Israel’s intelligence service „Mossad“ kidnapped two Iranian generals and interrogated them about the fate of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, who disappeared in 1986. This is claimed in an investigation by „The New York Times“, cited by RBC. The operations were undertaken despite a lack of evidence that Iran had been involved in Arad’s disappearance.
Arad disappeared in October 1986 after ejecting over southern Lebanon. He was captured by the Shiite group „Amal“, while Israel maintained for a long time that he had later been handed over to Iran.
The General Who Disappeared in Istanbul
In December 2006, General Alireza Asgari, a former Iranian deputy defense minister who had ties to the leadership of „Hezbollah“, disappeared in Istanbul. Three former American officials who had worked with Israel told „The New York Times“ that Asgari had been abducted by „Mossad“ agents and interrogated for weeks about a possible connection to Arad’s disappearance.
According to one of the sources, the general was interrogated aboard a ship, after which he was killed and his body was thrown into the Black Sea. These claims have not been officially confirmed by Israel. According to the investigation, the interrogations produced no information linking Asgari to the pilot’s disappearance.
The Operation in Damascus
In September 2021, Israeli agents abducted General Abdullah Saberi in Damascus, a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the account of the operation, agents disguised as loading and unloading workers captured him during a morning run, placed him in a refrigerator box and drove him away in a white minibus.
Saberi was taken to Israel for questioning and, after a lengthy detention, was left on a street in Johannesburg, South Africa. He later stated that he had been tortured. Iranian officials claimed that the questions put to the general concerned Arad exclusively.
The then-director of „Mossad“, David Barnea, described the operation as „brave and daring“, but acknowledged that it had ended in failure. „Mossad“ has not publicly responded to „The New York Times“’ questions about the revelations.
Israel’s Assessments Change
One of the foundations of the Iranian version is the account of Mustafa Dirani, head of „Amal“’s security service, who was abducted by Israel in 1994. He claimed that fighters from the Guard Corps had taken Arad to Iran. However, no evidence supporting this version was found.
A secret report by Iran and „Hezbollah“ from 2004 concluded that Arad had died in 1988 in the Lebanese village of Nabi Chit and had probably been buried there. In 2006, an investigation by „Shin Bet“ concluded that reports of his presence in Iran had been erroneous.
„We concluded that all the reports and the assessments based on them, according to which Ron Arad had at some point been handed over to Iran or had ended up there, were incorrect,“ said former agency director Yuval Diskin.
A similar assessment was reached in a 2016 report by Avi Kalo, a former head of the Israeli military unit responsible for searching for missing service members. Nevertheless, Israeli operations connected to Iran continued. During a recent search for Arad’s remains in the cemetery of Nabi Chit, none were found. Israeli authorities now believe that the pilot most likely died in Lebanon, and the search for him continues.
Sources: rbc.ru, nytimes.com, timesofisrael.com