Lebanese media reported Sunday night that IDF special forces landed in the area of the village of Nabi Chit in eastern Lebanon, where an operation was conducted on Saturday to search for the remains of Ron Arad.
According to the reports, Israeli Air Force helicopters arriving from the direction of Syria inserted special forces, leading to close-quarters fighting with Hezbollah terrorists.
At this stage, the IDF has not issued an official response to the events.
This is the second time within a few days that commando forces have operated in the same area in eastern Lebanon. On Saturday, the IDF confirmed activity in the area following what it described as an "operational opportunity," an operation that led to the elimination of one line of investigation regarding Arad’s fate. Tami Arad, Ron's wife, later wrote a post begging Israeli decision-makers to leave her husband's remains in Lebanon rather than risk the lives of any additional IDF soldiers.
The Hezbollah terrorist organization quickly issued an official statement on Sunday night claiming it had been prepared for the Israeli landing. According to the group, at around 12:10 a.m. about 15 helicopters were seen crossing the eastern mountain ridge from Syria. Hezbollah claimed its forces opened fire on the commando troops upon landing.
Security officials say the fact that the IDF chose to return to the same village within such a short time indicates the importance of the intelligence findings in the area.