Israel limits medical treatment for Syria's Nusra Front fighters
Policy change follows Druze attack on Israeli ambulance carrying wounded Syrian fighters last month
Israel has ceased treating members of an Islamist rebel group in Syria, a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer told the Israeli news website Haaretz on Monday.
The IDF's policy change regarding members of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front came about six weeks ago.
According to the report, several Nusra Front fighters, currently engaged in Syria's ongoing civil war, have received medical treatment in Israel. The unnamed officer told Haaretz the injured "infiltrated" into Israel to receive the medical care and that the Israeli army's background checks had not been comprehensive enough to properly check their identity.
“Israel didn’t give one shekel or one bullet to Al-Nusra members. There were individuals who infiltrated to receive medical treatment,” the officer was quoted as saying. “That ceased a month-and-a-half ago, and there have not been any more.”
The IDF's decision to no longer treat these fighters comes a month after a Druze mob attacked an ambulance transporting wounded Syrian rebels, killing one of the injured in the process. Five members of the Druze community were later arrested for the lynching.
The officer also told Haaretz that any injured person arriving at the Syria-Israel border would still receive first aid treatment from IDF doctors, but not be transported into Israeli territory for more in-depth medical care.
The Israeli Druze community is deeply concerned about the fate of the Druze minority in Syria, warning that about 500,000 of them are under threat.
Last June, Nusra Front fighters killed at least 20 Druze villagers raising fear for one of Syria's minorities as insurgents including Sunni Islamists gain ground against President Bashar al-Assad.
Druze in Lebanon and Israel have made separate appeals for their Syrian kin to be armed to defend themselves from groups such as Nusra and the more powerful Islamic State, which has persecuted both minorities and fellow Sunnis.