The body of Sgt. First Class Tzvi Feldman, H’yd, who fell in battle at Sultan Yacoub in June 1982, during the first Lebanon War, was returned in a special operation by the Mossad and IDF.

His body was located in the heart of Syria and after being brought back to Israel, was identified by the IDF’s Rabbanut, the IDF said. His family was notified about the recovery by the IDF in the presence of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu announced the news on Sunday morning: “For decades, Tzvi was missing, and the efforts to locate him, alongside the others missing from that battle, never ceased,” he said.

“About six years ago, we returned Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, H’yd, to Kever Yisrael. Today, we returned Tzvi, z’l, and we will not stop working to return Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, H’yd, who is still missing from that battle.”

“Over many long years, I approved many covert operations to locate the missing from Sultan Yacoub, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring Tzvi home.”

“His dear parents, Penina and Avraham, never ceased to act on the matter, but sadly, they have already passed away. But today we are returning dear Tzvi to his siblings – Itzik, Shlomo, and Anat – and to the land of Israel that he loved so much.”

“I would like to thank the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator for POWs and MIAs, Gal Hirsch, for decades of efforts and for their valuable, determined, and courageous work to return Tzvi and to return all those missing and abducted – the living and dead alike.

“The State of Israel and the Government of Israel, under my leadership, are fully committed to this.”

As the Navi Yirmiyahu says: ״ויש תקווה לאחריתך נאום ה׳, ושבו בנים לגבולם״.

The levaya is scheduled to take place on Monday at 5 p.m. at the military cemetery in Holon.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)