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About 100 Activists Detained After Crossing Into Syrian Territory on Mount Hermon
Roughly 100 members of the HaBashan Pioneers movement were detained by the IDF on July 5, 2026, after entering the Syrian side of Mount Hermon from the buffer zone. The group announced the detentions the same day and said it seeks to establish an Israeli settlement there.
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About 100 activists of the HaBashan Pioneers movement were detained by the IDF after crossing from the Israel-Syria buffer zone into the Syrian side of Mount Hermon on July 5, 2026. The group announced the detentions the same day. The activists stated that the IDF used severe violence during the detentions and confiscated their phones, while they remained completely passive.
The group said it intentionally positioned itself in a mountainous area to complicate any evacuation and that it wished to avoid violence. HaBashan Pioneers said it has crossed the boundary many times in the past and intends to establish an Israeli settlement on the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
The movement stated that only settlement would cement Israeli control of the area and that the right-wing government needs to show enemies that Israel intends to stay.
The group added that its actions come amid attempted attacks by Syrian terrorists against Israeli communities in the Golan Heights, including within the buffer zone. It warned of a slow erosion of Israeli control and said it would eventually reach Daraa, Quneitra and Abedin.
In April 2026, forty members were detained after traveling several hundred meters into Syria, an action the Israel Police described as prohibited and dangerous.
