Israeli occupation forces entered the village of Saida al-Julan in the Quneitra countryside in southern Syria. On the same day, Israeli settler groups also crossed the border and spent the night on Syrian territory.
Checkpoint set up
According to a Syria Now correspondent, an Israeli patrol set up a checkpoint around the village of Saida al-Julan on Thursday. Vehicles belonging to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) were also seen moving in the area.
This development came after a similar incident three days earlier. According to the Syrian state news agency SANA, an Israeli unit of three military vehicles had previously entered Saida al-Julan and stopped and interrogated two people in the al-Hanut area.
Settler movement's goal
Meanwhile, the Israeli 'Ruad Bashan' movement announced it had carried out an operation aimed at establishing a presence on Syrian territory. In a statement on the X platform, the movement said its activists climbed Mount Hermon and spent the night in the 'Bashan' region (the Hebrew name for southern Syria). The statement stressed that the Israeli army had been informed and that the goal was to create a 'permanent civilian presence' in the area.
The Ruad Bashan movement, which embraces ideological and nationalist rhetoric, claims a 'historical right' to large areas of southern Syria and aims to establish settlement points in the border regions. In recent weeks, elements of the movement have reportedly infiltrated Syrian territory multiple times, with Israeli security forces either not intervening in these infiltrations or releasing them after brief detentions.
An Israeli army spokesperson, however, said in a statement that a group of Israelis reached the Mount Hermon area last night with the intention of crossing the border into Syrian territory, but that a military force stopped the group and handed them over to the Israeli police.
These developments come at a time when Israel is increasing its military activity in the buffer zone. The Tel Aviv government has been arguing since December 2024 that the 1974 Disengagement Agreement is no longer valid.
Maria Nica / Editor
