Bodies Found Near Lebanon Battle Site

The body of what appears to be a Syrian soldier who was killed in a 1982 battle with Israel has been uncovered in the eastern part of Lebanon, an army official stated. There is now a search for the bodies of more missing soldiers.

The body was found on Monday night by a man digging a piece of land on which to build a house, near the village of Mdoukhain Lebanon. The body was still wearing a military uniform and helmet, with a Syrian military card in his pocket, according to Lebanese army officials. Another body has since been unearthed.

Mdoukha and the neighbouring village of Sultan Yacoub in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley were the sites of much fighting in June of 1982 between Israeli forces and Syria, together with their Palestinian guerrilla allies. The fighting erupted shortly after Israel invaded Lebanon.

Five IDF soldiers went missing on June 11, 1982 amidst fighting near Sultan Yacoub. Several years following, two of the soldiers were found alive, and returned to Israel in a prisoner exchange with Syria.

The remaining three soldiers, Zecharia Baumel, Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman, have yet to be found.

The Lebanese army cordoned off the area on Wednesday to continue searching for human remains, and, according to one officer, a second set of remains appears to have been unearthed. Lebanon had said it would contact the Syrian military to find out how many soldiers are potentially missing from fighting in the area. DNA tests will likely be conducted on the findings.