Israel kills ex-security prisoner, intelligence agent near Golan border: Syrian media

• Midhat as-Saleh, once jailed in Israel on security-related crimes and since connected to Syrian intelligence, reportedly shot dead in town of Ain Eltinah

The Israeli military shot dead a former security prisoner, who later fled to Syria, served in parliament and reportedly worked against Israel in Syrian intelligence, in the town of Ain Eltinah along the border with the Golan Heights, Syrian media reported on Saturday.

The State-run SANA news agency said Midhat as-Saleh was targeted by gunfire, not an airstrike.

According to Al-Jazeera, he was shot dead by an Israeli sniper as he stood near his home, near the border with Israel.

Israel’s military did not comment on the matter, in line with its policy of not acknowledging specific actions in Syria, save for those that are in retaliation for attacks from the country.

The alleged assassination appeared to be tied to Israel’s ongoing efforts to prevent Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group from establishing a permanent base of operations on the Golan border.

As-Saleh, from the Golan Druze village of Majdal Shams, was jailed in Israel for security-related crimes for 12 years until his release in 1997. He then fled across the border to Syria, serving as a member of the Syrian parliament, namely as head of the “Golan Heights portfolio,” according to Syrian media. Midhat as-Saleh with Syrian President Bashar Assad. (Screenshot/Kan Public Broadcaster)

In recent years, he has served in Syrian intelligence, still focusing on the country’s efforts to regain the Golan Heights, which were captured by Israel in 1967 and effectively annexed by Jerusalem in 1981.

As-Saleh has in the past worked to recruit people from Majdal Shams — a town whose residents generally do not take Israeli citizenship and who often still identify with Damascus — to serve as assets of the Syrian government and gather intelligence in Israel.

Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes against Iran-linked military targets in Syria over the years — most recently on Wednesday night, according to Syrian media reports — but rarely acknowledges or discusses specific details of its operations.

Israel fears Iranian entrenchment on its northern frontier, and it has repeatedly struck Iran-linked facilities and weapons convoys destined for Hezbollah.