Hezbollah says missing Israeli airman Ron Arad likely died 20 years ago

By: Shawna Ohm, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS JERUSALEM - Hezbollah says Israel's most famous missing airman probably died 20 years ago after escaping captivity in Lebanon. The newspaper Maariv quotes a Hezbollah report to the Israeli government as saying Ron Arad likely died while trying to make his way home through difficult terrain. The Lebanese guerrilla group submitted the report on Arad's fate to the Israeli government as part of a July prisoner swap. Israeli security officials confirmed that the Maariv report accurately summarized Hezbollah's account. However, they dismissed Hezbollah's claim, noting that the group provided no evidence that Arad died. Arad's plane was shot down Oct. 16, 1986 by Lebanese militiamen. The plane's pilot was rescued by helicopter, but Arad, the navigator, was captured alive. He was initially held by... [read full story]