pain and uncertainty for the Feldman family, Israel remains committed to bringing home all its soldiers, alive or deceased, as part of its moral and national duty.