Tel Faher
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Tel Faher (or Golani Lookout) is a former
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
n outpost in the
Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
that has been occupied by
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
since the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
in 1967. Tel Faher was the site of an intense battle between the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
and the Syrians which ended in the conquest of the outpost by the
Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...
. Tel Faher is now a park commemorating those who died in the battle.


Preface

The Israel-Syria front remained relatively quiet during the first four days of the Six-Day War, despite the fact that Syria's air force had been destroyed on the first day. Syria's response was the shelling of the Israeli settlements of
Upper Galilee The Upper Galilee ( he, הגליל העליון, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; ar, الجليل الأعلى, ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period. It originally referred to a mountai ...
from the Golan Heights as they had done for years. Two Syrian artillery battalions with M46
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
130mm guns and two companies with heavy
mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
and dug-in German
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
Panzer IV The ''Panzerkampfwagen'' IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV), commonly known as the ''Panzer'' IV, was a German medium tank developed in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz. 161. The Panze ...
tanks were positioned along the Golan escarpment. Israel suffered the loss of 2 civilians and 16 more wounded. The Syrian army also hit 205 houses, 2 tractor sheds, 6 barns, 30 tractors, 15 cars and 9 chicken coops in the first four days.


Tuesday, June 6, 1967 (day 2)

On June 6, Syria launched three attacks against Israeli positions: at
Tel Dan Dan ( he, דן) is an ancient city mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, and belonging to the tribe of Dan. The city is identified with a tell located in Upper Galilee, northern Israel, know ...
,
Kibbutz Dan Dan ( he, דָּן) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the north of the Hula Valley, at the foot of Mount Hermon, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. As of it had a population of . History Kibbutz Dan was ...
and the village of
She'ar Yashuv She'ar Yashuv ( he, שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located in the Upper Galilee in the northeastern Hula Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Mevo'ot HaHermon Regional Council. In it had a population of . Th ...
two kilometers inside Israeli territory. The attacks probably never had the purpose of capturing ground and were easily repulsed. However, a Syrian artillery observation officer reported "The enemy appears to have suffered heavy losses and is retreating." Despite the few casualties, the kibbutzniks (
kibbutz A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
members) had been forced to live almost permanently in underground shelters. The pressure on the Israeli government grew daily. The daily newspaper
HaAretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
wrote "The time has come to settle accounts with those who started it all. It is time to finish the job." While Prime Minister
Levi Eshkol Levi Eshkol ( he, לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל ;‎ 25 October 1895 – 26 February 1969), born Levi Yitzhak Shkolnik ( he, לוי יצחק שקולניק, links=no), was an Israeli statesman who served as the third Prime Minister of Israe ...
, himself a kibbutznik from Degania Bet, was highly sympathetic to the pleas, Defense Minister
Moshe Dayan Moshe Dayan ( he, משה דיין; 20 May 1915 – 16 October 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) du ...
was reluctant to open multiple fronts at the same time and worried about possible Russian intervention on behalf of the Syrians. Haim Ber, the spokesman of the settlements in the north, called Eshkol and shouted in desperation "We're being shelled non-stop! We demand that the government free us from this nightmare!"


Thursday, June 8, 1967 (day 4)

On June 8, the
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...
(IAF) bombarded the Syrian positions on the Golan Heights throughout the day in an attempt to silence the Syrian guns and to press the Syrian government to rethink its position as
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
and
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
had now agreed to a
cease fire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...
. It seemed the war was over after four days. At 1910 hrs on Thursday evening, Eshkol tried once more to overcome Dayan's objections.


Friday, June 9, 1967 (day 5)

