June 11 1982 – Sivan 20 5742
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Israeli troops suffered heavy losses at the Battle of Sultan Yaakub in Lebnon. The battle occured near the village of Sultan Yaakub in the Lebanese Bekaa, close to the borders with Syria. In an atteppt to capture more areas near the Syrian border, the Israeli troops advanced during the night of June 10th/11th into an ambush of Syrian commando and infintry units, hiding on the hills surrounding the valley below Sulan Yaakub. After heavy fire exchange, the Israelis broke out and reatreated in the morning to the south with the support of eleven battalions of artillery firing both at the Syrians and in a “box barrage” around their own troops.
21 IDF soldiers fell in the battle, and three soldiers were classified as MIAs: Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman. Baumel’s body was recovered in a secret military operation in 2019. Feldman and Katz remain missing in action. This battle continues to be a contraversial topic among the generals of the Shlom haGalil Operation in 1982.
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