Israeli army veteran joins Isis militants in Syria
Israel says dozens of Muslim Arab citizens have illegally travelled to Isis's Syrian or Iraqi fiefdoms
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Israeli army veteran from the country's Arab minority has joined Islamic State insurgents in Syria, an Israeli security official has said, confirming a local media report.
Israel says dozens of Muslim Arab citizens have illegally travelled to Isis's Syrian or Iraqi fiefdoms, raising concerns they might return radicalised and trained to carry out armed attacks at home.
Arabs make up 20 percent of Israel's population and are generally exempted from military service while most Jewish citizens are drafted. A few Israeli Arabs volunteer for the army or paramilitary police, however.
Walla News said one of the Islamic State recruits previously served in Israel's Givati infantry brigade, a unit that has often operated in Gaza.
Walla did not name the man or provide details on when he left for Syria, saying only that he was a Muslim from a village in northern Israel, was estranged from his family and would have been discharged from the army in January 2014.
Asked about the report, an Israeli security official told Reuters: "We are familiar with this case." The official did not elaborate.
Israel has been cracking down on suspected Islamic State sympathisers in its Arab communities and among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. The ultra-violent jihadi group also has a presence in the neighbouring Gaza Strip and Egyptian Sinai.
Israeli concerns were raised in October after two videos surfaced in which militants identifying themselves as Islamic State members and speaking Arabic-accented Hebrew threatened to attack the country.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments