The IDF said that dozens of terrorist Jews crossed the border into Lebanon and were handed to police; the Uri Tzafon movement called the action a ‘moral and necessary step’.
Jpost
Dozens of activists from the Uri Tzafon movement crossed the border fence near Yir’on on Thursday and planted trees inside Lebanon, according to the group.
The IDF said its surveillance identified a gathering of about 20 Israelis at the frontier and that several suspects crossed the fence before being detained, returned to Israeli territory, and transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.
The activists, including IDF reservists, demanded a renewal of Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon.
IDF condemns breach, warns of danger at the border
In a statement, the IDF called the crossing a serious criminal offense that endangers civilians and military forces operating along the border. The military emphasized that unauthorized activity in the area risks escalation amid ongoing tensions with Hezbollah and the presence of armed groups across the frontier.
Anna Slutskin, one of Uri Tzafon’s leaders, said the group came ‘to plant trees and strike roots in the soil of our land, regardless of fences.’
She demanded that the State of Israel renew settlement in Lebanon, which she called justified in an historic and ‘moral’ sense.
Uri Tzafon members argued that southern Lebanon is part of the ancestral homeland.
‘If the IDF does not act with a firm hand, the massacre of northern residents is only a matter of time,’ the movement wrote in letters it addressed to the IDF chief of staff, defense minister, and prime minister.
The IDF’s account of the incident stated that forces intervened promptly, detained the suspects who crossed the fence, and transferred them to the police. No injuries were reported.