The Golan Heights
This morning, we left the Scots Hotel and Tiberias and headed for the Golan Heights which became a part of Israel after the Six Day War in 1967.
Out first stop was Mt. Bental, a dormant volcano which overlooks the Syrian border and is an excellent setting for the study of the Six Day War (1967) and Yom Kippur War (1973) and the current situation in war-torn Syria. We received an in-depth, geo-political analysis and the latest updates from the Syrian Civil War and the political situation in the Middle East from a Lieutenant Colonel of the IDF reserves. She served for 15 years in the Israeli Defense Forces, specializing in Military Intelligence and routinely lectures to US Senators, congressmen/women and politicians, foreign military commanders, senior journalists and visiting VIP groups.
Part of the U.N. Observer force doing what they do here, observing. Not sure what they are observing and/or why, but what do I know?
Looking into Syria.
With a former Syrian Golan Heights military HQ and the security fence Israel built on the Syrian border.
Next stop was Kibbutz El Rom, the highest kibbutz in the world where we watched a short film about the epic tank battle of Emeq Ha-Bacha (the Valley of Tears) during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
After that we set out with our retired IDF guide to get to know the Golan Heights through an off-road jeep excursion through the beautiful and rugged volcanic terrain of the Golan Heights. We visited ancient Jewish villages from the Talmudic period, destroyed and abandoned Syrian army bases from the Six Day War, and battlefields from the Yom Kippur War.
And then the Oz 77 Memorial.
Approaching the Syrian border passing a former Syrian military HQ.
Approaching the border.
I think we'll stop here.
Stopping to say hello to the Indian Observer force.
And the Fijian compound.
IDF training session.
For lunch, we stopped at nearby Assaf winery.
And enjoyed wine and a nice lunch.
After lunch, we headed out for 3 hour drive to Jerusalem through the Jordan Valley, along the Israel/Jordan border.
Thirty minutes to go. We'll visit the Dead Sea later in the week.
