170 Druze Men Arrested at Israel Border Heading to Syria

Israel Police arrested 170 Druze men on Thursday at the border with Jordan as they tried to reach Syria via Jordan, allegedly to to meet with Syrian government officials.

The convoy of buses and cars set out from the northern Galilee and Mount Carmel regions, and was supposedly traveling for religious purposes. Israel Police notified the group before they departed that travel to Syria was illegal, though the arrests came after months of investigation.

Israel Police said they would continue working with the Shin Bet internal security service “to prevent terrorist-related activity and terror organizations from recruiting Israeli civilians,” i24 News reported.

Many of the Druze in Israel have Syrian citizenship and have family ties in Syria.