Israel Syria Settlers

A metal board in the shape of a gunman sits on an old bunker at an observation point on Mount Bental in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

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Fringe Israeli settler group is sneaking into Syria to try to claim land for a Jewish outpost

Fringe Israeli settler group is sneaking into Syria to try to claim land for a Jewish outpost

Right-wing Israeli activists are ramping up their fringe campaign to establish Jewish settlements inside Syria by staging frequent incursions across the border. The Israeli army has been occupying the area in southern Syria for a year and a half, but the regular forays by civilian settler groups are a newer development. The settlers are part of a group called the Pioneers of Bashan. They are named after the biblical Bashan region that includes part of modern-day Syria and Jordan.