An Israeli citizen who joined the Islamic State group in Syria is asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow him to return to Israel, Saudi Arabia-based media outlet Al-Arabiya reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, the man, identified only by the name "Sayyaf," was raised in Tel Aviv and holds an Israeli passport.
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Sayyaf said he joined ISIS for religious reasons because he believed the radical Sunni terrorist organization "was following in the path of the prophet [Muhammad] with the goal of establishing a just and pious country."
However, he said his view of the organization changed after he was imprisoned by his comrades and witnessed their brutality first-hand.
"The recruitment process [before joining] the organization wasn't easy," Sayyaf told Al-Arabiya. "I went through Turkey to Syria and waited a long time for [ISIS] members [to contact me]."
Ultimately, according to Sayyaf, it was his Israeli citizenship that led to his incarceration.
"They said I was a Mossad agent, that I serve Israel. After three years of fighting alongside them," Sayyaf said.
"They wanted to use me, that I would say things in Hebrew against Israel," Sayyaf continued. "I refused because I didn't want to harm the country from where I came and my family members."
As stated, Sayyaf asked Netanyahu to allow him to return to Israel.
"Israel is a democratic country, it's my home. I understood this when I saw Syria. In Syria, there's a huge difference between the Alawites [the ruling minority] and Sunnis. In Israel there's no real difference between Jews and Arabs," he said.
