Syrian forces attacked Israeli positions on the Golan Heights on October 6, 1973, opening a northern front at the same time Egypt crossed the Suez Canal. Israeli regular units, including tank forces of the 7th Armored Brigade, fought to contain the advance around the northern Golan’s approaches. At the Hermon outpost, Syrian troops seized a high-altitude Israeli position on the first day; Israeli forces recaptured it in a separate operation late in the war.
Holding the northern Golan
The fighting later known as the Valley of Tears took place in the northern Golan around the approaches to the Nafakh area. Israeli tanks from the 7th Brigade fought successive Syrian attacks while reinforcements arrived. The battle lasted several days, with losses on both sides. It is misleading to assign the sector a simple ten-to-one force ratio or attribute the Syrian withdrawal to a single cause: the front included changing units, positions and stages of combat.
Israeli defense on the Golan was a series of engagements, not one decisive stand. Israeli reinforcements and counterattacks helped push Syrian forces back from captured areas. The Israel Ministry of Defense’s archive preserves contemporaneous recordings and unit materials, including the 1973 war archive and Golan-front records.
Retaking the Hermon outpost
The Syrian army captured the Israeli Hermon outpost on October 6. On October 21–22, Israeli forces launched Operation Kinu’ah (often rendered “Dessert” in English) under Yekutiel Adam, deputy commander of Northern Command. The operation included a Golani Brigade assault on the outpost and a separate armored approach. Israel’s Defense Ministry archive publishes the operation log and identifies the operation as Operation Kinu’ah.
The outpost’s elevated position made it valuable for observation and communications, but its loss should not be described as completely blinding Northern Command. Nor should casualty totals from the wider Hermon campaign be assigned to one assault without specifying the unit and dates. The recapture restored Israeli control of the outpost before the October 24 ceasefire. Archival materials in the IDF and Defense Establishment Archive document the late-war operation and the wider Golan fighting.