"Searching and collecting every particle on enemy territory": New revelations behind the finding of the late Yehuda Katz

About ten days ago, the remains of IDF soldier the late Yehuda Katz, who was the last missing person from the battle in the area of the village of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War in 1982, were brought to Israel. This morning (Thursday) we are publishing new details behind the scenes of the intelligence effort and the operational activity that lasted for years in enemy territory.

Behind the location of Yehuda Katz stands one of the longest and most complex intelligence files managed in Israel. For decades, the question of his fate was examined again and again, while at the same time an intelligence picture was built that was updated every time new information accumulated.

An intelligence official who was involved in the affair explains that the decision to focus on the tank in which Katz was located actually opened a new line of investigation. From the moment the decision was made to focus on the tank, a new line of investigation was opened, but first, it was necessary to try to locate the tank itself.

One of the central insights that emerged during the work was that even when there is a finding that supposedly identifies the tank, it is still necessary to understand which detail can allow for the verification of the identification. The finding forced the team to rethink the way in which the identification could be verified, and that is how we did it. This is an example of how a small detail can change the entire investigation.

The work did not rely only on collecting new information. Over the years, intelligence personnel also returned to materials collected in the past, and sometimes these took on a new meaning. There were cases where material that had been known to the system for years received a different meaning after new information accumulated. Therefore, part of the work was not only to collect new information, but to know how to return to existing information and ask again what it says within the updated picture, the official adds.

According to him, this is one of the central insights from the entire investigation: intelligence information does not necessarily lose its value over time. Sometimes it is just waiting for a connection point. Information that seemed marginal at one point in time can become decisive when a new indication is added to it years later.

Over the years, several operations were carried out in enemy territory intended to advance the investigation. These were not isolated actions, but one continuous intelligence sequence: lessons were learned from each action, the information was assimilated into the intelligence picture and led to a change or refinement of the next action. The decision made by the Chief of Staff in 2000 to establish a dedicated team to investigate the disappearance of the crew members was, according to the official, a significant milestone.

The work carried out then became the infrastructure on which the teams that came later relied, and instead of starting over every time, it was possible to advance from it and examine it using information and capabilities that did not exist then. The current team was led by Major M., who began his path as the Shin Bet representative in the team and later, upon his retirement, moved to serve as the Aman representative in the team, together with Major N. from the Missing Persons Headquarters, who led the affair in the system.

Someone who was involved in the investigation for three years is Colonel Y., who in the past spent years in the worlds of missing persons in Aman. About half a year ago, he finished his role and moved to command in another body in Aman. "I am very moved. It is impossible to deal with this without taking it very personally. It is something that accompanies you even long after you are dealing with it," he emphasizes.

When he entered the file, Colonel Y. says, the central working assumption was that Yehuda Katz did not survive the hit on the tank. This was based on a lot of work done in the Manpower Directorate (AKA) and the collection of testimonies from the crew and soldiers and officers who were at the scene. The working assumption was that he was not among the living. Although this was the assumption, at least in our time, we always kept the doubt that we do not understand and there is doubt.

According to him, over time it became clear that the key to progress lay in the attempt to trace the tank itself. "We understood that the tank is the story. We wanted to try to trace it and understand where it is. Many years passed, and as the work developed, we managed to focus and zoom in with a lot of extraordinary partnership with the Shin Bet and Mossad." At this moment, Colonel Y. says that the intelligence stage became clear, and the effort shifted to focus on the operational stage. He says that the activity required several attempts in enemy territory. For a period of three years, operational efforts were carried out to try to reach the tank. "This is not something that can be done in five minutes. You need to create the operational reality that allows for complex work."

"This is 40 years of non-stop work," Colonel Y. says. He also describes the activity as a kind of archaeological dig in enemy territory: you need to search and collect every particle that might help - "try to describe an archaeological dig in enemy space and in short times." There was more than one attempt to reach the point, according to him: "We failed more than once. We made several attempts together with the partners, and there was more than one attempt during the operational effort that spanned a not-short period. We made all possible efforts to bring something successful. It is really a matter of persistence, because otherwise we will not succeed."

Even after findings were obtained from the field, the road to final identification did not end. Precisely because it is an affair that has accompanied a family for decades, the intelligence system sought to reach absolute certainty. "It was decided to carry out the entire identification within the territory of Israel," says Colonel Y. "In the Missing Persons system, they do not settle for 'probably'. You need to bring an answer to the family. I always told my people that we are tested only by the test of the result."

The point where, from his perspective, it was possible to say "this is it" came only after the professional tests. "When in the end the professionals receive the findings and do all the necessary tests and make an undeniable match. Until then, you don't take your foot off the gas," he adds.

However, the central characteristic of the affair is not only the operation that led to the result, but the intelligence continuity that lasted for decades, and what made it unique. "There is continuous and non-stop work here for 40 years. You will not find any other place in Aman and the intelligence community where someone investigates the same affair for 40 years, when such a thing on average lasts half a year, a month or two."

"You cannot investigate a 40-year-old affair and assume that you are the smartest in the room. You will always rely on those who were before you and pass the mission to those who will come after you. It is a relay race that takes a lot of time," he emphasizes. The uniqueness of the file is that intelligence was required to work here for an exceptionally long time. The goal was not only to understand what happened in 1982, but to preserve the ability to return to the file every time new information appeared or a new capability was opened.