Saudi Media Says Lebanon Alleges Mossad Hand in Disappearance of Former Security Officer Linked to Ron Arad Case

By: Fern Sidman

Nearly four decades after the disappearance of Israeli Air Force navigator Ron Arad—a case that has become etched into Israel’s national consciousness—the mystery has resurfaced with renewed force, drawing fresh attention from The Jerusalem Post in a report on Tuesday and reigniting regional suspicions of clandestine maneuvering. At the center of this latest development is Ahmad Shukr, a retired captain in Lebanon’s General Security Directorate, whose sudden disappearance has triggered allegations of an Israeli intelligence operation and reopened one of the Middle East’s most haunting unresolved files.

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According to a report published Tuesday by the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Lebanese authorities believe Shukr was kidnapped by Israel. The report, which cited a senior Lebanese judicial source, described the episode as the result of an alleged “intelligence-based entrapment operation,” a phrase that has reverberated through diplomatic and security circles. The Jerusalem Post has closely followed the unfolding story, situating it within the broader historical and intelligence context surrounding the Ron Arad affair.

Shukr was reported missing approximately one week ago under circumstances Lebanese officials have described as highly irregular. While no official Lebanese indictment or formal accusation has yet been issued, the belief that a foreign intelligence service may be involved has elevated the incident beyond a missing-persons case into a matter of geopolitical consequence. As The Jerusalem Post has noted in its coverage, the disappearance of a former senior Lebanese security official inevitably raises questions of sovereignty, covert operations, and the enduring reach of unresolved intelligence dossiers.

The significance of Shukr’s disappearance lies in his alleged connection to the Ron Arad case. Arad was captured in October 1986 after ejecting from a stricken Israeli aircraft over southern Lebanon during an operational mission. Though initially held by the Amal movement, his trail soon went cold. Despite decades of diplomatic initiatives, prisoner exchanges, intelligence-gathering efforts, and covert actions—many of which have been chronicled by The Jerusalem Post—Arad’s ultimate fate has never been conclusively determined.

Over the years, numerous individuals within Lebanon and the broader region have been scrutinized for potential involvement or knowledge of Arad’s whereabouts. Shukr, according to long-standing assessments referenced in Israeli and international reporting, was among those believed to possess insight into the murky sequence of events that followed Arad’s capture. His disappearance, therefore, has been interpreted by Lebanese officials as far from coincidental.

Israeli authorities, for their part, have responded with notable restraint. When The Jerusalem Post reached out for comment, the Shin Bet—Israel’s internal security agency—declined to respond, referring all inquiries to the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF has not issued a public statement addressing the allegations. The Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence service, likewise declined to comment. As The Jerusalem Post report observed, the agency did not issue a denial—an omission that has only intensified speculation in regional media and diplomatic circles.

Such silence is hardly unprecedented in matters touching the intelligence realm. As The Jerusalem Post has frequently reported in similar contexts, ambiguity is often a deliberate posture, designed to preserve operational discretion while avoiding escalation. Yet in this case, the absence of denial has taken on symbolic weight, particularly in Lebanon, where the narrative of an Israeli abduction has gained traction among legal and political figures.

The episode underscores the enduring potency of the Ron Arad case as both a national trauma for Israel and a lingering source of regional tension. For Israel, as The Jerusalem Post has repeatedly emphasized over the years, the commitment to accounting for missing servicemen transcends generations and governments. For Lebanon, the alleged disappearance of a former General Security officer under opaque circumstances raises alarms about foreign penetration and the limits of state control.

As of now, Ahmad Shukr’s whereabouts remain unknown, and no independent confirmation has emerged to substantiate or refute the Lebanese claims. What is clear, however, is that his disappearance has once again thrust the Ron Arad mystery back into the public arena, reminding the region that unresolved histories have a way of resurfacing when least expected.

Whether this latest development will yield new information about Arad’s fate or merely deepen the shadows surrounding it remains uncertain. In the Middle East’s world of intelligence and memory, the past is never truly past—it waits, silently, for the next door to open.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for further details.