The Israeli police announced that they had received Israeli citizens belonging to the “Pioneers of Habashan” movement and began investigating them in preparation for reporting whether they would be brought before the court to extend their detention period.
According to a statement issued by the police, a report was received about a number of suspects crossing the border towards Syria, which prompted an immediate intervention by the forces of the Northern Brigade in cooperation with the Israeli army, where they were transferred to the police station for questioning.
The police stressed that crossing the border into Syria or Lebanon is a serious criminal offense punishable by law with imprisonment for up to four years, and affirmed that approaching the border areas is prohibited and represents a significant danger.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation mentioned that the group consists of seven or eight people, and that they were returned from inside Syrian territory by rapid intervention from the army forces of Division 210.
Media sources indicated that the same group tried to cross the border the previous night, where the army intercepted them and handed them over to the police, who released them later that night. They then tried again the following afternoon and succeeded again in entering Syrian territory.
In a separate statement, the Israeli army confirmed that “Israeli youths infiltrated into Syria, apparently for settlement purposes,” explaining that the forces intervened immediately, found them, and returned them safely to Israeli territory.
The statement added that the army “strongly condemns the incident and considers it very serious, as it constitutes a criminal offense and poses a direct threat to the lives of citizens and the security of the military forces.”
