Arab Israeli tortured by Assad’s security forces

Security forces arrested an Israeli Arab in December who had returned to the country after attempting to join a jihadist group in Syria, but instead was captured by Assad regime security forces and tortured, the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency] said on Monday.

The Shin Bet named Yousef Yaakub Nasrallah, 20, of Kalansuwa, in central Israel, as the suspect. Nasrallah was arrested at the Jordan River Crossing (also known as the Sheikh Hussein Crossing).

During subsequent questioning, he confessed to traveling to Syria via Jordan on April 19 2014.

Nasrallah was arrested by Syrian regime security forces hours after crossing into Syria, and underwent multiple interrogations, during which he was asked to pass on information on Israeli security installations.

Nasrallah suffered extreme torture during the interrogations, and returned to Israel after his release in a poor state of health, the Shin Bet said, stressing that it only began questioning him after receiving authorization from doctors, who carried out thorough medical examinations.

"The phenomenon of Arab Israelis traveling to Syria is most dangerous, as the Syrian arena is filled with activity by elements hostile to the state of Israel, particularly global jihad operatives," the Shin Bet said in a statement.

"Arab Israelis who head out to this arena undergo military training, and are exposed to an extreme jihadi ideology. There is concern that that they will be exploited by terrorist elements in Syria to carry out attacks against the state of Israel, and act as a source of information on targets in Israel," it added.

Arab Israeli volunteers also run the risk of being captured and tortured by Assad loyalist forces, and accused of being Israeli spies, the Shin Bet said.

Central District Attorney's Office filed the indictment in the Petah Tikvah's Magistrate's Court. They removed a gag order on the case which had been in place. 

Last week, the Shin Bet arrested a Hebron-based terrorism cell in November that was affiliated with the Islamic State.

The cell planned to carry out a range of terrorist attacks, the Shin Bet said, and detonated a bomb in an attempted attack against the IDF, which failed to cause injuries.

Members of the cell are all residents of Hebron, the Shin Bet added, naming three men in their early 20s. The cell's members acted alone, and had no contact with outside elements, security sources familiar with the investigation said.