‘Arab Israeli paraglides to Syria, possibly to join rebels’

An Arab Israeli has crossed into Syria using a paraglider with the apparent goal of joining rebel fighters there, the Israeli army said on Sunday.

“A surveillance post identified an Israeli civilian entering Syrian territory using a paraglider” late yesterday, an army statement read.

“The preliminary review indicates that the civilian that entered is a resident of Jaljulia,” an Arab town in central Israel.

A military spokeswoman told AFP the army was “examining the possibility he had entered Syria in order to join rebels.” 

The army said the paraglider took off from the southern section of the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, adjacent to southern Syria.

The Al-Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, which is supportive of the Islamic State group and active in the Daraa area in south Syria, addressed rumours circulating about the flight last night, stating on its Facebook page it had not taken an Israeli captive.