216 Druze sheikhs cross border to Damascus from the Golan

The second shift of Druze sheikhs in the Golan on Monday crossed the borders and arrived in Damascus to attend the annual meeting which is held in Jaramana, on the outskirts of Damascus.

The shift includes 107 sheikhs, while the first shift included only 109 sheikhs, although it was supposed to include some 123 sheikhs.

Sources at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Damascus told al-Hayat daily, "Many of the sheikhs did not come due to their preoccupation with personal matters."

The sources added that some 92 students from the Syrian Golan who study in Syrian universities arrived in two shifts recently. The sources said that the third shift, which includes 145 students, will return to Syria on September 6 after spending summer vacation under the Israeli occupation.