A delegation of sheikhs and Druze officials from the Golan Heights traveled last week to Syria and, with a military escort, met with representatives of the Druze village of Hader. Some of the Druze participants confirmed in a conversation with Shomrim that the group did indeed enter Syrian territory, but insisted that the visit was initiated in order “to fix a water pipe.” None of them were able to explain why this maintenance work on the other side of the border required the participation of several sheikhs – some of whom are in their 60s.

Hader is on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, just meters from the border. Shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, a video was circulated on social media of a meeting called by residents of the village, in which some people can be heard proposing that they appeal to Israel to be placed under Israeli protection.

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After Assad was driven from Syria, Israel set up a buffer zone inside Syrian territory – including the Syrian Hermon Mountain – claiming that the aim was to safeguard its national security and ensure that the armistice agreement signed at the end of the Yom Kippur War was observed. Although there has been no official confirmation of the size of this buffer zone, Lebanese newspapers claim that it encompasses many strategic locations. For obvious reasons, Israel wants to ensure that there is no violence in that area and to maintain good relations with the local population.

One person who is closely involved in the Syrian issue adds that, against this backdrop, the various forces operating in Syria were instructed to avoid entering Druze villages as much as possible. According to this person, the IDF has also refrained from entering these villages to collect the weapons stored there, even though it has collected weapons from other population groups.

Sheikh Taher Abu Saleh, a senior Druze religious figure on the Golan: "The Syrians from Hader knew that we were coming. I do not know who told them, but they were waiting for us there."

Last Sunday, a group of religious and civic leaders from the Golan Heights crossed the border. Among them was the mayor of Majdal Shams, Dolan Abu Saleh, and another high-ranking official from the council. They crossed into Syria via the border near Majdal Shams. On the outskirts of Hader, they met with a group from the village. What was discussed at the meeting is not known, but a video uploaded to social media showed one of the sheikhs being given a gift by a local resident, who thanked him for the visit.

In a conversation with Shomrim, one of the participants – Sheikh Taher Abu Saleh, a senior Druze religious figure on the Golan – said that the pipe that provides water to Majdal Shams had been damaged by a military bulldozer and that the group crossed the border to fix it. He added that they entered Syria in private vehicles and that they had a military escort. “The Syrians from Hader knew that we were coming. I do not know who told them, but they were waiting for us there. There were a few people from the village and one of them gave me a gift. Throughout our entire visit, there was an IDF officer in close proximity. We were there for something like two hours, during which we fixed the water pipe and met with Syrian sheikhs.”

It is important to note that, some two months ago, Ze’ev Erlich – a 71-year-old civilian archaeologist who was taken into Lebanon by the IDF for an archaeological survey of the area – was killed in a clash with Hezbollah. In the same incident, IDF soldier Sgt. Gur Kehati was also killed. The Israeli military is investigating the circumstances of that incident and, at the same time, the fallen soldier’s family is waging a public campaign to ensure that those responsible pay the price. The IDF announced that it has refreshed instructions regarding allowing civilians to enter a warzone.

In its response to Shomrim, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit denied that the sheikhs’ visit was coordinated with the military. “The IDF is deployed along the border region with Syria to defend Israel and to thwart any threats to residents of the north and their communities. Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Syria without coordination is life-threatening and harms the IDF’s ability to operate in the area and to fulfill its mission. In the incident you mentioned, a civilian contractor crossed from Israeli territory into Syria in order to fix infrastructure close to the border. He was accompanied by a number of religious figures. An IDF force identified the convoy and stopped the incident. We are further investigating the incident and will learn lessons from it.”