Israel Army Radio reported on Sunday that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had captured the summit of Mount Hermon, the region's highest mountain, as a precautionary measure against the advance of Syrian rebels following the fall of the Assad regime.
This mountain is covered in snow during the winter and is the highest point in the region, making it a strategically important point. Israel has a military base on the mountainside, while Syria has had a military base on the mountaintop itself for many years.
The move marks the first time Israeli troops have been on top of the mountain since the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
In that conflict, Syria and Egypt surprised Israel with attacks on Judaism's holiest day. On October 6, the first day of the war, the Syrian army captured an Israeli military base on a mountainside, killing many soldiers from the elite Golani Brigade.
The Israeli counterattack on October 8 was unsuccessful and difficult. However, in heavy fighting on October 21-22, Israel captured the summit, paratroopers descended on the summit by helicopter, fought their way back down as other troops climbed, ensnared the Syrians, and led the Israelis to the summit. and captured Syrian positions.
Israel eventually returned the Syrian mountaintop base as part of an anti-conflict agreement at the end of the war.
Today, a monument to fallen Golani troops is erected on the Israeli side of the Hermon River in the Golan Heights.
Memorial to Golani troops killed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War on the slopes of Mount Hermon, November 21, 2024 (Joel Pollack/Breitbart News)
Israel has cautiously welcomed the fall of Assad's regime, its bitter enemy for more than 50 years. However, Israel pointed out that the rebel forces include terrorists from al-Qaeda and ISIS, underscoring the danger on both sides in the Syrian civil war.
As reported by Breitbart News, the IDF on Sunday moved tanks to the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria as a deterrent and set up checkpoints on its territory in the Golan Heights to prevent terrorist infiltration from Syria. did.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a visit to the Israeli-Syrian border with Foreign Minister Israel Katz, issued a statement calling the fall of the Assad regime “a historic day for the Middle East,” but it brings both opportunities and dangers. he pointed out. He said Israel wants “neighborhood and peaceful relations” with Syria.
There is speculation that Israel may occupy part of Syrian territory near the Golan Heights border as a buffer zone.
Joel B. Pollack is a senior editor at Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Sunday nights from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM PT) on Sirius XM Patriot. he is the author of Agenda: What should President Trump do in his first 100 days in office?available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of Trumpian Virtues: Lessons and Legacy of the Donald Trump Presidencynow available on Audible. He is the recipient of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter @joelpolak.
