The Israeli military said special forces from the Israeli Air Force carried out a rare overnight raid in eastern Lebanon in an effort to locate the remains of navigator Ron Arad, who went missing after ejecting from his aircraft over Lebanon in 1986. The operation took place in the area of Nabi Chit but did not uncover any findings related to Arad.

Despite not locating his remains, the military said the mission allowed it to rule out one possible location. Arad's family was updated on the developments. The raid was launched following what the military described as an operational opportunity linked to an evacuation order in the area and additional intelligence gathered during ongoing fighting with Hezbollah.

The military said there were no Israeli casualties and denied claims by Hezbollah that troops came under fire. It added that forces operated under heavy airstrikes to isolate the area and that anyone approaching the troops was struck. Lebanon's health ministry reported that 16 people were killed and 35 wounded in the strikes.

The Israeli military reiterated its commitment to returning all missing and fallen soldiers, noting that three personnel are currently considered missing: Ron Arad, Guy Hever and Yehuda Katz.