IDF Thwarts Syrian Border Infiltration as Israelis Slip Into Syria

The Israel Defense Forces said troops and Border Police officers identified "dozens" of suspects who attempted to cross from Syria into Israel near the Druze town of Hader on the Golan Heights early Wednesday. Security forces were deployed to block the infiltration and disperse gatherings on the Syrian side of the security fence, the military said. At roughly the same time, several Israeli civilians breached the border fence from the Majdal Shams area and entered Syrian territory, according to the IDF. The army described the action as a criminal offense that endangers both the public and security personnel, and said operations were under way to locate and bring the individuals back to Israel. The incidents come amid sporadic tensions along the Israel–Syria frontier. The military did not immediately report injuries on either side, and no details were given on the identities or motives of the suspects or the Israeli civilians involved.