The IDF said that two Israelis crossed the border fence near Yir’on on Thursday, and were handed to police; the Uri Tzafon movement called the action a “moral and historical step” aimed at protecting northern communities.
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 two suspects crossed the fence before being detained, returned to Israeli territory, and transferred to the Israel Police for further handling.
The activists, including bereaved families, northern residents, and reservists, carried signs reading “Striking roots, planting security,” and demanded a renewal of Jewish settlement in southern Lebanon. According to the movement, the action commemorated Yisrael Sokol, who fell during the Iron Swords War.
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 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 urged the State of Israel to renew settlement in Lebanon, which she called justified in a historic, moral, and security-wise sense. The group said it had recently written to Israel’s defense leadership warning that only firm IDF control, paired with civilian settlement, would ensure security for northern communities.
Uri Tzafon members argued that southern Lebanon is part of the ancestral homeland and that civilian presence near IDF outposts would deter cross-border attacks.
“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.