Body of Begin’s Grandson Found Near Jet Crash Site

Rescuers found the bodies of two air force officers--including the grandson of the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin--whose F-16 fighter plunged into the Mediterranean during a training flight. Maj. Yonatan Begin, 30, was piloting the jet with navigator Lt. Lior Harari, 24, when it disappeared Monday from radar screens. The two bodies and fragments of the plane surfaced near the crash site, 17 miles off the northern coastal village of Atlit, Israel. Neither Begin nor Harari notified ground control of any complications during the flight. The air force has been looking into the safety of its F-16s after engine malfunctions reportedly caused several crashes. In the most recent case, on Feb. 2, an F-16 engine shut down in mid-flight. The pilot parachuted to safety.