ISIS militants standing in a marijuana plantation. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – Israel’s Shin Bet security service believes that at least 10 Israeli Arabs have joined the Islamic State and are fighting with the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.

Furthermore, the Shin Bet believes at least 25 individuals with radical views have left Israel to join jihadist groups in Syria since the civil war began there in 2011.

While the number of Israeli Arabs fighting for Islamic State remains low, the Shin Bet is concerned about rising Israeli Arab interest in the terror group. The Shin Bet, Mossad, and IDF military intelligence have all stepped up intelligence-gathering efforts on Israeli Arabs who join Syrian rebel groups.

On Sept. 3, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon signed an order declaring Islamic State to be an “unauthorized organization,” permitting Israel to take legal action against anyone affiliated with the group and anyone fundraising or recruiting operatives for the group.

Last May, the Shin Bet arrested Idris Abu Alqayan, an Israeli Arab from the southern Israeli town of Hura, for helping two family members travel to Syria to join Islamic State.