Israeli settlers incursion in south Lebanon: Mitri urges not to downplay incident

Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri condemned the incursion into southern Lebanon earlier this week by a small group of settlers from the extremist movement "Uri Tzafon," warning that the incident should not be downplayed as the Israeli army continues to occupy several 100 square kilometers in southern Lebanon.

“It is true that for now it is a small, fringe group, and that the settlers withdrew on orders from the Israeli army, but it must be remembered that the settlement movement in the West Bank was started by a group that was marginal at the time, Gush Emunim,” Mitri wrote on X. No other Lebanese official has publicly commented on the incident.

Mitri was referring to the ultranationalist Israeli movement founded in the 1970s that promoted Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights.

On Monday, members of "Uri Tzafon" briefly entered southern Lebanon, claiming they had reached the Hasbani River. A video circulating online, showing a handful of men near a U.N. post close to Ghajar, was said to have been filmed near the annexed village, which straddles Lebanese territory.

Founded in 2024, "Uri Tzafon" advocates the annexation and settlement of southern Lebanon, calling for permanent communities and the expansion of Israel's northern border to the Litani River, and even as far as the Zahrani River.

Meanwhile, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, members of the settler movement "The Pioneers of Bashan" entered Syrian territory via Mount Hermon and reportedly spent the night there. The group described the move as a “major step toward civil settlement” and “permanent control” in Syria, saying it had informed the Israeli army beforehand of its plans.

"The Pioneers of Bashan" is a small Israeli group advocating for Jewish civil settlements in southern Syria beyond the Golan Heights. "Bashan" is the biblical name for the region.