Israeli Army Organizes 'Hiking Tours' For Jewish Settlers In Occupied Syria

The Israeli army is organizing hiking tours for civilians inside recently occupied Syrian territory during the upcoming Passover holiday, according to Israeli media reports.

The tours, coordinated by the Israeli military's Northern Command and 210th Division alongside the "Friends on Excursions" group, are supported by the Golan Heights Settlements Council and the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.

Participants, who must receive special permits, will be escorted by Israeli troops as they travel up to 2.5 kilometers into Syrian land, near the village of Maaraba. Tour highlights include visits to Wadi al-Ruqad (a tributary of the Yarmouk River), the Hejaz Railway Tunnel, and the Shebaa Farms – a contested strip of Lebanese territory occupied by Israel at the base of Mount Hermon.

Though registration has closed, the army said additional tours may be offered depending on the security situation. The excursions mark the first Israeli civilian presence in areas of Syria recently taken over by Israeli forces following the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

In recent months, Israel has intensified airstrikes on Syrian military bases and moved beyond the Golan Heights' demilitarized buffer zone, occupying strategic areas like Mount Hermon in violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement. Initial Israeli security plans reportedly envisioned a 15-km demilitarized zone and a broader 60-km zone of influence inside Syria.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since called for the complete demilitarization of southern Syria, declaring that Israeli troops would remain in the Golan buffer zone and Mount Hermon indefinitely to block Syrian army access south of Damascus.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has openly expressed support for expanding Israel's borders beyond Palestinian territories, hinting at ambitions for a "Greater Israel" encompassing parts of neighboring Arab countries, including as far as Damascus.

In a French documentary, Israel: Extremists in Power, Smotrich endorsed a Jewish state governed by Jewish values and smiled when asked if Israeli sovereignty should extend beyond the Jordan River.

He referenced a biblical prophecy about Jerusalem stretching "until Damascus." While the Israeli government maintains its official goal as defeating Hezbollah, Smotrich's comments—and settler support—raise concerns about broader expansionist intentions in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and beyond.