HaBashan Pioneers Camp Overnight on IDF-Held Syrian Mount Hermon

Activists from the right-wing HaBashan Pioneers movement climbed the IDF-held Mount Hermon zone beyond the pre-2024 Syrian border overnight Wednesday to Thursday and spent the entire night on the mountain, calling it a major step toward a permanent Jewish civilian foothold in the Bashan. The activists said they informed IDF forces in the sector of their presence but withheld their exact location, arguing Israel must establish civilian settlement now to prevent security deterioration on the northern frontier. Defense officials countered that civilian entry into the Syrian security zone violates the law and diverts operational attention from defending the sector against jihadist threats. The movement, founded in April 2025 after the fall of the Assad regime, has repeatedly challenged the buffer line, including roughly 70 activists blocked by the 210th Division earlier this week.