Damascus unaware of operation to retrieve body of Israeli soldier — report

4 April 2019, 6:29 pm

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The Syrian government was not aware of a joint Russian-Israeli operation to find and return the remains of an Israeli soldier missing in battle since 1982, the state-run Sana news site reports.

An unnamed source is quoted as saying that Damascus had “no information” on the subject, but says the operation “confirms the Mossad is cooperating with terror groups.”

Yesterday, the remains of Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel were returned to Israel for burial.

The remains of Staff Sgt. Zachary Baumel, an IDF soldier who has been officially missing since the 1982 First Lebanon, land in Israel in April 2019. (Israel Defense Forces)

During a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow assisted in retrieving Baumel’s remains.

There are Russian forces in Syria, where Moscow has been supporting President Bashar Assad’s regime in his country’s civil war.