Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated on Monday that agents from the Israeli intelligence agency "Mossad" carried out a "wide-ranging and bold" operation last month in an effort to ascertain the fate of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who has been missing for a long time. Arad was rescued from a downed warplane over Lebanon during a mission in 1986. Initially, he was captured by fighters from the Lebanese Amal movement, and it is widely presumed that he is no longer alive. The pilot was rescued.
In a speech at the opening of the winter session of parliament regarding government policy, Bennett said, "Last month, the men and women of the Mossad began an operation aimed at finding new information regarding the fate and whereabouts of Ron Arad." He described it as a "complex, wide-ranging, and bold operation," adding, "This is all that can be said at this time."
The fate of Arad has long garnered significant public attention in Israel, where leaders have vowed over the years to uncover what happened to him.
