The Golan Heights stands as a crucial strategic asset for Israel. From its elevated terrain, Israel can see deep into Syria to the east and northeast, while to the west it overlooks the Sea of Galilee and the Hula Valley. The northern border of the Golan Heights connects to Lebanon, including Mount Hermon, providing visibility into once-hidden routes where Iranian weapons were smuggled across these nations.
This strategic position comes amidst a complex landscape of rebel groups now controlling various parts of Syria, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the northwest, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army in the north, and US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast. Each faction brings its own ideology and external backing – further complicating an already volatile situation along Israel's northern border. In response to these threats, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes on Syrian military targets to prevent weapons from falling into extremist hands. These operations have focused on neutralizing key sites that could pose a danger to Israeli security.
The situation remains volatile, with international support for Israel's right to self-defense and calls for lasting security between Israel and Syria. The fall of the Assad family's brutal 50-year regime marks a significant geopolitical shift in the region, presenting both challenges and opportunities for Israel as it navigates the uncertain future of its northern border.
Beyond its military vantage point, the Golan holds immense significance and is deeply cherished by Israelis. With biblical and archaeological history and its captivating natural beauty, the region is popular for tourism and outdoor activities. The Golan's fertile farmlands and wineries nurtured by volcanic soil are home to diverse Israeli communities, including Druze villagers, Jewish kibbutzim, Bedouin Muslims, and Christian Arabs. These lands, in classic Israeli style host military bases, unexploded landmines, and vital agriculture essential to Israel's well-being. The farmers of the Golan have suffered greatly over the past year due to rocket fire causing widespread forest fires and displacing workers, including foreign Thai laborers who survived the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, and its aftermath.
Israel recognizes that the Golan serves as a vital defense line against Iran's proxy network stretching across the Middle East. In this region, Israeli civilians live alarmingly close to potential threats from Syria – some just a few kilometers away from border towns like Alonei Habashan. With the unimaginable collapse of Bashar Assad, rebel groups scramble to fill the void. This proximity underscores why the IDF acted swiftly to secure key areas across the border. Strategic zones like Mount Ben Tal near Al Quneitra have seen increased IDF movements between Israeli-controlled areas, the demilitarized zone (DMZ), and Syrian territory. These decisive actions aim to prevent extremist factions from gaining ground or accessing dangerous stockpiles left behind by Assad.
During my visits outside Camp Ziouani, part of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, I saw deminers working slowly to clear landmines left from past conflicts, a stark reminder that even as life cautiously returns, dangers still linger across these contested borders. I briefly spoke with soldiers from Nepal and India stationed there across the barrier as IDF tanks passed freely in and out of the DMZ zone.
Both we and others were allowed to freely roam, with the UNDOF apparently paused in its mission. On another day, I heard sounds of football being played inside the UNDOF base, a contrast to nearby artillery fire echoing inside Syria and jet planes roaring overhead, as the laughter of the international task force playing sports felt disconnected from the reality outside. This dissonance between UNDOF's detachment from reality on the ground and Israel's active role in securing its borders raises questions about UNDOF's effectiveness after decades of failing to prevent Hezbollah outposts or extremist factions from taking root nearby. One must truly ask what role bases like UNDOF on the Israel-Syrian border serve when Hezbollah terror tunnels have been documented just meters away from UN soldiers.
The Golan Heights today is a place of stark contrasts. For months, it was marked by eerie silence – a ghost town where artillery booms, Iron Dome sirens, rockets, and drones, dominated the landscape. Journalists roamed alongside soldiers while visitors were rare amidst abandoned roads and fields scarred by conflict.
Now life cautiously returns. At lookouts near Ein Zivan, Druze sellers offered labneh za'atar pita wraps to visitors, an everyday scene that felt almost surreal against the backdrop of tanks passing by and artillery fire echoing in the distance. Arab women next to Haredi mothers take selfies; veterans with binoculars stand alongside younger Israelis recounting stories of Syria's brutality during past wars like Yom Kippur. These moments are surreal, a blend of hope and unease, as people reflect on a regime that will no longer pose a threat.
In Majdal Shams, the Druze village bordering Syria, sights were historic, Israeli forces moved swiftly to secure buffer zones citing breakdowns in disengagement agreements dating back decades. The village borders Syria and is famous for its Shouting Hill, a place where families separated by borders once communicated using megaphones due to restricted passage and close proximity straddling a few hundred meters between the two nations.
Majdal Shams was also recently in headlines for a tragic event when twelve children were killed by Hezbollah rockets targeting a soccer match in this village located in northern Golan Heights, a stark reminder of ongoing threats despite recent changes.
Mount Hermon remains critical due to its elevation at the junction of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. From its heights, Damascus, just over 25 miles away, is clearly visible along with once-obscured smuggling routes used by Hezbollah to transfer weapons from Iran through Syria into Lebanon. By securing these positions alongside other strategic zones like Mount Ben Tal near Al Quneitra, where increased IDF movements have been noted, Israel has effectively disrupted these supply lines while maintaining vigilance over its northern borders.
At every site I visited there was an undeniable sense of history unfolding: people daring to witness a Syria free of Assad for the first time in generations, rediscovering beauty amidst ongoing tensions while reflecting on decades of conflict that shaped these lands.
Many governments recognize Israel's crucial role in stabilizing a fragile region left vulnerable during ISIS's rise and now with the crumbling of one of the region's most savage regimes, a conflict that claimed over 600,000 lives just miles from Israel. For Israelis, the current moment marks not just a geopolitical shift but also renewed hope for security along their northern border.
