Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A group of Israeli settlers crossed into southern Syria this week in an apparent attempt to establish an unauthorized outpost an incident laden with ideological symbolism and potential geopolitical consequences. The Israeli military quickly intervened, escorting the group back across the border, according to a report by the Israeli daily Israel Hayom.
The newspaper revealed that more than ten settlers crossed the internationally recognized border with Syria on Monday and attempted to establish a new settlement outpost under the name “Aloni Habashan.” The group reportedly raised banners and signs invoking the concept of “Greater Israel,” a controversial religious-nationalist vision that includes parts of modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and other neighboring territories as part of a biblically promised Jewish homeland.
Photographs circulated online, including by Israeli writer Yinon Shalom Yethach, showed men, women, and children holding a sign with the name of the proposed outpost, along with another sign reading “Neve Habashan,” a phrase steeped in religious and historical symbolism. According to Yethach, the group originated from an existing settlement in the occupied West Bank and had planned to remain in Syria for an extended period.
The Israeli military was reportedly swift in its response. Troops rushed to the area and took the settlers in for questioning. During initial interrogations, the individuals involved claimed they had acted independently and received no external support for their initiative.
As of Tuesday morning, neither the Israeli government nor Syrian authorities had issued official statements regarding the incident. However, the attempted incursion marks a significant escalation in settler activism and a rare case of Israelis physically crossing into Syria in pursuit of ideological goals.
The event comes amid renewed public support among segments of the Israeli right for the “Greater Israel” concept. Just days earlier, on August 12, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told i24 News that he felt “deeply connected to the vision of Greater Israel” when asked whether he viewed himself as being on a mission on behalf of the Jewish people.
This rhetoric, coupled with ongoing regional instability, has fueled concerns in neighboring countries and among international observers that settler movements may take more aggressive or symbolic actions beyond Israel’s recognized borders.
The attempted establishment of a settler outpost in Syria also comes against the backdrop of increasing Israeli military activity in the country. Since the collapse of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Damascus formally nullified by Israel in the wake of the Assad regime’s fall in late 2024, Israeli forces have carried out numerous cross-border raids and airstrikes.
Although the new Syrian administration, formed in December 2024, has not posed a direct military threat to Israel, the Israeli army has continued its operations in Syrian territory, targeting infrastructure, weapons depots, and military convoys. These actions have resulted in civilian casualties and significant damage to Syrian military assets.
The settlers’ attempt to unilaterally alter the status quo on the Syrian front underscores the growing intersection between grassroots ideology and national policy in Israel. It also highlights how deeply internal Israeli political and religious movements can reverberate across the region, testing already fragile borders and long-standing agreements.
Whether the latest incident will prompt an official response from either government or trigger new tensions remains to be seen, but the message from the settlers was clear: their vision of Israel extends far beyond its current borders and they are willing to act on it.
