Remains Discovered of Soldier Who Fell in First Lebanon War

Israel announced today the recovery of the remains of Yehuda Katz, an IDF soldier who went missing during the First Lebanon War, after the Battle of Sultan Yacoub June 11th, 1982.
“In an operation led by the Military Intelligence and a joint community effort with the Mossad, the remains of Yehuda were located and brought to Israel,” the IDF said in a statement. “After they were brought to Israel, an identification process was conducted at the Military Rabbinate’s Center for the Identification of Fallen, in cooperation with the Medical Corps and the Israel Police.”
Two other soldiers went missing at the same time as Kata: Zachary Baumel and Zev Feldman. Baumel’s remains were recovered in 2019 with the assistance of Russia, and Feldman’s were recovered in 2025 in another Mossad operation.
The IDF declined to share details of the operation, only saying that the intelligence that led to it only came in the last few months. More would be shared after consulting with the family.
It was not clear if Katz’s entire body was recovered.
Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu said that he had promised the families of the missing soldiers that Israel “would never stop working to bring them home.” Addressing the family, he noted that Katz’s parents had since passed away, but his siblings were alive for his body’s return to Jewish soil.
Katz’s nephew Yochai Heiman told the Jerusalem Post that the family had received the message from the government about the body’s recovery but would hold off judgment until they had independent verification.
“In our experience, you cannot trust a blind person,” Heiman told the Post. “After we verify the information, we will know how to respond to the results. It is too early to ask questions about funerals and graves.”
In a 2024 interview on KAN Reshet Bet, Katz’s sister Perachia said that he and his tank commander had been captured by Syrian forces. The commander was buried in a Jewish cemetery in Damascus and eventually returned to Israel. She believed that her brother was still alive and in captivity, referring to cases of prisoners released after forty or fifty years.
Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich sent condolences to the family and praised Israel as the only state that has spent decades on finding Israelis to bring back for burial.
Former deputy defense minister Major (res.) Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, who fought alongside Katz in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, told the Jerusalem Post that he felt “chills this morning” upon hearing the announcement of the discovery.
Shas Party leader Arye Deri said he was moved by the news of the discovery after 44 years, and likewise praised the uniqueness of Israel in recovering the bodies of Israelis.