Isis: 'Regretful' Arab-Israeli Who Fought for Terror Group Handed 22 Months in Prison

An Arab-Israeli citizen who trained and fought with the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria has been given a 22-month prison sentence on charges of illegal infiltration and participating in illegal military training.

Ahmed Shurbaji, a 23-year-old from the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm, joined up with jihadists after being smuggled into Syria via Turkey's porous border with the civil war-torn country.

He left Israel on 16 January to join the fight with the Islamic extremists against the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Shurbaji joined the "Muhammad's Army" rebel group upon his arrival in Syria where he trained with them for weeks. He then proceeded to join and fight with IS until he returned to Israel on 20 April.

In his time with IS, Shurbaji fought in a number of gun battles, manned checkpoints and conducted patrols for the group. He also participated in fitness drills and religious courses.

It was after this activity with IS that the young Arab-Israeli contacted an Israeli security official to inform him that he had made a mistake in joining the group and wished to return to Israel. He was immediately arrested upon his return to the country.

In September, Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet revealed that 10 Arab-Israelis had flocked to Syria to fight for IS.

There are concerns within the Israeli intelligence elite that jihadi groups are using Arab-Israelis to extract information about the country.

In May, the Shin Bet security force announced that an Arab-Israeli from the Negev had been arrested for helping two family members leave the country to fight for IS in Syria.