Israeli airman Lt. Col. Ron Arad, who has been missing for 30 years, most likely died by 1988, new Mossad and Military Intelligence reports have concluded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Arad family have been briefed on these latest findings. According to Channel 2 News, the findings comprise fresh analysis of previous information as well as new information obtained over the past two years and suggests Arad died within two years of being taken captive by the Lebanon-based Shiite terrorist group Amal. Arad, a navigator, disappeared in October 1986 after he and pilot Yishai Aviram ejected from their jet, which was hit by enemy fire over southern Lebanon. Aviram was rescued shortly afterward, but Arad was never found. It was believed Amal had handed Arad over to Hezbollah and that he was moved from Lebanon to Iran, then back to Lebanon. The last proof of life from Arab was obtained in May 1988. A 2004 IDF commission had originally determined Arad died in the early 1990s, after being denied medical treatment for a serious illness, and was buried in the Beqaa Valley. In 2008, German negotiator Gerhard Konrad, who tried to broker a deal for the return of the airman's remains, informed Israel that Hezbollah claims Arad had died during a botched escape attempt in 1988. Israel officially declared Ron Arad dead in 2008.
