Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is the highest peak in the Levant and a critical strategic anchor for Israel's northern defense. Straddling the borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria, it provides unmatched observation and early-warning capability over three countries. Israel has held the Syrian summit since the 1967 and 1973 wars, and as of mid-2026 the IDF maintains an active brigade presence there while conducting counter-Hezbollah operations on its western approaches.
Mount Hermon rises to approximately 2,814 meters and sits at the junction of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. Its summit plateau straddles the Syrian Golan and Lebanese territory, while its western slopes descend toward the Hasbaya district of southwestern Lebanon. Israel captured the Syrian summit during the Six-Day War of 1967 and held it through the Yom Kippur War of 1973, after which it became a permanent IDF observation and intelligence post under Israeli control of the Golan Heights.
The mountain's strategic value is straightforward: from its summit, Israeli sensors and personnel can observe deep into Syria, across the Bekaa Valley, and over much of southern Lebanon. It is the highest point in the Israeli defense architecture and functions as an irreplaceable early-warning node. The IDF maintains a dedicated brigade on the mountain, and the position is considered one of Israel's most sensitive and consequential military assets.
The western approaches to Hermon — the Hasbaya corridor — have been a recurring theater for Hezbollah infrastructure. In June 2026, the IDF demolished the abandoned Shiite village of Barraghuz near Hasbaya, situated on the western approach to the mountain, and destroyed Hezbollah tunnel networks found there. The stated rationale is a broader Israeli policy of not leaving any enemy structure intact in southern Lebanon. Earlier, in May 2026, the IDF publicly announced the destruction of a 30-meter Hezbollah tunnel in the Labbouneh area of southern Lebanon, where dozens of explosive devices and anti-tank missiles were recovered.
The mountain's diplomatic status is also contested. Following the fall of the Assad regime and the White House's reception of Ahmed al-Sharaa in late 2025, Israeli security officials expressed concern that Washington might press Israel to withdraw from the Syrian summit of Hermon as part of a broader Syria normalization framework. Israeli security officials have urged the government not to relinquish the position, viewing it as a strategic anchor that cannot be compensated by any other asset.
Mount Hermon is also Israel's only ski resort, giving it a dual civilian-military identity that is unusual among the country's strategic sites. The civilian ski infrastructure sits below the military installations on the Israeli-controlled southern slopes.