An Israeli settler has acknowledged that he and others are present in an area of southern Syria “day and night”, claiming it “belongs to the people of Israel according to the Holy Torah”.
The remarks were carried by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation on Monday evening. The unnamed settler, who belongs to the Pioneers of Bashan movement, spoke from inside Syrian territory.
The settler claimed that the Bashan region “belongs to the people of Israel according to the Holy Torah”.
He also called for the Israeli military to remain in the area, saying: “There are military bases here and there, and we are here on the ground day and night.”
In the Torah, “Bashan” refers to an area in southern Syria, although its exact boundaries are not clearly defined.
As of 20:00 GMT, there had been no official Syrian response. However, Damascus has repeatedly called on Israel to end what it describes as violations of its sovereignty.
Pioneers of Bashan is a right-wing settler movement that advocates establishing Israeli settlements inside Syria.
Last Thursday, the Israeli military said it had stopped a new attempt by settlers from the same movement to enter Syrian territory. It said they were intercepted in the Mount Hermon area in southern Syria.
Members of the movement have previously crossed into Syrian territory as part of their campaign to establish an Israeli settlement inside the country.
Settlers have also signed a petition urging members of Israel’s security cabinet to approve settlements in an area they refer to as Bashan inside Syria.
Israel has occupied most of Syria’s Golan Heights since 1967. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in late 2024, Israel declared the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two sides had collapsed before taking control of the buffer zone.
Israeli forces have since carried out near-daily incursions into parts of southern Syria, detaining Syrians, destroying farmland and setting up checkpoints to stop and question civilians.
The operations have continued despite an agreement reached by Syria and Israel on 6 January 2026 to establish a US-supervised communication mechanism aimed at coordinating information-sharing, reducing military tensions, strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring trade opportunities.
