They found the remains of an Israeli soldier missing since 1982 during the first Lebanon war.

Israel announced Wednesday the repatriation of the remains of a soldier missing in 1982 during the first Lebanon war, closing a very delicate question for the country. Sergeant First Zachary Baumel has not been located since the battle of Sultan Yacoub, said army spokesman Jonathan Conricus.

D & # 39; First, the armed forces did not explain how they had recovered the remains of the army. Conricus spoke of a "special and moving moment". "His body is in Israel, the body has been identified," he said.

The manager is limited to saying that the country has been working for a long time in the recovery. "Over the years, the military has deployed significant operational and intelligence efforts to find the locations and recover the remains of the missing in action, "he said.

"During the past year, important developments have been made and the possibility of locating the remains has been presented," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He made a brief televised speech from his office in Jerusalem on Wednesday night. "This is one of the most moving moments of all my years at the helm of the country. This operation is the result of important diplomatic efforts of which we will speak one day. "

But it only took them a few hours to know the details of the process. This Thursday, it was confirmed that the body was found as part of a joint operation of the Russian and Syrian armies. This was confirmed by President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Moscow with Netanyahu himself.

"Our soldiers and our Syrian partners found the place of his burial"Putin says referring to Baumel. "We are very happy that he can receive military honors in his country," he said.

During the press conference, Netanyahu thanked Putin and said that Russian soldiers had "risked their lives" to recover the remains, confirming the key role played by Moscow in the search for Baumel and two other Israeli soldiers missing in the same battle.

"Two years ago, I asked him to help us find the bodies of missing Israeli soldiers, and you answered in the affirmative"Netanyahu told Putin. "I want to thank you, my friend, for what you did."

Netanyahu is in regular contact with the Russian president regarding Syria, where Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Russia and Israel have established a telephone line to prevent accidental accidents in the country, where Moscow supported the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The restitution of the remains of soldiers missing in action is a very important issue in Israel, which has waged repeated wars with its Arab neighbors since its founding in 1948.

Baumel was born in the United States, then emigrated to Israel. He and the other two Israeli soldiers fought alongside Syrian forces during the June 1982 battle in the Lebanese village of Sultan Yacoub., near the border with Syria. All three have been reported missing and have since died.

The Israeli army and Netanyahu have pledged to bring home four soldiers still missing, as well as the remains of dozens more reported dead.