The Israeli army will organize a tourist tour in the occupied territories in Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that forces affiliated with Syria's new transitional government should not approach the border area, and that the army will remain in the region until an alternative arrangement is found.

The Israeli army announced that during the Passover holiday, it will organize tourist 'nature walks' for civilians in newly occupied Syrian territories. Tickets for the tours, which will start on Sunday in the Golan Heights under Israeli occupation and will take place twice daily for a week, sold out quickly. These trips, conducted in bulletproof buses with military protection, will allow small groups to advance up to 2.5 kilometers into the buffer zone seized by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following the overthrow of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in December, an area that was previously closed to civilians. The program also includes Mount Hermon, which overlooks Damascus, and the Shebaa Farms located at its foothills, which is said to be 'the place where God made a covenant with Abraham' according to Jewish belief. This Lebanese land under Israeli occupation has been a conflict point between Israel and Hezbollah for decades. Visitors will also be able to hike and swim in the Ruqqad Valley, which flows into the Yarmouk River on the Jordanian border. Additionally, abandoned sections of the Hejaz Railway, which connected Istanbul to Haifa, Nablus, and the holy sites in present-day Saudi Arabia during the Ottoman period, will also be visible. According to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, the tours are organized by the IDF's 210th Division, the Golan Regional Council, a religious education center called Keshet Yehonatan, the environmental Golan Nature School, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The tours are part of a comprehensive initiative called 'A Safer Return to the North,' launched after the Israel-Hezbollah war, one of the regional impacts of the war that began when Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023 and continues in Gaza. The Israeli army stated, "It is important for us to revitalize the region's heritage and tourism and to tell the stories of the struggles during the war." Participants in the tours register at their own risk, and for security reasons, the trips can be canceled at the last minute. Responding to questions from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the IDF claimed that the tours are 'within Israeli borders,' although the trips are taking place in the demilitarized buffer zone of the Golan Heights, recognized as Syrian territory by the international community. Due to high demand, authorities announced that they hope to organize additional tours to Syria after Passover, provided security conditions allow. Following Bashar al-Assad's escape from the country, the IDF launched a heavy bombardment targeting Syrian weapon depots, while ground troops advanced, violating the 1974 agreement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that forces affiliated with Syria's new transitional government should not approach the border area, and that the IDF will remain in the region until an alternative arrangement is found. The new Syrian administration has not yet provided a clear response to these attacks and statements.