Rina Hever
Photo: Dudi Vaknin
Guy Hever
Reproduction: Shaul Golan
"We always knew he is in Syria," missing soldier Guy Hever's mother, Rina, told Ynet Tuesday, following a report that a Syrian group was holding her son.
The Resistance Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights, a Syrian guerilla group, announced that it is holding Hever and demanded the release of Syrian prisoners in exchange for his release.
First Report
Syrian guerilla organization, the Committees for the Liberation of the Golan Heights, says it is holding missing Israeli soldier. Group apparently referring to Guy Hever, missing since August 1997
Rina says that she knew from the start her son was abducted by the Syrians, despite estimates that he committed suicide. "If he killed himself, where is the body?" she asked.
Hever's mother claims she is certain the higher Syrian echelons have information on her son. "I always said that Guy's affair would lead to something new in the relations between Israel and Syria."
For years, Rina said, the family have struggled to have Guy recognized as missing in action. "There is no glory in Guy's story… we fought for years to have him recognized as missing in action. This was practically a war."
Asked how Israel should respond to the Syrian group's statement, she says: "Israel should approach Syria. I really hope that there are smart people here who know what to do, but if we learned something from the experience of the past it is that negotiations are held between states. If, after so long a silence, Syrian sources are making statements, they must be telling the truth."