IDF officials are expressing growing alarm over repeated attempts by settlement activists to cross Israel’s borders, warning that the incursions are diverting troops from combat missions, exposing military deployments and creating the risk of kidnappings or wider escalation.
What began with unauthorized attempts to enter the Gaza Strip has spread to the Syrian and Lebanese borders. In the latest incident Tuesday, 15 Israeli civilians, most of them teenage girls, were caught after crossing into Lebanon near the village of Ghajar.
Searches for the Israeli girls who crossed into Lebanese territory
Video from the incident shows troops pursuing the girls after they entered Lebanese territory. The search unfolded as the military was responding to a separate deadly incident in Majdal Zoun, where a company commander and combat medic were killed by an explosive device in a booby-trapped building.
Military officials said the border crossings endanger not only those involved but also force commanders to divert troops and resources during active operations.
Large forces were dispatched during Tuesday’s incident, including the Dvora reconnaissance commando unit of the 91st Division. One of the girls remained missing inside Lebanon for about four hours before she was found.
“This is getting out of hand,” a senior Northern Command officer said. “It directly draws attention away from missions.”
The officer said troops preparing for an overnight ambush or arrest operation could suddenly be pulled into a search for civilians who had crossed the border.
“You prepare a force for a mission, for a night in an ambush or to carry out an arrest, all to defend the border and protect residents,” he said. “Then an incident like this develops, and you are drawn into it for hours. The mission is delayed or does not happen. This is a real blow to security.”
Another military official said the incident required an extensive diversion of resources at an especially sensitive time.
“It happened while we were dealing with the explosive device incident in which two soldiers were killed and four were seriously wounded, and while preparing the IDF’s response plans to Hezbollah violations,” the official said. “In the middle of all that, we had to deal with dozens of young men and women trying to cross the border and damaging the fence.”
Beyond tying up forces, the official said the incursions can provide hostile groups with intelligence about military deployments and response times.
“That could be exploited in the future for attacks,” he said.
A separate officer told ynet that the problem begins before the actual crossing.
“They arrive at night, damage locks and gates, cause destruction and simply go inside,” he said. “They have no set hours. They take advantage of developments in the sector and show up without warning.”
'They take advantage of developments in the sector.' The teens who crossed into Lebanon
Security officials said activists often do not understand the dangers they face.
“Their entry is not merely entry into a closed military zone,” one official said. “Imagine if one of them were abducted into Syria or deeper into Lebanon. Where would that take the sector, and where could it drag the country?”
He also cited the risk of stepping on explosive devices, handling weapons or encountering terrorists.
“It is simply madness,” he said.
Another military official referred to incursions into Syria by activists from Chalutzei HaBashan, a group advocating Jewish settlement in territory across Israel’s northeastern border.
'This is getting out of hand.' Israeli girls who crossed the border into Lebanon
“In Syria, the danger is significantly greater because the area is freely accessible to the enemy and to local residents,” he said. “The activists break through fences and risk being kidnapped. An hour in a Syrian civilian vehicle, and they could find themselves in the middle of Damascus.”
The military also sharply criticized the police, saying law enforcement has failed to create an effective deterrent.
“The same people return again and again,” an officer serving in the north said. “We go inside, arrest them, call up forces — including special forces — and invest enormous effort in catching them and handing them over to police. But in the end, nothing is done.”
He said most are released the same day and face neither indictments nor financial penalties.
“They are detained for a few hours, and it even turns the arrested activist into a hero,” the officer said. “He takes a picture in the area he entered, his friends photograph him inside the police car, and in the end nothing happens.”
Dvora reconnaissance unit reservists also voiced frustration. Some said they were called away from family vacations to put on uniforms and help search for the girls who crossed the border while other troops were engaged in operational activity.
'There is no deterrence.' Israeli girls who crossed into Lebanese territory
Military officials warned that the number of attempts could rise as Israel approaches elections.
“We do not hear anyone in the government condemning these incidents or saying that they are wrong and harm operational continuity,” a senior security official said. “As the election gets closer, we are taking into account that this will intensify. The concern is that political figures will begin joining as well.”
That, the official said, could make the phenomenon even more dangerous.
“This has to be addressed now, and these people must not be given backing,” he said. “It is possible to demonstrate a presence and wage a political struggle, but not this way.”
Residents of Ghajar watched Tuesday as troops and police poured into the village and chased the girls along the Hasbani River after some escaped deeper into Lebanese territory.
“I think the religious Jews will end up taking over Lebanon too,” one resident told ynet.
'They are crazier than we are.' The Israeli girls who crossed into Lebanon
He said the group had arrived at a site known as the Peace Lookout before jumping down toward the border area.
“I feel sorry for the children and women. It is very dangerous,” he said. “All the army and police forces came to our village and went down there. Believe me, they are crazier than we are.”
Police rejected the military’s criticism.
Northern District officials said six investigation files opened following recent incidents were transferred to prosecutors last week and were awaiting decisions on whether to file charges.
Police officials said courts often release suspects shortly after their arrest and argued that a joint effort involving law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary is needed to create deterrence and stop what they called a dangerous and irresponsible phenomenon.
They also noted that responsibility for protecting Israel’s borders rests with the military.