The border barrier between Syria and the Syrian Golan Heights occupied by Israel. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)
BEIRUT — Two Israeli settlers were apprehended by Israeli forces after briefly crossing the border and entering Syrian territory in Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh), the Israeli army announced in a statement.
The two individuals were subsequently handed over to Israeli police, the military said, which stated it "strongly condemns the incident."
These incursions into Syrian territory by Israeli settlers, beyond the cease-fire line established in 1974 in the Syrian Golan Heights—occupied and then annexed by Israel — have become increasingly frequent since Tel Aviv seized several hundred additional square kilometers of Syrian land following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
The settlers mostly belong to an extremist group called "Pioneers of Bashan," referring to the biblical name given to this mountainous region. Its members had already infiltrated southern Syria twice—into the provinces of Deraa and Quneitra — since the beginning of July.
The movement presents these actions as a "major step toward civilian colonization" and the establishment of "permanent control" in the country.
