Dozens killed in Lebanon as Israel searches for signs of navigator missing for 40 years

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli special force that landed in eastern Lebanon overnight in search of information about a navigator who has been missing for nearly 40 years did not find his remains, the Israeli military said Saturday. The operation left dozens of people dead and dozens more wounded.

Israel has been trying for decades to find out what happened to Ron Arad since he went missing after parachuting from a fighter jet that crashed in Lebanon in 1986. Arad was involved in attacking suspected Palestinian militants. He was captured alive by local gunmen.

The Israeli military did not say where the force landed in Lebanon but the Lebanese army and state media said an Israeli commando force landed on the mountains along the border with Syria before heading to the eastern town of Nabi Chit, where they clashed with Hezbollah and local fighters. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said at least 41 people were killed and 40 wounded overnight in Nabi Chit and areas nearby.

The Lebanese army said three soldiers were among those killed in the exchange of fire. It said four helicopters took part in the operation, two of which conducted the landing. It also reported that residents clashed with the Israeli force while Lebanese troops went on alert and fired light bombs.

Lebanese army commander Gen. Rudolphe Haikal said later Friday that the Israeli force that conducted the operation was dressed in Lebanese army uniforms and used ambulances during the operation with signs of Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Organization.

A resident of Nabi Chit told The Associated Press that the Israeli force entered the town and dug up a grave in a cemetery before it left. The man who spoke on condition of anonymity out of security concerns had no further details.

The Israeli army’s Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X that the force did not find Arad's remains or any evidence related to him.

Hezbollah said its members clashed with the Israeli force, and that Israel’s air force conducted some 40 airstrikes in the area in order for the unit on the ground to be able to withdraw.

Arad's wife urged Israel’s leaders not to endanger the lives of Israeli soldiers in their search to bring home his body.

“Our desire to know what happened to Ron stops the moment it endangers Israeli soldiers,” his wife, Tami, wrote on Facebook, noting that the family has said this multiple times through the years.

“For 40 years we have lived with the fact that Ron is missing, and we want to know what happened to Ron, but not at any price. The sanctity of life is above any closing of the circle of certainty for us,” she added.

Adraee said the Israeli force did not suffer any casualties.

A Shiite Muslim faction called the Believers’ Resistance captured Arad after he landed, and released some photos of him early on before all traces of him disappeared.

Arad was believed to have been held in Nabi Chit until 1988, after which he went missing following a fierce battle between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops in the village of Meidoun further south.

In December, a retired Lebanese officer, Ahmed Shukr, disappeared in eastern Lebanon while meeting some people who wanted to buy a plot of land. His family believes Israeli operatives kidnapped him to get information about the case and took him to Israel.

Shukr’s wife and brother told The Associated Press recently that the retired officer does not have any information about Arad’s fate.

In 1994, helicopter-borne Israeli commandos landed deep in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, where they seized the leader of the Believers’ Resistance, Mustafa Dirani, and took him to Israel. Dirani was released 10 years later in a prisoners exchange with Hezbollah.

In 2008, Hezbollah sent to Israel through mediators a report about Arad in which it suggested that he most likely died after escaping from his captors while trying to reach Israel. The Hezbollah report was published by Israeli media outlets at the time.

Elsewhere in Lebanon, Israel’s air force conducted strikes on different parts of eastern and southern Lebanon.

The new airstrikes were the latest since the last round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began Monday. The Iran-backed group fired rockets and drones into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after Israel and the U.S. began attacking Iran on Feb. 28, triggering the latest war in the Middle East.

On Saturday morning, airstrikes were reported on the southern villages of Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, Arab Saleem and Jibchit. The strike on Jibchit killed six people, including four members of the same family, while in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah five people were killed state news agency said.

Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman contributed to this report from Tel Aviv, Israel.

A grave, background, dug by Israeli forces landed overnight late Friday, searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986, in Nabi Chit village, eastern Lebanon, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)

People check the damage left by Israeli airstrikes late Friday, in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon, Saturday, March 7, 2026, where Israeli forces landed overnight and dug a grave in a cemetery searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)

People check the damage left by Israeli airstrikes, Saturday, March 7, 2026 in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon late Friday, where Israeli forces landed overnight and dug a grave in a cemetery searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)

People check the damage left by Israeli airstrikes, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon late Friday, where Israeli forces landed overnight and dug a grave in a cemetery searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)

A huge crater left by an Israeli airstrike in the village of Nabi Chit, eastern Lebanon late Friday, March 6, 2026, where Israeli forces landed overnight and dug a grave in a cemetery searching for Israeli co-pilot Ron Arad who was captured and then went missing after his fighter jet crashed over south Lebanon in 1986. (AP Photo/Ali Salem)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dominic Canzone hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer — his second longball of the game and fifth for Seattle — in the eighth inning to rally the Mariners past the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-6 on Tuesday night in their series opener.

Canzone sent a high flyball 414 feet into center field off reliever Alex Vesia, scoring Julio Rodríguez, who singled and stole second, for a 7-5 lead.

The NL West-leading Dodgers blew three one-run leads and grounded into three double plays. Every Dodger except Teoscar Hernández had at least one hit.

The Dodgers cut their deficit to 7-6 in the ninth against Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz, who earned his 19th save.

Dalton Rushing singled leading off. Shohei Ohtani followed with a double to right that was misplayed by defensive replacement Victor Robles, allowing Rushing to score and Ohtani to reach third. Robles had trouble picking up the ball on the warning track and it squirted out of his hand.

Max Muncy drew a nine-pitch, two-out walk that brought Mookie Betts to the plate. Betts grounded out to end the game.

José A. Ferrer (4-1) got the win with a scoreless inning of relief.

Brock Stewart (0-1) took the loss.

Also homering for the Mariners were Cal Raleigh, Rodríguez and Rob Refsnyder, who came off the injured list before the game and had a two-run drive that put Seattle ahead 4-2 in the fourth. Canzone's first homer — a 433-foot shot — in the sixth tied the game at 5.

Ohtani hit an opposite-field, two-strike homer leading off the bottom of the first for the Dodgers that traveled a foot farther than Canzone's first homer. Also going deep was Muncy, whose shot leading off the fifth put Los Angeles ahead 5-4.

Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski had allowed just eight homers in 107 innings this season before giving up four in six innings.

Mariners starter Luis Castillo allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings.

Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (6-4, 3.16 ERA) starts Wednesday against Dodgers LHP Eric Lauer (5-5, 4.83).

This story has been corrected to show José A. Ferrer was the winning pitcher instead of Eduard Bazardo.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) throws pitch against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Los Angeles Dodgers Shohei Ohtani (17) celebrates his solo home run against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 28 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)

Seattle Mariners Cal Raleigh (29) celebrates his solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 28 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Wally Skalij)