Several hours after the battle, Dean Brelis, a reporter for Time Magazine, reported that "something interesting could be seen in Damascus" -- three Israeli soldiers were being publicly paraded in a procession of captured tanks through the streets of Damascus.

Brelis:"The Israeli crew looked exhausted, downcast, typically combat fatigued. When the crowd surged around them, taunting, they looked frightened... It was a public parade, as it were right through the center of Damascus, and once it passed I never saw the tank or the Israelis again. "(Dean Brelis quoted in a letter by John F. Scott, First Secretary, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv, June 16, 1983) Correspondents from AP, La Stampa and the Syrian media confirmed the report.

Since the battle, there have been many conflicting reports regarding the whereabouts and condition of the missing men. Over the years, Palestinian and Syrian officials have made many references to information in their possession regarding the MIAs, but have been unwilling to cooperate in efforts to return the missing soldiers to their families. So, despite Israel's best efforts, Yehuda Katz and Tzvi Feldman, the children of Holocaust survivors, and Zachary Baumel, remain unaccounted for despite ongoing reports (including the 1988 Amnesty International Report and the 1993 Amnesty International December Update) indicating that some of the missing soldiers are still alive and are being held under Syrian control.

In 1987, Arad’s family received several letters and a photo of Arad confirming that the missing navigator was alive and in Amal’s hands. The ensuing negotiations between Israel and Amal broke off after Arad was "sold" to Iranian backed forces in Lebanon by Amal official Mustfa Dirani.

At the time of his capture Arad was the only Israeli MIA who is married. His daughter Yuval was an infant at the time of his capture.