As Israel and Syria talk peace, Mount Hermon becomes a line in the sand—the details

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Mariella Succar

While Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi was discussing the Syrian file with Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in the United Arab Emirates, parallel negotiations were intensifying in Washington toward a security agreement that could serve as a preliminary step to a broader peace deal between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army has established control over new positions atop Mount Hermon, using the strategic location to shape its future plans and impose new facts on the ground. 

In addition to carving out a road for military activity in the area, the army revealed it has been conducting operations over the past eight months aimed at solidifying Israel’s hold on the mountain—operations that, according to Israeli sources, reinforce the country’s unwillingness to relinquish the territory in any future peace agreement.

A commander from Israel’s Alpine Unit 711 confirmed that these activities go beyond fortification. 

The military has conducted exercises simulating the infiltration of 3,000 fighters from Syria and Lebanon through Mount Hermon to carry out attacks on Israeli territory.

The inclusion of Lebanon in this scenario is not coincidental. Israeli officials continue to cite what they call “the growing security threat” from the north, using it as leverage in ongoing negotiations.

Mount Hermon, known as Jabal al-Sheikh, remains one of the most strategically sensitive areas of the Golan Heights, lying at the intersection of the Israeli-Syrian-Lebanese borders. 

It has emerged as a major sticking point in negotiations between Damascus and Tel Aviv. Israel seeks to retain the mountaintop as a strategic asset, while Syria refuses to concede it under any future security arrangement.

Negotiators from both countries are reportedly working on a deal that could involve a partial Israeli withdrawal from certain towns in southern Syria. 

However, multiple Israeli security officials have confirmed that the Golan Heights—and specifically Mount Hermon—will not be part of the agreement, despite suggestions that progress on a limited deal may be imminent.