Thirty-five years after the Yom Kippur War broke out "the border along the Golan Heights is the quietest in Israel," said Defense Minister Ehud Barak Tuesday during a visit with a regional division.
"The hemorrhage is along the border with Lebanon but it's still important to be wary of what's happening" along the border with Syria, he said.
"Thirty-five years ago, upon these very hills, Avigdor Kahalani sat along with a tank unit. They fought one of the hardest, most demanding battles in the history of Israel and, due to their courage, saved the nation," he said.
Barak, speaking to soldiers in the Golan Heights (Photo: Ariel Harmoni)
"Now these hills are pastoral, but in the north you can never now how quickly things will change and it's important to be prepared for any eventuality." He addressed the ongoing contacts between Israel and Syria but noted that, nonetheless, "it's too early to say what will happen as a result."
During his visit to the Golan Heights, Barak met with reservists, heard security briefings given by senior officers in Northern Command and met with artillery soldiers in the midst of an exercise.
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Harel and Gadi Eizencott, the Chief of Northern Command, accompanied Barak.
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