Israeli diplomats "tracking" Thai death sentence

Israel's Foreign Ministry says it is closely following the case of two Israelis sentenced to death in Thailand for smuggling drugs.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levi says that "at this stage" the Israeli embassy in Bangkok is "tracking developments" and is in touch with the two men, in their mid-30s.

He says the sentence was handed down by a Thai court on Tuesday, a year after they were arrested. He says the men can appeal and that the Foreign Ministry is drafting a legal opinion.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the men were arrested on a central tourist strip in Bangkok with 23,000 ecstasy pills that they had smuggled from Europe.