A Syrian soldier crossed the border into Israel late Wednesday and handed himself over to the Israeli authorities.
The soldier, Hassan Ghassan Hader, requested political asylum and threatened to commit suicide if he were sent back to Syria.
Hader told a court in the northern coastal city of Acre on Thursday that he had served in a special unit in Damascus since enlisting a year ago.
He said his officers had recently refused to grant him leave for the holiday marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The court has ordered that Hader be held in custody for 15 days.
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