Lebanon revives kidnapping claims as Hezbollah-linked past resurfaces, highlighting unresolved terror crimes against Israel’s missing airman.
A senior Lebanese legal source told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday that investigators are examining the possibility that missing Lebanese officer Ahmad Shukr was taken by Israel in what they describe as an “intelligence entrapment operation.” The theory reportedly stems from suspicions tying Shukr to the 1986 abduction of Israeli navigator Ron Arad in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanese intelligence, Shukr—formerly with Lebanese General Security—may have fallen victim to a sophisticated recruitment ruse in the Bekaa Valley. He vanished five days ago after visiting Nabi Sheet, and authorities say no technological or physical evidence places him elsewhere in Lebanon since.
Investigators reportedly noted the presence of two Swedish citizens—one of Lebanese descent—who visited Lebanon shortly before Shukr’s disappearance, with one departing the country the same day he went missing. While no proof has been presented, the absence of local traces has fueled speculation that he may have been taken out of Lebanon.
Shukr’s family background has intensified scrutiny. Relatives note he is the brother of Hassan Shukr, killed during an IDF operation in 1988, and a relative of Fuad Shukr, eliminated in an Israeli strike about eighteen months ago. Hassan Shukr was linked to the group that abducted Arad—who was transferred to an unknown location and never returned.
For Israel, the episode underscores a painful truth: Hezbollah’s long history of kidnappings and enforced disappearances remains unresolved. As Lebanon revives allegations, the unanswered fate of Ron Arad continues to expose the moral bankruptcy of terror networks—and the enduring obligation to account for their crimes.
