Former Head of POW and MIA Department: "There are certain developments in the Ron Arad case"

Avi Kalo, former head of the POW and MIA department in Aman, spoke today (Thursday) with Barak Seri and Eli Ohana on 103FM about the return of the remains of the late Yehuda Katz, the last missing person from the Sultan Yacoub battle, and about the ongoing efforts to locate other missing persons.

"A definitely emotional day that caught us all by surprise. This is the last missing person from the First Lebanon War. His return is an expression of the deep commitment of the security establishment to returning the fallen, by any means necessary. The main turning point in this case occurred about a decade ago," said Kalo.

He continued: "Years of efforts to try to shed light on the fate of the missing. A decade ago, a team was established that brought all the players and capabilities to one table and initiated a deep and long process. Eventually, we established an operator on the ground, and the matter of setting foot in the heart of Damascus in the era of the Assad challenge was a huge challenge in itself, beyond the intelligence challenge."

Due to censorship constraints, Kalo did not provide all the details, but noted: "It is a different event on the battlefield. Three kilometers south on that difficult day on June 11, 1982, and the derivative of this thing is important for understanding the historical perspective. The people involved, the geographical context, and the place to which all the IDF loot that was plundered following the difficult battle at Sultan Yacoub was taken, led to the fact that the circumstances in which Katz was removed from the battlefield were different."

"It is a Sisyphean journey," he said. "Sometimes dark and difficult. The public in Israel is exposed only when it is possible to bring the news to the people, and first of all to the family. This is part of the tragedy that sometimes exists." Regarding the feelings of those involved in the operation, he said: "Exhilaration and transcendence in the face of important tasks."

Kalo also compared the chaos on the battlefield at Sultan Yacoub to the events of October 7: "In similarity to October 7, there too, when the chaos began and there was confusion from the moment it was understood that the IDF was at a disadvantage on the ground, even then the mob arrived at the area. They looted the tanks, the IDF equipment, and the bodies of the missing were also lost on different paths. Today, the matter is closed with the discovery of the third path, that of Yehuda Katz."

Finally, he also addressed the Ron Arad case: "Regarding Ron Arad, and the mystery involved in the space between Syria, Lebanon, and Iran. Over the years, the intelligence community believed that Ron was being held in Iran. This matter has been refuted. The center of gravity is currently in Lebanon. There are certain developments in this case as well. Not all of them can be talked about. Here too, there was confusion. For decades, they dealt with Iran, and the focus is Lebanese."