Avi Lanir, a downed Israeli pilot who, according to all available evidence, was tortured to death by his Syrian captors, will be buried here tomorrow. His body was returned from Syria following the signing of the final disengagement accords in Geneva.
Lanir, a graduate of the Haifa Technion and the father of two children, bailed out over Syrian territory Oct. 13 when his plane was shot down by a ground-to-air missile during a dogfight with Syrian MIGs. Israeli forces nearby witnessed his landing and capture by the Syrians before they could rescue him. He was seen walking with his captors indicating that he was in good physical condition.
But when Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger arrived from Damascus two months ago with the first list of Israeli prisoners in Syrian hands, Lanir’s name was missing. Israeli POWs who returned from Syria last week reported that he was alive at least a month after his capture. One returning pilot said he talked to Lanir in prison. It is therefore clear to Israeli authorities that Lanir died in Syrian hands, probably as a result of torture.
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