Israel organizes tours inside occupied Syrian territory

TEL AVIV

The Israeli military has unveiled a plan to organized guided hiking tours for Israeli citizens in occupied Syrian territory during the upcoming Passover holiday, Israeli media has reported.

The tours will take participants through the occupied Golan Heights and into areas of Syria more recently seized by Israeli forces following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. They will be escorted by Israeli soldiers throughout the trip.

Participants are expected to travel up to 2.5 kilometers into occupied Syrian territory near the village of Maaraba. The itinerary includes sites such as Wadi al-Ruqad — a tributary of the Yarmouk River — and the historic Hejaz Railway Tunnel.

The excursions, open to families, also plan to visit the Shebaa Farms, a disputed area located on the Lebanese–Syrian border and currently under Israeli occupation at the base of Mount Hermon.

Travel will be arranged via buses and all participants will be required to obtain special permits.

Following the collapse of the Assad government in December, 2024 Israel intensified its military operations across Syria, targeting numerous military installations. The Israeli army has also advanced beyond the Golan Heights buffer zone.

This kind of tourism is not new for Israel as it organized tours on the border since Hamas’ attack in October 2023.

For celebrities, politicians, influencers and others, no trip is complete without a somber visit to the devastated south that absorbed the brunt of the assault near the border with Gaza.

Jerry Seinfeld, Elon Musk, Michael Douglas, former presidential candidate Nikki Haley and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are a few who have visited, at times posing for photos in front of burned-out homes. Many Israelis, including soldiers and security officials, are also visiting on organized trips.