The Mossad abducted an Iranian general in Syria during its operation last month to uncover new information about missing Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, according to a report in the London-based Arabic newspaper Rai al-Youm.
The general was taken to an African country, interrogated by Israel and then released, according to the report.
It is likely that the Iranians followed the operation after it occurred, and discovered where and how it was managed, the report said.
The report noted that the attempted Iranian operation in Cyprus that was supposed to target Israelis but had been thwarted last week, might have been launched in retaliation for the Mossad operation, the report said.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett revealed the operation in a speech to the Knesset plenum on Monday. Despite the dramatic announcement, he did not give any further information about the fate of the captive, who has long been presumed dead.
Since the announcement, Bennett's office has not offered any more context or explanations for the timing of the prime minister’s statement.
Arad was captured on October 16, 1986, after a bomb his plane dropped caused damage to the aircraft, forcing him and the plane’s pilot to bail out. The pilot was saved, but Arad was taken by Lebanese Shi’ite group Amal, and later transferred to Iranian forces.Arad sent three letters from captivity, and two photos of him were released. Israel lost track of Arad in 1988.There have been several Israeli operations to get more information about his fate, including the capture of Hezbollah members and an offer of a $10 million reward. A joint report by the Mossad and the IDF determined in 2016 that Arad likely died in 1988.
This is a developing story.