The mysterious disappearance of a retired Lebanese security officer has ignited allegations of a covert Israeli intelligence operation, with his family claiming he was abducted to extract information about a long-missing Israeli airman. Retired General Security Directorate Captain Ahmed Shukr vanished in December after arranging to meet a potential buyer for a plot of land, and his relatives assert he was taken to Israel.
Family Alleges Israeli Involvement in Disappearance
Lebanese officials and Shukr's family believe he was kidnapped and transported to Israel in an operation aimed at uncovering details about the fate of Israeli navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared in Lebanon four decades ago. The family insists Shukr was never part of any militant group and played no role in Arad's disappearance, suggesting he was targeted due to his brother's possible connections to the case.
Deadly Commando Raid Follows Disappearance
Nearly three months after Shukr went missing, and amid ongoing Middle East conflict following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, Israel conducted a deadly commando operation in Nabi Chit, Lebanon, this weekend. The mission aimed to search for Arad's remains, with residents reporting the team began digging in the Shukr family cemetery before clashing with Hezbollah fighters and armed civilians.
Intense fighting and airstrikes resulted in 41 fatalities and dozens of injuries, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, with no Israeli casualties reported. The Israeli military acknowledged the operation sought evidence of Arad's fate but confirmed his remains were not found, declining to comment on whether Israel had taken Shukr.
Pattern of Israeli Covert Actions in Lebanon
This incident appears to align with a decades-long pattern of Israeli covert operations deep inside Lebanon to capture or eliminate individuals linked to anti-Israel activities. Israel has sometimes claimed responsibility, such as in the November 2024 abduction of a sea captain from northern Lebanon alleged to be a senior Hezbollah operative.
In other cases, like the mysterious abduction and killing of a Hezbollah-linked currency exchanger in April 2024, Israel has remained silent, though Lebanese officials claim to have evidence of its involvement.
Decades-Long Search for Missing Airman
Israel has pursued answers about Arad's disappearance for decades. The navigator parachuted from his fighter jet in 1986 while attacking suspected Palestinian militants near Sidon, Lebanon, and was captured by the Shiite Muslim faction Believers' Resistance. In 1994, Israeli commandos seized the group's leader, Mustafa Dirani, from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, holding him for ten years before a prisoner exchange.
Dirani provided conflicting accounts, initially telling an Israeli court in 2000 that Arad was taken by Iranian soldiers, though he later suggested Arad disappeared in 1988. In 2008, Hezbollah sent a report via mediators indicating Arad likely died while attempting to escape to Israel.
Details of Shukr's Disappearance Emerge
Shukr's relatives told the Associated Press that months before his disappearance, he became acquainted with a Lebanese citizen named Ali Morad, who contacted him through social media and rented an apartment he owned south of Beirut. Shukr's wife, Salwa Hazimeh, stated Morad called in mid-December, claiming a business owner wanted to view a plot of land Shukr was selling in Zahle at 5:30 p.m.
Despite Hazimeh's concerns about the timing, Shukr drove to Zahle on December 17, where security footage showed him exiting his car and entering another vehicle. He has not been seen since, with his phone last active in the eastern village of Ghazzeh on December 18. The family believes he was taken by land into Israel from southern Lebanon.
Human Rights Concerns and Judicial Charges
Adam Coogle, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa division, described the case as resembling "extraordinary rendition," effectively kidnapping someone and transporting them across borders without due process. Judicial officials in Beirut have charged four individuals, including Morad, a Lebanese-French citizen, a Syrian-Swedish citizen, and a Lebanese woman who rented a villa overlooking Zahle.
Authorities allege an SUV was purchased for $22,000 for the kidnapping, with the woman paying $42,000 for a year's rent of the villa. Morad's lawyer, Samaher Bourhan, claims her client was a victim, believing he worked for a foreign company and was unwittingly used in the operation.
Family Connections to Arad Case Revealed
While Shukr's wife and brother, Abdul-Salam Shukr, maintain the retired officer has no information about Arad's fate, a family member speaking anonymously revealed Shukr's brother, Hassan Shukr, was a Hezbollah member who knew where Arad had been held. According to this source, Arad was kept in a locked room at the home of Hassan Shukr's in-laws, members of Dirani's Believers' Resistance in Nabi Chit.
Judicial officials confirmed a Lebanese army report from the 1980s stated Arad was held by the Shukr family in Nabi Chit, receiving medical treatment when ill. The family member said Hassan Shukr was killed in the Meidoun battle on May 5, 1988, and upon fighters' return to Nabi Chit, they found Arad's room open and the captive gone. The source insisted Ahmed Shukr was not involved in holding Arad and possesses no additional information.
Investigation Uncovers Kidnapping Base
An AP crew visited the two-story house in Zahle that judicial officials and Shukr's family identified as the operatives' base for the kidnapping. Known as "Wood Villa," its main gate was sealed by Lebanese authorities, with locals reporting no suspicious movements. A nearby resident stated security agents collected evidence from the house in mid-December, while a local shop owner said agents took his security camera discs, noting the villa had previously been rented for parties.
Shukr's family emphasizes his medical needs, citing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart problems requiring constant care and medication, heightening concerns for his wellbeing. The case underscores ongoing tensions and covert operations in the region, with Lebanon and Israel locked in a shadowy conflict spanning decades.
