Decades of Blood and Mistrust Deepen Doubts Over Blame for Israeli Hostage

A risky operation in Syria

Gen. Abdullah Saberi, an Iranian commander, went for an early-morning run in an upscale diplomatic area of Syria’s capital. Israeli intelligence officers, disguised as movers, had passed through local security checkpoints and were waiting nearby.

The operation took place near Saberi’s own embassy. Israel’s determination to find Arad’s whereabouts led it to take that risk, despite the decades since the airman went missing.

The search for Ron Arad

Israeli airman Ron Arad has been missing since 1986. Israeli spies pursued Iranians they believed could help explain what happened to him. The investigation into Arad’s disappearance has been carried out over years by Ronen Bergman, Farnaz Fassihi, Adam Goldman and Hwaida Saad. The reporting describes how Israeli officials focused on Tehran as responsible for the airman’s fate. Other explanations attracted little attention until now, raising doubts about who was to blame.

A symbol for hostage supporters

At a 2025 protest in Tel Aviv, supporters of Israeli hostages held by Hamas carried pictures of the hostages alongside images of Arad. His long absence remains part of the public conversation about those still missing.

The protest connected the current hostage issue with Arad’s unresolved disappearance. The circumstances behind his fate, and the assumptions made about responsibility, remain central to the investigation.