The IDF nearly fired on five Israeli right-wing activists near the Syrian border two weeks ago after suspecting they were a terrorist squad attempting to enter Israel, public broadcaster KAN News reported on Monday.
The five suspects were all members of the HaBashan Pioneers movement. After identifying the group on military surveillance near Mount Hermon, Elbit Hermes 450 “Zik” drones were quickly dispatched to carry out an aerial strike, KAN reported.
Just before the attack was launched, observers noticed that the group of men had peyot, or side curls, indicating they were observant Jews and not infiltrating terrorists, KAN noted.
The HaBashan Pioneers movement has been trying to establish Jewish settlements in Syrian territory, and multiple groups of activists have been arrested in recent weeks for trying to cross the border.
KAN cited an IDF response confirming the incident, saying “The IDF strongly condemns the incident… and emphasizes that [crossing the border into Syria] is a life-threatening criminal offense.”
HaBashan Pioneers still working towards a ‘magnificent Jewish settlement’ in Syria
HaBashan Pioneers claimed that the “shooting was carried out” against the five men before announcing that it would continue its attempts to build Jewish settlements in Syria, despite military intervention at every attempt.
“Last week, our activists entered and left the area three times without anyone noticing them,” the movement said. “The space is vast, and the army alone is not capable of holding at every point and at every hour. We will not stop until a magnificent Jewish settlement is established in the Bashan region.”
On July 5, about 100 such activists crossed into the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and were detained by the IDF. Though no incidents comparable to a near-strike were reported, the activists accused the military of using “severe violence” to detain them.
The most recent illegal border-crossing attempt was on July 13, and the suspects were detained in the Golan Heights before being transferred to Israel Police for questioning.
