Skiing On The Syrian Side Of Mt. Hermon In Israel's Hands

 Nadene Goldfoot                                                         

Syrian side of Mt. Hermon now in Israeli hands is a mountain range in Lebanon:  since 1967, partly under Israel rule.  The highest point is 9,232 ft above sea-level and is always snow capped.  It's ample streams and melting snow feed the Jordan and Huleh Plain throughout the year.   Skiing takes place on this mountain!  Mt. Hood in Oregon, USA is 11,249 feet high-highest in Oregon where people ski.  

In the wake of the collapse of the Syrian Assad regime, IDF forces have taken control of the Syrian side of Mount Hermon and the demilitarized zone beyond the Golan, after Syrian army forces vacated the areas. The IDF air force struck multiple strategic targets in and around Damascus, including Syria's main military research center, which Iran allegedly used for missile development. The strikes are continuing, in an effort to eliminate threats to Israel's security including chemical weapons, air bases, missile depots and launching sites and missile development sites. Israel is reportedly in talks with Russia to transfer parts of the territory near the Israeli border to Israeli control.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "The Assad regime, a central link in Iran's axis of evil, has fallen. This is a direct result of the blows we’ve dealt to Iran and Hezbollah, Assad’s main supporters. It has set off a chain reaction across the Middle East, as people seek to free themselves from oppressive tyranny. This creates significant new opportunities for Israel, though not without risks.                 

                                                

Our primary mission is to defend our borders. For nearly 50 years, this area was designated as a buffer zone under the 1974 Disengagement Agreement. That agreement has now collapsed, with Syrian soldiers abandoning their positions. With full Cabinet approval, I instructed the IDF to seize the buffer zone and nearby commanding positions. We will not allow any hostile force to establish itself along our border. 

Simultaneously, we are pursuing a policy of good neighborliness, as we did during the Syrian civil war, when we established a field hospital here that treated thousands of wounded Syrians. Hundreds of Syrian children were even born here in Israel."

Gideon Moshe Sa'ar (Hebrew: גדעון משה סער; born 9 December 1966) is an Israeli politician currently serving as a member of the Knesset for New Hope and, since November 5, 2024, Israel's foreign minister.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said today that the presence of Israeli forces in Syrian territory is a “limited, temporary” step meant to ensure Israel’s security during the confusion after the fall of Assad.    

At the top, in the United Nations buffer zone between Syrian and Israeli-occupied territories, is the highest permanently manned UN position in the world, known as "Hermon Hotel", located at 2814 metres altitude (9,232 ft). The southern slopes of Mount Hermon extend to the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights, where the Mount Hermon ski resort is located with a top elevation of 2,040 metres (6,690 ft).

Resource:

Israel AM

The New Standard  Jewish Encyclopedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdr_m-Zzm_g

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Hermon

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-releases-images-from-syrian-side-of-mount-hermon-after-it-was-captured-by-troops-yesterday/

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-696114     on skiing