After 44 years, the IDF has located the remains and personal belongings of Yehuda Katz, Hy”d — the last soldier still missing from the Battle of Sultan Yacoub during the First Lebanon War.

Katz’s remains and personal belongings were recovered overnight in a special operation by the IDF and Mossad, based on intelligence provided by the IDF Intelligence Directorate, and were transferred to Katz’s family.

The Battle of Sultan Yacoub took place on June 11, 1982, just hours before a ceasefire was set to take effect. Twenty Israeli soldiers were killed, and many others were wounded.

Following the battle, six Israeli soldiers were declared missing. Two had been taken captive and were later returned in prisoner exchanges, while another, tank commander Zohar Lifshitz, Hy”d, was killed and his body was subsequently returned.

Katz, Zechariah Baumel, and Tzvi Feldman, H’yd, remained listed for decades as missing soldiers from the battle.

In 2019, Baumel’s remains were recovered from Syria and returned to Israel with Russian assistance in an operation led by the IDF Intelligence Directorate. In May 2025, Feldman’s remains were recovered in Syria and returned to Israel in a special operation carried out by the Mossad and IDF.

Katz remained the last missing soldier from the battle, with his fate unknown until today.

Katz was born on July 18, 1959, in Ramat Gan to Holocaust survivors Yosef and Sarah Katz. From an early age, he demonstrated exceptional academic abilities and a particular thirst for Torah learning.

After graduating from high school, Katz enlisted in the IDF through the Hesder program. When the First Lebanon War broke out, he joined his fellow soldiers in Lebanon. He was sent into the Battle of Sultan Yacoub just ten days before he was scheduled to complete his military service.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)