🇸🇾🇮🇱 - ISRAELI SETTLERS ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH SETTLEMENT IN SOUTHERN SYRIA

⿻ Hebrew media reported that a group consisting of several families of Israeli settlers crossed the border fence into Syria on Monday near Tel Hazaka (Alonei HaBashan) with the intention of establishing a settlement on Syrian territory called “Neveh HaBashan.” The families, along with their children, intended to stay there for an extended period.

IDF forces arrived at the location and returned the families to Israeli territory. The settlers were later taken in for police questioning.

An IDF spokesperson said: “Earlier today (Monday), a report was received about several vehicles carrying Israeli civilians who crossed the border fence into Syrian territory. IDF forces at the location safely returned the civilians to Israeli territory shortly afterward.”

The organizers, calling themselves the “Pioneers of Bashan,” admit that this was an initiative and execution carried out entirely without external support. “But it’s possible that in the future there may be an opportunity to receive support during settlement efforts in the Bashan region.”

Leah Shafir from Avnei Eitan, a member of the “Pioneers of Bashan” movement, told Channel 7 that this initiative had been developing over the past few months. According to her, “We established the movement with the understanding that, from a security perspective, it is right to enter and establish settlements where the IDF can exercise more control further ahead. Al-Julani’s regime is a terrorist regime… and we claim that October 7 could have crossed our fence very easily if we don’t control this area.”

She added that the soldiers who arrived “greeted us, we spoke with them, and the atmosphere was very, very pleasant. They said they fully support Greater Israel and praised the wonderful activity we were doing. In the end, they told us it would be best to leave to avoid complications, and that’s what we did.”

The settlers stated, “Bashan is our ancestral inheritance. We see the empty spaces of our land calling us to return and settle them. We call on the Israeli government to remove the enemy from all areas of Bashan and allow pioneers to settle there!”