From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 16, 2026
Settler activists briefly cross into Syria before being stopped by IDF
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Several Israeli settler activists breached the border into Syria overnight, before being located and returned to Israel by IDF troops, the military says.
The IDF says the suspects were caught a few minutes after crossing the border, and were handed over to the police for further questioning.
“The IDF strongly condemns the incident and emphasizes that this is a grave incident that constitutes a criminal offense that endangers civilians and IDF troops,” the military adds.
Members of the same group of activists, calling themselves the “Bashan Pioneers” — after the biblical name for the Golan Heights and southern Syria region — have crossed into Syria several times in the past year in attempts to establish settlements.
לפנות בוקר: ניסו לחדור לשטח סוריה – ונעצרו
מספר פעילים מתנועת "חלוצי הבשן" עברו הלילה את גדר המערכת ברמת הגולן והוחזרו לשטח מדינת ישראל. לאחר מכן הועברו לידי המשטרהhttps://t.co/nKs9mjItUk pic.twitter.com/acLF82hL6Z
— ערוץ 7 (@arutz7heb) February 16, 2026
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