IDF ‘strongly condemns’ harassment by extremist settler activists trying to cross into Syria

The Israel Defense Forces has come out in unusually strong language against the recently increasing phenomenon of settler activists attempting to illegally cross the border into the IDF-held security zone in southern Syria, seemingly to set up outposts in the region.

On Thursday, the IDF confirmed another incident, in which “two Israeli civilians arrived at the Mount Hermon area and crossed the border to Syria.” This came after three other activists managed to remain in Syria almost a full day before being detained.

The military has protested against the series of similar incidents with unusually harsh statements, highlighting the police’s failure to curb the phenomenon and urging law enforcement authorities “to bring those involved to justice and to prevent those individuals from repeatedly engaging in this incident, which constitutes a criminal offense.”

With the fall of the Assad regime in 2024, the IDF established a security zone in the former demilitarized zone along the border, as well as the peak of Mount Hermon.

According to Army Radio, the incident on Thursday was the 18th time that activists from the “Bashan Pioneers” group managed to cross the border in recent months.

“IDF soldiers were dispatched to the area to locate them and returned them to Israel. The detained civilians were transferred to the Israel Police for further handling,” the military said.

In a separate statement, the IDF reiterated that “such incidents disrupt the operational activities of IDF forces and undermine security in the area. They also divert the attention of commanders and soldiers from carrying out their missions. The IDF expects law enforcement authorities to fully prosecute those involved and to act decisively against this phenomenon.”

Out of the over 150 suspects caught by IDF troops, which include a substantial number of minors and probably several repeat offenders, police managed to forward only three cases for review to the State Attorney's Office, according to Army Radio, causing significant anger in the IDF. Channel 12 reported last week that no indictments were filed so far.

הגולן הוא רק חלק מהבשן! 🏡

בפרשתנו, פרשת ואתחנן, מוזכרות שלושה ערים בעבר הירדן, שמשה מכריז עליהן כערי מקלט.
אחת מהן היא "גולן בבשן".

אז איך השם גולן הפך לתיאור של הרמה במערב הבשן? ובכן היוונים היו הראשונים שקראו כך למקום ומשם השתמר השם גם בערבית - "ג'ולאן". הגולן היא חלק מהבשן! pic.twitter.com/kf2J04fFAm

— תנועת חלוצי הבשן (@HaluzeyHabashan) July 25, 2026

In response, the police claimed it views the phenomenon “with great severity,” adding that it opens a criminal investigation in every case and forwards the relevant file “to the State Attorney's Office for review and consideration of whether to file indictments.”

The issue has reportedly become a central focus of the IDF troops’ operations along the border and in the security zone, harming operations in other areas.

The military is neither equipped nor trained to handle civilian groups of activists trying to cross the border from the “wrong side,” which is among the reasons it has urged the police to do more in such a public way.

According to Kan News, three weeks ago, troops on the border only narrowly avoided ordering a drone strike on a group of activists while they were returning from Syria toward Israel, mistaking them for terrorists.

Almost all crossings were carried out by the Bashan Pioneers, a fringe group of mostly young, religious settler activists who named themselves for the biblical region of Bashan, which includes areas east of the Jordan River in southern Syria, northern Jordan, and the Israeli Golan Heights.

בפעם השנייה תוך 24 שעות - פונתה נקודת ההתיישבות 'טל חרמון' שבבשן!

מיד לאחר הפינוי אתמול ב'טל חרמון', יצאו פעילים נוספים ושבו לנקודה, והקבוצה הבאה כבר בדרך.

אנו שבים ומזכירים כי האינטרס הישראלי הוא ש'טל חרמון' ימשיך להתפתח בשקט, ולא להשקיע זמן ומשאבים לפינויים ומעצרים מיותרים. pic.twitter.com/Tn2VPVKMeB

— תנועת חלוצי הבשן (@HaluzeyHabashan) July 30, 2026

Amos Azaria, one of the group’s leaders, told the Associated Press they want to establish a “humanitarian corridor” to the Druze enclave of Suweida by “clearing” the Sunni Muslim population in the Daraa province, which lies between Suweida and the Israeli border.

“The entire Daraa district… must be cleared of the enemies seeking our destruction and instead be filled with Jewish settlement,” said Azaria, who works as a computer science professor at Ariel University in Samaria.

Activist Dvir Sofer told Channel 14 this week that the group wants to exploit the IDF’s temporary control over the security zone to settle the area. “According to our experience, military control usually doesn’t hold for long, and of course if they’re trying to do peace deals with different sides,” he argued.

Azaria also boasted that Bashan Pioneers has “support from friends in the government and many members of the Knesset,” and the group has published footage of meetings with cabinet ministers, Amichay Eliyahu (Jewish Power) and Shlomo Karhi (Likud).

The group members' appearance and tactics suggest a close connection to the “Hilltop Youth” movement, another loosely connected group of young, radical settler activists that has been responsible for much of the ostensible “settler violence” in Judea and Samaria, including clashes with Palestinian civilians, Israeli security forces, and attacks on Christian sites in recent years.

The increase in border crossing attempts coincides with increasing friction between IDF troops and Syrian civilians in the security zone in recent weeks, as well as a rise in security-related incidents.

Two weeks ago, an unidentified drone was shot down near the border, with the IDF reportedly still not having determined from where it was launched. On Tuesday, the military said troops “eliminated several armed terrorists in the Security Zone in southern Syria,” without giving further details about the incident.