Four Israeli civilians were arrested overnight Wednesday after crossing the border into Lebanon and clashing with Israel Defense Forces troops, according to a statement from the Israel Police.
IDF forces called to the scene following the border breach attempted to return the group to Israel, but called in police to the scene after several of the individuals became unruly, even throwing stones at the soldiers.
Police arrested four members of the group in coordination with the IDF, with the remainder being escorted back to Israel by the military.
Israeli authorities emphasized that they will act decisively against those who harm security forces and reminded the public that approaching the border fence is both prohibited and dangerous. Crossing into Lebanon is a criminal offense punishable by up to four years in prison, police stressed.
The incident comes just days after police detained 20 ultra-Orthodox Jews who had crossed the border, apparently seeking to visit the tomb of Rav Ashi—the Babylonian sage credited with compiling the Gemara, an essential component of the Talmud.
“These are ultra-Orthodox residents from Jerusalem and other communities,” said Chief Superintendent Arik Berkowitz, commander of the Kiryat Shmona police station. “They circulated information among themselves suggesting that the site was open and organized for prayer visits,” he explained. “They arrived tonight to fulfill the religious commandment. They maintain they were unaware this constituted an offense or that they were violating any laws. This is not the first time in recent months that we have encountered groups reported by the military for border crossing. Unfortunately, we have dealt with similar groups previously.”
Originally published by Israel Hayom.