Israeli activists invade Syria

Tel Aviv (dpa) — Israeli civilians have again crossed illegally into Syria from the occupied Golan Heights, the Israeli military said on Tuesday, adding that soldiers had been deployed to bring them back.

The 14 civilians were handed over to police. The army said the border crossing constituted a criminal offence and that it “strongly condemns such incidents.” According to Israeli media, those involved were right-wing activists seeking to establish settlements in Syria.

Israeli activists invade Syria

Members of settler groups have repeatedly attempted to enter Syria, prompting the army to intervene on several occasions. The Times of Israel noted that some members of Israel’s right-wing religious government have supported the unlawful behaviour by settler activists.

Following the fall of long-time Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024, Israel deployed soldiers into the UN-controlled buffer zone between the Golan Heights and Syrian-controlled territory.

Israel says it wants to prevent extremists hostile to Israel from establishing themselves in the border area.