Disappearance of Ron Arad
Ron Arad (; born 5 May 1958, presumed dead), was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer (WSO) who has officially been classified as missing in action since October 1986. Arad was lost on a mission over Lebanon and is believed to have been captured by the Shiite group Amal and later handed over to Hezbollah. Personal life Arad was born on 5 May 1958 in Hod HaSharon, Israel. He studied in the Boarding Command School in Tel Aviv. Arad began his military service in the Israel Defense Forces in 1978 and graduated from the IAF flight course in 1979 as a combat navigator. In October 1985, Arad began studying chemical engineering at the Technion in Haifa. Arad was married to Tami and is father to a daughter, Yuval. Capture On 16 October 1986, Arad and pilot Yishai Aviram were on a mission to attack PLO targets around Maghdouche in Southern Lebanon. A bomb dropped by their F-4 Phantom II apparently exploded prematurely, causing damage to the aircraft and forcing both crewmen to eject. Aviram was located by an Israeli Bell AH-1 Cobra a few hours later, and escaped by clinging to one of its landing skids as it flew