IDF forces today (Thursday) returned two shepherds to the Red Cross in Syrian territory via the Quneitra crossing, in accordance with the directive of the political echelon as part of the deal to return the young Israeli woman who crossed the border into Syrian territory.
The shepherds were arrested by IDF forces in recent weeks as part of a series of ambushes initiated by the forces east of the border fence with Syria, after the shepherds crossed the border line into Israeli territory.
IDF soldiers on the northern border, near the cargo arena (Photo: IDF Spokesman)Earlier in the day, Maariv learned that significant progress had been made in negotiations for the return of the young Israeli woman who had crossed the border into Syrian territory. It now appears that the deal is close to closing. At the same time, Israel is optimistic about the fact that the Russians are determined to close the deal quickly.
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Regarding the crossing of Israel to Syria, it can be estimated that it crossed the border at the point where the new barrier was not erected (“Hourglass Project”), and was not identified at the time of the crossing. In fact, the report that there was an Israeli woman in Syria came from the Syrians in retrospect.
Our correspondent Tal Lev Ram addressed the issue in detail this morning on 103FM, explaining: “We understand that there is optimism that the Russians are involved in it and want to resolve it, and the Syrians are very much affected by the Russians.
Yesterday, Syrian television reported that contacts were taking place between the Israeli government and the Assad government in Syria, mediated by a senior Russian official, for the release of an Israeli woman who accidentally crossed the border and was arrested by the country’s security forces. According to publications in the foreign media, this is a 25-year-old ultra-Orthodox Israeli from the locality of Kiryat Sefer. Following the contacts, National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat took off for Moscow in order to reach an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, and returned to Israel last night.
The special envoy of the Russian president for Syrian affairs, Alexander Lebrentiev, was asked yesterday by the prestigious Russian newspaper “Kommersant”, what is the subject of the contacts that have been taking place in recent days between Israel and Russia. Lebrentiev said in response that “the contacts are taking place and should be welcomed because during them there is a possibility of reaching agreements on preventing Israeli attacks in Syrian territory.”
The Syrian media reported that it was preceded by a secret government meeting that dealt with an important security issue, and took place frontally and offline, like other government meetings in recent times. At the meeting, it was clarified to the ministers that in the last two weeks there have been close contacts with the senior Russian leadership on a sensitive humanitarian issue in Syria.