Unusual incident on Syrian border: 14 Israeli civilians crossed the border this evening (Tuesday) and entered Syrian territory, until an IDF force dispatched to the area located them and returned them to Israeli territory.
The IDF strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a danger to the forces operating in the area and calling for legal action to be taken against those involved.
According to a statement by the HaBashan Pioneers movement, activists from the group entered the Neve HaBashan area, in territory in Syria under IDF control, and returned to a location previously reached by families from the movement before they were evacuated from the site.
This is another occasion on which members of the movement have attempted to reach the area. This time, according to the IDF, 14 civilians arrived in the Aloney HaBashan area and from there crossed the border into Syria.
An IDF force was dispatched following the crossing, located the civilians and returned them to Israeli territory. The military said those detained would be transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.
The IDF's response to the incident was particularly strong. "The IDF strongly condemns the incident, which constitutes another case of serious interference with operational activity and poses a danger to the safety of IDF forces operating in the area," the military said.
The IDF also called for action to be taken against those involved: "Law enforcement authorities are required to bring those involved to justice, in order to prevent these civilians from repeatedly engaging in this phenomenon, which constitutes a criminal offense."
The HaBashan Pioneers explained that the action was intended to advance the idea of Israeli settlement in the area: "After we realized that there is support for the idea of legal Israeli settlement in the Bashan, both from the political side and from elements on the ground, but that they are not sufficient to bring the matter to fruition, the activists decided to return and push from the grassroots, in the hope that we will soon reach actual settlement."