Right-Wing Activists Spend Night on Syrian Mount Hermon to Promote Jewish Settlement

On April 22, 2026, Israeli right-wing activists from the "Pioneers of Bashan" movement crossed the border fence into Syria and spent the night on Mount Hermon, in areas newly controlled by the IDF beyond the official border line. The activists informed IDF soldiers operating in the area of their presence to avoid false alarms or security concerns but did not disclose their exact location in the mountainous terrain. Their stated goal is to establish a permanent Jewish civilian presence in the region, citing the ongoing turmoil in Syria as a reason to solidify civilian settlement to prevent future security deterioration.

This is not the first time the Pioneers of Bashan, founded in April 2025, have challenged security forces by entering Syrian territory within the IDF's security zone. In recent months, similar incidents have included about 45 activists barricading themselves on a rooftop near the Syrian town of Khader on Israeli Independence Day, and a group of youths crossing into the village of Bir al-Ajam during Hanukkah to interact with locals before being evacuated by the army. Throughout 2025, the movement has repeatedly attempted to establish outposts and conducted group patrols in the Bashan ridge and Mount Shion areas.

Israeli security officials and the IDF have condemned these civilian incursions as illegal and dangerous, emphasizing that the security zone inside Syria is a volatile area where civilian presence risks both the activists' safety and diverts military resources from critical defense and security operations. The IDF continues to monitor the situation amid these ongoing attempts to create facts on the ground in the disputed border region.