Israeli soldiers during a routine operation in Syria found the rotor head of an Air Force helicopter that crashed in Syria during the Yom Kippur War, the Israel Defense Forces said on Monday morning.
The “Hatsara” helicopter crashed on April 27, 1974 during a mission to rescue injured paratroopers. The six crew members killed in the accident were brought back to Israel for burial. The helicopter had crashed due to bad weather on the Syrian side of the Hermon mountain.
Israeli troops arrived at the mountain to return the rotor head for the sake of commemoration and tradition, and also searched the area to ensure that there were no personal or meaningful objects for the bereaved families left in the area.
After the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Israel took control of the entire strategic Hermon mountain. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the IDF will remain there at least until the end of 2025. Israel is worried about the various groups that took control of Syria, which includes radical Jihadi groups.
JewishPress.com News Desk contributed to this report.
