Sana'a: The crimes of Zionist settlement are no longer confined to the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to Yemen News Agency, after decades of land confiscation, population displacement, and settlement construction in the West Bank and Al-Quds, the enemy's ambitions are now extending beyond Palestine's borders. Field reports indicate new settlement activities aimed at imposing a settler reality in parts of Syria and Lebanon, as part of an expansionist project that recognizes no borders. Observers believe this move is part of an attempt to impose the so-called 'Greater Israel' by force and entrench a permanent occupation in Palestine's surroundings under security and military pretexts.
On Tuesday, August 11, the Israeli occupation army claimed it had returned three Israeli settlers who had infiltrated Syrian territory. The Israeli army said in a statement that 'three Israelis reached the Mount Hermon area last night and crossed the border into Syrian territory.' It added that an army force rushed to the area, found them, returned them to 'Israel,' and handed them over to the police. The army warned that the infiltration constituted a 'serious impediment' to its operations and endangered the security of its forces in the area.
The Times of Israel reported that the infiltrators belonged to the 'Pioneers of Bashan' movement, which calls for the establishment of Israeli settlements in southern Syria. On July 22, the Israeli occupation army claimed to have thwarted another attempt by Israeli settlers to infiltrate Syrian territory through the Mount Hermon area. The settlers also belonged to the right-wing 'Pioneers of Bashan' movement. The army said several Israelis had arrived in the Mount Hermon area intending to cross into Syria before its forces stopped them.
This was the latest attempt by Israeli settlers to cross the border into Syria, following similar incidents in recent weeks. Members of the 'Pioneers of Bashan' movement had previously infiltrated Syrian territory as part of efforts to establish settlement outposts in the south. On November 27, 2025, the movement announced its first public attempt to 'drive the first stake' into Syrian territory. On July 5, 2026, around 70 settlers raided the outskirts of Hadar village in the Quneitra countryside.
Settlers have also collected signatures for a petition urging members of Israel's so-called security and political cabinet, the 'Cabinet,' to approve settlement in Syrian areas they refer to as 'Bashan.'
The movement is led by a group of right-wing settlers from the Golan Heights and the West Bank. Among its prominent leaders is Amos Azaria, an academic at Ariel University, alongside Jonathan Levy, its field coordinator. The movement operates through the 'You Inherited It' association, which is linked to the settlement movement 'Uri Tzafon.'
The 'Pioneers of Bashan' adopts a nationalist-religious discourse claiming a 'historical Jewish right' to a vast area it calls biblical 'Bashan,' which, according to its claims, includes Hauran, the Golan, al-Lajat, and As-Suwayda, extending into northern Jordan. Its stated goal is to establish settlement outposts beyond the disengagement line in southern Syria, under the pretext of 'securing the Golan' and 'protecting minorities,' particularly the Druze, eventually creating what it describes as a 'humanitarian corridor' linking 'Israel' to the As-Suwayda area.
The activities of these groups have raised growing concern in southern Syria, amid increasing calls for settlements to be established along the border. Khaled al-Idlibi, a correspondent for Al Araby TV in Damascus, said the entry of these groups into Syrian territory 'is not a new development,' pointing to repeated infiltrations into the buffer zone alongside incursions by the Israeli occupation army into Syrian territory.
Writer Maram Moussa, in an article published by 'Noon Post,' says the biblical religious narrative is also being used to revive the 'Greater Israel' project, which threatens Arab countries, including Syria. Israeli officials have promoted this vision over the past year. Among the most notable statements reflecting its adoption was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reference to feeling that he was carrying out a 'historic and spiritual mission' to establish what is known as 'Greater Israel.'
The movement's activities have not been confined to the ground. It has simultaneously worked to build political support within Israel. In late November 2025, it held a conference in occupied Al-Quds attended by rabbis and right-wing politicians, including Rabbi Yisrael Ariel and former Knesset member Moshe Feiglin.
In conclusion, the activities of the 'Bashan Pioneers' reveal a new phase in the Zionist settlement project. What began as a marginal group has, within a year, developed into an actor building political, religious, and legal networks within the Israeli authorities while testing the limits of Syrian and international responses. Its danger lies not only in its incursions but also in its attempt to transform Israel's temporary military presence in southern Syria into permanent settlement, as part of a 'Greater Israel' project that rejects established borders.
