Tel Aviv:
High above the battle lines in the Middle East, Mount Bental stands as Israel’s hardened northern watchtower. Overlooking the Syrian frontier from the disputed Golan Heights, this volcanic ridge has once again become a frontline nerve centre amid fears of a wider regional war.
NDTV travelled through fortified bunkers, IDF lookout points and sensitive UN deployment zones positioned nearly 1,200 metres above sea level to understand how Israel is preparing for threats emerging beyond Gaza and Lebanon.
What appears calm across the rocky terrain hides decades of hostility, military confrontation and strategic calculations between Israel and Syria. The Golan Heights was captured by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War and has remained one of the region’s most fiercely contested territories ever since. The elevated terrain gives Israel an unmatched surveillance and defensive advantage over movements deep inside Syrian territory, making it militarily indispensable for Israel’s security establishment.
But the threat perception today has evolved far beyond conventional warfare. Israeli officials now fear a coordinated multi-front escalation involving Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran-backed militias operating from Syria and long-range missile and drone attacks targeting northern Israel.
This frontier has witnessed repeated Israeli strikes in recent years aimed at preventing weapons transfers and military entrenchment linked to Iran inside Syria. Since the October 7, 2023, attacks and the widening Middle East conflict, Israel has intensified monitoring and troop preparedness across the Golan sector amid concerns that dormant fronts could rapidly ignite.
The presence of UN peacekeeping deployments in the region reflects how fragile the situation remains. Yet for Israel, military control of the Golan Heights is viewed as non-negotiable because of its strategic geography and direct proximity to hostile networks operating across Syria.
For India, the developments unfolding along this frontier carry wider geopolitical consequences. Any escalation in the Golan Heights risks destabilising energy markets, disrupting global trade routes and intensifying the already volatile security environment across the Middle East, where India has deep economic and strategic interests.
As the conflict landscape in the Middle East expands, Mount Bental is no longer just a disputed hilltop. It has become a live military vantage point from where Israel is preparing for the possibility of a broader regional confrontation.
