Israel releases man convicted of spying for Syria Israel releases two prisoners -- one of whom was convicted of spying for Syria -- as part of a swap deal brokered by Russia. Sidqi al-Maqt, from the Druze community in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, was jailed in 2015 to 11 years for spying, treason, contact with a foreign agent and transfer of information to the Syrian government.\\n IMAGES