Druze ‘lynch mob’ kills Syrian insurgent in Israel

Druze protesters stopped an ambulance and set upon two Syrians wounded in fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces.

Israeli troops check an ambulance attacked by Druze.

A mouthpiece for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has praised the actions of a “lynch” mob in Israel that dragged a presumed insurgent from an ambulance, causing or hastening his death.

The travesty in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights was committed after Druze protesters stopped the ambulance and set upon two Syrians wounded in fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces near the fortified frontier.

It was the second time in 24 hours that rioting Druze had targeted an Israeli ambulance transporting injured Syrians to hospital, prompting Israel Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon to vow the offenders would be tracked down. The regime-run SANA news agency in Syria hailed them as heroes while Mr Yaalon said the mob was responsible for a “lynching’’.

“We won’t be able to ignore it, and law enforcement authorities will deal with it heavy-handedly,” he said.

Syria’s Druze minority is seen as being aligned with Assad’s government and fighting near the border with Israel has incited Druze in the Golan to stage demonstrations on behalf of their brethren.

The ambulance was reported bto have been transporting two wounded fighters from the al-Qa’ida-aligned Nusra Front, which is part of the rebel alliance waging war against Assad’s regime. However, the Israeli Defence Forces denied the men were members of the terrorist group.

The battle for the Syrian town of Khader can be seen from the Israeli side of the border, goading the protesters who fear Druze will be massacred by the rebels.

An angry crowd of about 150 intercepted the ambulance near the town of Majdal Shams, before beating the two already seriously injured patients. The survivor was listed as being in a serious condition. Israel has a policy of providing humanitarian assistance to wounded Syrians who seek help in the Jewish state and has vowed to maintain the practice.