ISTANBUL – Khaled Youssef (Anadolu Agency)

These attempts come amid increasing activity by the 'Bashan Pioneers' movement since its founding in 2025, with repeated infiltration attempts in recent weeks.

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday that it foiled a new attempt by Israeli settlers to infiltrate Syrian territory through the Mount Hermon area.

These settlers belong to the right-wing 'Bashan Pioneers' movement, which demands the establishment of Israeli settlements in the southern Syrian areas it calls 'Bashan'.

The army said in a statement that a number of Israelis arrived at the Mount Hermon area with the aim of crossing the border into Syrian territory, before its forces prevented and stopped them.

It added that the settlers were referred to the Israeli police to complete legal proceedings against them.

The army considered these attempts a criminal offense that endangers civilians and disrupts its activities in the area.

This is the latest attempt by Israeli settlers to cross the border into Syria, after repeated similar incidents in recent weeks.

Elements of the 'Bashan Pioneers' have previously infiltrated Syrian territory as part of their efforts to establish settlement outposts in the south of the country.

Settlers also collected signatures on a petition calling on members of the Israeli Security Cabinet to approve settlement in Syrian areas they call 'Bashan'.

The movement was founded in 2025 and adopts a religious-nationalist discourse claiming a 'historical right' for Israel in large areas of southern Syria, and seeks to establish settlements beyond the disengagement line.

Israel has occupied most of the Syrian Golan Heights since 1967.

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime on December 8, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the collapse of the 1974 disengagement agreement, and his forces occupied the Syrian buffer zone and other sites, including the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.

The United Nations considers the Israeli presence in the buffer zone a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement and demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from it.

Since then, Israeli forces have carried out repeated incursions into southern Syria, involving arrests, setting up checkpoints, searching passersby, and bulldozing agricultural land.

On January 6, 2026, Syria and Israel agreed during US-mediated talks in Paris to establish a joint communication mechanism for information exchange and coordination on military de-escalation, continue diplomatic contacts, and explore trade cooperation opportunities.

Damascus demands Israel's withdrawal from all territories it has occupied since December 2024 and a return to implementing the 1974 disengagement agreement.

Syrians say that the continued Israeli attacks and incursions hinder efforts to restore stability, reconstruction, and attract investments.

Israel occupies territories in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, and refuses to withdraw from them and to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, despite relevant UN resolutions.

The 'Bashan Pioneers' movement was founded in 2025 and adopts a religious-nationalist discourse claiming a historical right in southern Syria. The movement seeks to establish settlements in the area it calls 'Bashan', which is part of the Golan Heights and beyond. The infiltration attempts come at a time when Syria is experiencing a security vacuum after the fall of the regime, raising fears of military escalation. Israel considers these activities illegal and a security risk, but the movement pressures the government to approve settlement. Such moves could increase tension with the international community, which considers settlements in occupied territories illegal.