A day after a group of haredim from the Breslov Hassidic sect were apprehended after infiltrating Lebanese territory, it turns out that the incident was more dramatic than originally thought to be.
It has been learned that the suspects did not just sneak into Lebanese territory, but also removed the barbed wire fence marking the border to transfer the entire grave site of Rabbi Ashi to Israeli territory.
The compound, which houses the tomb of Rabbi Ashi (352–427 CE), one of the "Amoraim" (sages who lived from 200 to 500 CE) and one of the compilers of the Babylonian Talmud, has been divided by the border since the IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000.
According to historian Yisrael Shapira, over the past two weeks, the Hassidim have taken advantage of the ceasefire to renovate, clean, and paint the tomb and even move the border fence.
The Hassidim claim they are in advanced talks with the authorities to make the new situation official. Until now, entry into the Israeli side of the compound was only permitted with special coordination with the military.
The police arrested four suspects, and they are expected to be charged with crimes that carry a sentence of up to four years imprisonment.