Since Israel occupied the Syrian Golan Heights in 1967, it has viewed the area as a huge strategic stronghold.
The Golan was deemed crucial for Israel’s security, resource development and water supply, while also comprising an important negotiating card for any future peace talks with Syria.
In the years that followed, Israel vacillated on peace talks and its will to withdraw from the occupied Golan Heights. Several Israeli prime ministers agreed on a withdrawal plan in exchange for peace and normalised diplomatic relations.
But the occupation continues to this day, and since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has seized even more land.
One of the key prizes has always been Mount Hermon. In December, Israel seized Syria’s highest peak, which rises more than 2,800 metres above sea level. ….more