A Syrian soldier defected to Israel Monday, it was reported today. He was wounded by other Syrian soldiers who pursued him to the demarcation line on the Golan Heights and was taken to an Israeli hospital where his condition was reported to be improving. The incident had no affect on the opening of the rigidly controlled no-man’s-land between Israeli and Syrian lines this morning for the purpose of permitting Druze villagers on both sides to visit with relatives they had not seen for years.
The Syrians refused to permit journalists at the site of the “open fence” near Majdal Shams village. But hundreds of persons observed the family reunions from vantage points on the Israeli side. The border crossings, supervised by United Nations soldiers, were conducted in an orderly fashion.
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