Muta’a Al-Sarhan, a senior figure in Syria's ruling Ba’ath party in the country - disappeared Wednesday morning after leaving his home in the village of Al-Rafeed in the Al-Quneitra province, Syrian news outlet Al-Watan reported Thursday citing unnamed sources.
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Various reports have emerged in local Arab media associated with the Syrian opposition regarding his fate – with some claiming he was abducted from in front of his house, while others reported that he fled to Israel and, according to one report, that he was in Israel and was returned to Syria. The Syrian regime and official media have not commented on the incident.
According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organization associated with the Syrian opposition, Israel kidnapped the senior figure from his home near the Golan Heights on Wednesday. The report said that residents of the area blamed Israeli forces for crossing the border to abduct him.
The institute addressed the reason for Al-Sarhan’s abduction, suggesting that he may have been implicated in cooperating with Hezbollah or may in fact work for Israel. The organization added that Syrian police forces are being prevented from approaching the border as it is considered a cease-fire zone between Israel and the Syrian regime.
Another local news outlet associated with the Syrian opposition reported Wednesday that Israel was involved in the disappearance of a senior figure from the Ba’ath party. According to the report, an "Israeli intelligence unit" kidnapped him from his home during the morning hours.
In addition to reports on Al-Sarhan in Syria, the IDF said Wednesday it had arrested a suspect who crossed the border from Syria to Israeli territory. According to the IDF’s statement, the suspect didn’t cross the border fence and was taken for further questioning by security forces.