An Israeli soldier rescued from Armenia in a secret mission after being stuck there for over a month amid a bureaucratic battle over military service has landed back in Israel, Army Radio reports.
Arik Martoyan, who moved from Armenia to Israel at age 5, became entangled in bureaucratic red tape in his country of origin during a family visit when local authorities said he was eligible for the country’s military draft and would be required to complete his mandatory service before being allowed to leave the country back to Israel.
Since being told he could not leave, Martoyan has been fighting to return to Israel. He has charged that Israeli officials were not doing enough to help him. He has also been in contact with his commanders in Israel’s air force to seek their assistance.
According to news site Maariv, Martoyan was “rescued” in a “dramatic operation last night that was planned over the last few days.”
Few details about the rescue are available.
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 22, 2015
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