Israeli military detains 3 civilians who crossed Syrian border

The Israeli military says three Israeli civilians crossed the border into Syrian territory from the Jabal al-Sheikh (Mount Hermon) area overnight on Tuesday.

In a statement, the military said troops were deployed to locate the trio and return them to Israeli territory, before handing them over to police.

The incident comes amid a rise in unauthorised crossings by Israelis into Syria. Israeli Army Radio reported last month, citing military data, that at least 17 such incidents had been recorded in recent months, with more than 150 people apprehended and handed over to police.

Despite the repeated incidents, Army Radio reported that only three cases had been transferred by police to prosecutors for consideration of charges.

SKS