The Israeli army said on Friday evening, July 17, that it had detained several settlers after they crossed from Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights into Syrian territory. The army said the settlers were returned to Israel and handed over to police.
The army said its forces began searching the area on Thursday evening for the settlers who had crossed to the Syrian side of the border. It added that they were found near the border strip on Friday evening, detained, and transferred to police for further legal proceedings.
The statement added that several separate incidents occurred on Friday, in which settlers attempted to reach the border area in the southern Golan Heights and cross into Syrian territory. Israeli forces prevented the attempted crossings and handed the suspects over to police.
The Israeli army said it had recently recorded an increase in attempted border crossings, saying such incidents distracted forces from their operational duties and harmed security. It also described the attempts as a criminal offense that endangered civilians and soldiers, and called on law enforcement authorities to take action against those involved.
Not the First Incident
The incident was not the first of its kind. A group of settlers previously attempted to cross the border between July 5 and 9, as an Israeli force entered Sida Golan (Quneitra countryside, southern Syria). Another attempt occurred on July 14 near Mount Hermon.
Attempts have intensified since the beginning of the year. On February 16, the Israeli army said its forces had spotted several settlers crossing the border fence into Syrian territory during the night. It said the forces returned them to the Israeli side within minutes and handed them over to police, describing the incident as a criminal offense that endangered civilians and soldiers.
On April 22, the Israeli army said around 40 Israeli settlers crossed the border into Syria after gathering near the border fence and advancing hundreds of meters into Syrian territory.
Israeli media reported that the group was affiliated with the Halutzei HaBashan movement, also known as the Pioneers of HaBashan, and that some members attempted to establish a position near the Syrian town of Hader (Quneitra countryside, southern Syria). They demanded permission to establish a settlement in the area.
The army returned the group to Israel and handed its members over to police.
On May 4, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that army forces had spotted several Israeli citizens who crossed the border fence into Syria during the night. The army returned them to Israel and transferred them to police.
Attempts in 2025
In July 2025, the Israeli army announced that dozens of Israelis, most of them members of the Druze community in the Golan Heights, had crossed into Syrian territory amid tensions in Suwayda governorate (southern Syria).
The army said at the time that dozens of people crossed the border fence from the Majdal Shams area into Syrian territory, while several Syrian civilians entered the Golan Heights in the opposite direction.
Israeli forces later announced that most of those who crossed had been returned to the Israeli side and that investigations had been opened.
Israeli media reported confrontations between some of those crossing and army forces attempting to stop them, while the army described the incidents as violations of the law.
On August 18, 2025, the Israeli army thwarted an attempt by a group of Israeli settlers to establish a settlement inside Syrian territory after they crossed the border fence and advanced several meters into the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on August 19, 2025, that Israeli forces received an unusual report about activity near the border, close to the Alonei HaBashan settlement in the Golan Heights. The army then spotted around 10 vehicles carrying settlers who had arrived from the West Bank.
In mid-October 2025, Israeli media said the army stopped an attempted settlement operation by the Pioneers of HaBashan movement in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.
Three families affiliated with the movement attempted to cross the border during a march involving hundreds of participants near the border fence. Israeli army forces intervened and prevented them from advancing into Syrian territory.
On November 27, 2025, a group of Israeli settlers attempted to cross from the occupied Golan Heights into Syrian territory at two separate locations. One was on Mount Hermon near another site that had previously been breached, and the other was near Beer Ajam (Quneitra countryside, southern Syria).
The Pioneers of HaBashan group used electric saws to cut sections of the border fence before advancing into Syrian territory in vehicles, according to Israeli media.
The Israeli army estimated that 13 people participated, five at Mount Hermon and eight near Beer Ajam.
In late 2025, the Israeli army announced that several Israeli settlers had breached the border in the occupied Golan Heights and entered Syrian territory.
An army statement published on X said its forces immediately moved to the site after receiving a report, located the settlers, and returned them safely to Israel. The statement did not report any injuries or confrontations.
The latest incident was part of a series of similar attempted crossings reported since 2025. In its most recent statement, the Israeli army said the number of attempts had increased in recent months and described Friday’s events as several separate attempts to reach Syrian territory.
Continuing Israeli Incursions in Southern Syria
The developments come amid continuing Israeli military activity inside Syrian territory since late 2024, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Israel declared at the time that the 1974 Disengagement Agreement had collapsed, entered the Syrian buffer zone, and later expanded its deployment to several locations in southwestern Syria.
Since then, Israeli forces have repeatedly entered the governorates of Quneitra and Daraa (southern Syria), conducting raids and detaining Syrians.
The forces have also established temporary checkpoints, damaged agricultural land, and bulldozed infrastructure.
The settlers crossed the border despite an announcement by Damascus and Tel Aviv on January 6, 2026, that they had reached a communication mechanism supervised by the United States.
The mechanism was intended to coordinate information sharing, reduce military escalation, strengthen communication channels between the two sides, and explore opportunities for economic cooperation.
Nevertheless, Israeli forces have continued conducting frequent incursions into Syrian territory.
The Syrian government and residents of border communities say these operations obstruct efforts to restore stability and begin reconstruction. They also affect agricultural activity and civilian movement, while limiting the government’s ability to attract investment and improve economic conditions.
The Israeli army said attempted crossings have increased in recent months. The incidents come amid continued Israeli control of parts of southern Syria and persistent tensions along the Golan Heights ceasefire line.
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