Geagea Says Israeli Body Handover Shows 'There's No State in Syria'

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday commented on high-level Russian-Israeli cooperation that resulted in the repatriation of the remains of an Israeli soldier missing since the 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Addressing “the advocates of normalization with the Assad regime” and “those fighting for its return to the Arab League,” Geagea tweeted: “What will you say now after what happened, which proved that there is no state in Syria?”

Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the body was found by the Russian army and “Syrian partners.”

Russia said it handed over the remains to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Putin five days before he is to seek a fifth term in office in a difficult election.

Neither Russia nor Israel have given details on how or where the remains were found.

Putin said only that Syria -- with which Israel has technically been at war -- participated in the operation.

Netanyahu said he asked Putin two years ago to help in the search for the remains of the missing men.

"You personally responded and gave the order to help in this holy deed," he said, thanking the Russian leader.

Anwar Raja, a Syria-based official with the Palestinian militant group PFLP-GC, said Wednesday that insurgents had excavated graves in the capital Damascus last year in search of the remains of three missing Israeli soldiers. He said that their remains had been transferred to Syria after the 1982 battle.