Lebanon’s Al Jadeed reported on Tuesday that the diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon may include discussion of exchanging the remains of missing navigator Ron Arad for Lebanese prisoners. According to the report, the Arad issue is expected to come up in the fifth round of direct negotiations between the two countries, which is due to open in Washington within hours.
The report follows a secret Israeli operation in Lebanon carried out months ago, after intelligence pointed to a possible location connected to Arad in the village of Nabi Sheet in eastern Lebanon. Shayetet 13 commandos were dropped into the area, but they did not return with any new findings. Still, the operation allowed Israel’s security establishment to rule out one theory that had been under consideration about Arad’s fate.
After the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that it “did not bring the findings we were looking for.” He added, “The commitment of the State of Israel and mine to completing all prisoner and missing-person missions is absolute and permanent. It was and it will be.”
