Israeli crosses border from Golan Heights into Syria

A man from Kfar Qassem said to be mentally unstable crosses border to Syria with hope of convincing Assad to stop the bloodshed.

Maor Buchnik

 

An Israeli citizen crossed the border into Syria in the Golan Heights region on Saturday. IDF forces called to the border fence identified the man as a 37-year-old resident of Kfar Qassem after finding his car.

Golan border Photo: EPA

Golan border – Photo: EPA

The IDF said he is still in Syria and may be returned to Israel soon.

The man’s family said he was mentally unstable. “They publically stated that he traveled to Syria to tell Assad to stop massacring his people,” Golan District Police chief Yossi Katab said.

The man had apparently left his car near the border and crossed the fence into Syria.

An IDF force was called to the scene for fear of an infiltration. The soldiers then discovered that the infiltration was into Syria and not to Israel. The man’s car was towed and the IDF said that the incident was reported to the United Nation Disengagement Observer Force.

On the other side of the border, Bashar Assad’s army and rebel forces continue to battle each other. More than 44,000 Syrians have been killed in the fighting.

 

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4326455,00.html