The IDF said Thursday that two Israeli civilians crossed into Syria. Troops located them and returned them to Israeli territory. The military strongly condemned the incident and called on law enforcement to exhaust legal proceedings against those involved, according to N12 reporters.
The IDF on Thursday called on law enforcement to exhaust legal proceedings against two Israeli civilians who crossed into Syria near Mount Hermon, according to N12 reports. The military's statement, reported by N12's Guy Varon, urges prosecution to prevent repeat occurrences, marking an escalation in the official response to a growing phenomenon of illegal border crossings.
The incident unfolded earlier today. At 09:47 Jerusalem, the IDF and Israel Police issued a joint statement condemning the phenomenon of Israeli civilians illegally crossing into Syria, calling it a criminal offense. By 12:19, the IDF confirmed that soldiers located and retrieved two Israeli civilians who had crossed the border near Mount Hermon. The individuals were identified as activists from the "Bashan Pioneers" group, according to the IDF. The military has since added a call for legal proceedings, as reported by N12.
The Zioneer has reported on a pattern of similar crossings. On July 18, the IDF confirmed detaining several Israeli civilians who crossed into Syria, noting an increase in attempts. On July 29, three Israeli civilians were detained after crossing into Syria and spending several hours there. The growing frequency of such incidents has prompted a sharper tone from the military, which now explicitly calls for criminal prosecution.
No further details have been published regarding the identity of the two individuals or whether charges have been filed.
8 developments
- StrongIDF detained 70 'Bashan Pioneers' activists attempting to cross into Syria at Mount Hermon
- ConfirmedIDF detains settler activists after overnight attempt to cross into Syria at Mount Hermon
- StrongFive Bashan Pioneers activists arrested near Mount Hermon in border crossing attempt
- DevelopingTwo Bashan Rescue activists barred from Golan Heights for 45 days after crossing into Syria
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