Israel Kidnapped Iranian Generals for Ron Arad Intel, Killing One

Israel abducted two Iranian generals in recent years as part of efforts to gather information on missing navigator Ron Arad, according to a New York Times investigation published Sunday. The report states that Generals Alireza Ashgari and Abdolah Saberi were kidnapped by Mossad agents who interrogated them. Ashgari died during the process. The investigation found that neither general possessed any information regarding Arad's abduction.

Saberi, a senior official in the Revolutionary Guards, was reportedly abducted by Mossad agents in September 2021 while on a morning run in the diplomatic quarter of Damascus, Syria. Sources claim agents disguised as movers bypassed security checkpoints and ambushed Saberi near the Iranian embassy, forcing him into a commercial vehicle and transporting him to Israel. Official Iranian sources stated that Saberi was only questioned about the Ron Arad case.

Israeli intelligence agencies reportedly invested significant effort in uncovering Iran's connection to the 1986 hijacking of Arad, whose plane crashed in Lebanon. However, Israeli reports over the years concluded that Iran was not involved in his abduction. Official Israeli sources told the New York Times that while they were previously certain of Iranian responsibility, this assumption was likely mistaken from the outset.

Intelligence sources indicated that the prevailing assessment among those searching for Arad in Israel today is that Iran never held him and was not involved in his disappearance. Information gathered during the recent war with Hezbollah has reportedly strengthened this assessment.