Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday morning that the remains of Staff Sgt. Tzvi Feldman, missing since the 1982 Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War, have been returned to Israel in a joint operation conducted by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces.

“For decades, Tzvika was missing, and efforts to locate him and other missing soldiers from that battle never ceased,” said Netanyahu. “Today, we have brought Tzvika home.”

Feldman was one of three IDF soldiers declared missing in action during the intense tank battle against Syrian forces in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. In 2019, the remains of one of them, Sgt. Zachary Baumel, were returned and buried in Israel. The final soldier, Sgt. Yehuda Katz, is still unaccounted for.

“I authorized numerous covert operations over the years to locate the missing soldiers of Sultan Yacoub,” said Netanyahu, adding that he had personally promised the Feldman family he would never stop working to bring their son home. “Though his parents Pnina and Avraham sadly passed away, we now return Tzvika to his siblings and to the land of Israel that he loved so much.”

The prime minister expressed his gratitude to the Mossad, IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and POW/MIA Coordinator Gal Hirsch for their “principled, determined and courageous” efforts, and reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to locating all missing and captive soldiers, whether living or fallen.

Quoting the prophet Jeremiah, Netanyahu concluded: “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall return to their own border.