File photo: A picture shows a view of the destruction caused by Israeli bombardment in the southern Lebanese village of Khiam, near the border with Israe. AFP
The civilians who crossed the border came from the Uri Tzafon movement, a group calling for Israeli settlement of southern Lebanon.
Photos posted by the group online Saturday showed a small group of activists holding signs and erecting tents inside Lebanon while Israeli soldiers were present.
After first denying the reports to Israeli media, the army said Wednesday that civilians had crossed the border “by a few meters” and were removed by troops.
The army called the border breach a “serious incident” and said it was investigating.
“Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the army’s ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission,” the military said.
The settler group Uri Tzafon, which means “Awaken the North” in Hebrew, crossed the border in the area of the Lebanese village of Maroun A Ras. In the past, the movement has claimed the area is home to an old Hebrew settlement.
Groups of settler activists also have breached the Gaza border more than once since the Israeli war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, at one point erecting small wooden tents before they were evacuated by troops. Daniela Weiss, the leader of the movement to resettle Gaza, claims she has entered Gaza twice since the start of the war.
Israel’s settler movement has been emboldened by its current government -- the furthest right in Israeli history -- and is now seeking to expand to parts of southern Lebanon and the north of Gaza.
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