With Hezbollah to the left, Syria to the right, and snow all over, IDF takes no chances

In one of the IDF’s most strategically sensitive points on the northern front, a who’s who of Israel’s enemies are in some instances just a few hundred meters away. A look to the right offers a view of a Syrian army outpost, the last Golan Heights foothold controlled by President Bashar Assad’s forces near the ridge of Mt. Hermon.

 

A glance to the left enables one to see the areas held by anti-Assad rebels who have yet to abandon their dream of one day taking over the Syrian side of the Golan.

 

In the middle, there are the Druse villages that begin on the Israeli side, with Majdal Shams, and continuing through to the northern Golan Heights.

 

Turning south, on a clear day, it is possible to notice the last position held by UN peacekeepers along Israel’s northern border with Syria. Not far from there is the Hezbollah.

 

Yes, the most significant threat facing Israel today sits just a few meters from the soldiers of the Armored Brigade’s 605th engineering battalion.

 

The only thing that the Syrians, UN peacekeepers, the rebels, the Druse, the Lebanese from Hezbollah, and IDF fighters have in common these days is the white stuff that has blanketed the entire area.

 

“The weather definitely creates enhanced operational challenges,” said Capt. Raz Alaluf, the commander of the battalion’s Doleb Company. “We, of course, have made the necessary logistical preparations as well as preparations on the operational level. We are ready for any contingency. Obviously, due to the inclement weather, we are sending more combat soldiers to the field both to conduct more patrols as well as for lookouts.”

 

Read More: With Hezbollah to the left, Syria to the right, and snow all over, IDF takes no chances – Arab-Israeli Conflict – Jerusalem Post