Tel Aviv, April 22, (dpa/GNA) – Dozens of Israeli settler activists crossed into Syria, before being escorted out by the military, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper said the group consisted of right-wing activists calling for the establishment of settlements in the Syria border area, where Israel has taken control.
They reportedly barricaded themselves inside a building on the outskirts of the Syrian town of Hadar.
The Israeli military said around 40 activists advanced several hundred metres into Syria, before Israeli soldiers brought them back and handed them over to the police.
The military strongly condemned the incident, saying it constituted “a criminal offense that endangers civilians and IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops.”
Israel deployed soldiers to a UN-controlled buffer zone between the Golan Heights and Syrian-controlled territory after the fall of Syria’s longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel, is determined to protect itself from attacks near the border and prevent extremists hostile to Israel from settling there.
The Israeli military regularly attacks targets in Syria, reportedly to destroy weapons depots or military equipment. Talks on a security agreement between the two countries have so far failed to produce results.
GNA