Ron Arad Israeli pilot missing in action Date of Birth: 05.05.1958 Country: Israel

1. Biography of Ron Arad
2. Early Life and Military Service
3. Capture and Imprisonment
4. Failed Negotiations and Uncertain Fate
5. The Search Continues
6. Tragic End

Biography of Ron Arad

Ron Arad was an Israeli pilot who went missing in action on October 16, 1986. He was part of a combat crew on a mission to strike positions of militants in the Sidon area of Lebanon. Due to a technical error, one of the bombs exploded in close proximity to the aircraft, and the crew had to eject.

Early Life and Military Service

Ron Arad was born in 1958 in Hod HaSharon, Israel. He attended the Boarding Command School in Tel Aviv and began his military service in the Israeli Army in 1978. Arad completed pilot training in 1979 and became a combat navigator. In October 1986, he started studying chemistry and mechanical engineering at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.

Capture and Imprisonment

On October 16, 1986, during the mission in Sidon, Arad's aircraft was hit, and he and the crew were forced to eject. Arad was later found and picked up by a rescue helicopter, but he was taken captive by members of the Shiite militia Amal. It was later revealed that he was held in Beirut. The opposing side agreed to exchange Arad for Shiite and Lebanese prisoners held in Israel.

Failed Negotiations and Uncertain Fate

In 1987, several photographs of Ron Arad were released as proof of his captivity. The Israeli government engaged in negotiations for his release but reached a deadlock in 1988. After that, no reliable information about Arad was received. Israeli intelligence later learned that he was alive and held in Iran, but no agreement for his release was made. However, there was no concrete confirmation of his whereabouts.

The Search Continues

In December 2003, the "Born Free" foundation was established, offering a reward of $10 million for information about Ron Arad. The same amount was offered for information about other missing Israeli soldiers and officers. In the summer of 2006, a video was shown on a Lebanese channel featuring a person resembling Ron Arad. The video was later broadcast in Israel, and most relatives and experts believed it was him, but the recording was made before December 1989. This revelation significantly influenced public opinion in Israel. In October 2007, Israel received letters from Arad to his family dating back twenty years.

Tragic End

On June 29, 2008, Gerhard Konrad from the United Nations informed the Israeli government that, according to Hezbollah, Ron Arad was killed during an escape attempt in 1988.