At 0600 hrs on Friday, June 9, Brig. Gen. Dado Elazar of the Northern Command was woken up by a phone call from Dayan: "Can you attack? Then attack." Dayan had changed his mind. He told his chief of staff, "If the Syrians sit quietly, I won't approve any action against them, but if in spite of all our restraint they continue shelling, I will recommend to the Cabinet that we take the entire Heights." Operation Hammer had been planned as a night attack. It was dangerous enough even in darkness, but an assault on the Golan Heights during daylight would be suicidal. The offensive was planned for 1130 hrs to give the IAF enough of time to continue its bombardment and to give the Israeli combat engineers time to create a path through enemy
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...
fields. Fortunately the winter rains had exposed many of the mines and the Syrians had not replaced them. The IAF was dropping some 400 tons of ordnance on the Heights from
Mount Hermon Mount Hermon ( ar, جبل الشيخ or جبل حرمون / ALA-LC: ''Jabal al-Shaykh'' ("Mountain of the Sheikh") or ''Jabal Haramun''; he, הַר חֶרְמוֹן, ''Har Hermon'') is a mountain cluster constituting the southern end of the ...
in the north to Tawfiq (near
Hamat Gader Hamat Gader ( he, חַמַּת גָּדֵר; arc, חמתא דגדר, ; grc, Ἑμμαθά, or , ; ar, الحمة السورية ', meaning "the Syrian Hamma") is a hot springs site in the Yarmouk River valley, used since the classical ant ...
) in the south, including some captured rockets from Egyptian stocks. Contrary to Syrian expectations, the IDF was not planning to launch the initial attack via the Customs House road (opposite
Gadot Gadot ( he, גָּדוֹת, ''lit.'' Banks) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Korazim Plateau, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In , it had a population of . History Kibbutz Gadot (originally '' ...
), but where the enemy least expected it, in a large
pincer movement The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. This classic maneuver holds an important foothold throughout the history of warfare. The pin ...
: in the north from the Galilee Panhandle, and on the opposite side from south of the
Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...
. The 8th Armored Brigade of Colonel
Albert Mandler Avraham Albert Mandler ( he, אברהם מנדלר; 3 May 1929 – 13 October 1973) was an Israeli major general. In the 1967 Six-Day War he was a colonel commanding the 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade. This brigade pushed "elements of the Shaz ...
was moved from the
Sinai Sinai commonly refers to: * Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God Sinai may also refer to: * Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...
theatre to
Kfar Szold Kfar Szold ( he, כְּפַר סָאלְד, ''lit.'' Szold Village) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the Hula Valley in the Galilee Panhandle, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee Regional Council. In it had a population o ...
in the northern part of the Galilee Panhandle. It had only 33 serviceable M50 and M51
Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...
tanks. Within minutes, the Syrian guns opened fire, not against the advancing troops, but still to the Israeli settlements. Of the eight
armored bulldozer The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bu ...
s five never made it to the top. The Syrians started to confront them with heavy fire.


First breakthrough

A breakthrough was achieved between
Givat HaEm Giv'at Ha'Em ( he, גבעת האם) is a hill named for Henrietta Szold, known as the mother (em, he, אם) of Youth Aliya. The hill lies in the Galilee Panhandle in northern Israel, 196 m above sea level, 1 km east of the Route 918 and 2 ...
and Tel Azaziat. Soon the tanks overran the abandoned Syrian position at Gur el Askar, shortly afterwards the strongpoint at Na'amush, while the Syrians were fleeing from the post. Three hours after the 8th Armored Brigade began the offensive, the 1st Golani Infantry Brigade crossed the border at the same place to launch the assault on the entrenchments of Tel Faher and Tel Azaziat. The attack on Tel Faher was difficult while the capture of Tel Azaziat was done relatively easy. The horseshoe-shaped fort was two kilometers inside the Golan Heights, protected with multiple guns, extensive mine fields and three belts of two-sided sloping fences and coiled
barbed-wire A close-up view of a barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
. Despite the artillery bombardments the position remained relatively intact. The leading officer found the planned climb to the rear of Tel Faher to be impassable and the battalion commander decided to continue northward. They approached the position where it was strongest instead from the rear. From a few hundred meters they came under heavy fire from Syrian tanks. Three out of nine
Sherman tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...
s and seven out of 20
half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cro ...
s disabled by gunfire. The internal Syrian army report showed failure in leadership, leading to chaos and desertion:
With the enemy just 700 meters away, under heavy shelling, the platoon in the front trench prepared for the battle. The platoon commander sent Private Jalil 'Issa to the company commander to request permission to take cover, but 'Issa could not find him. The platoon commander sent another runner who returned with Private Fajjar Hamdu Karnazi who reported on the company commander's disappearance. When the enemy reached 600 meters, Sgt. Muhammad Yusuf Ibrahim fired a 10-inch anti-tank gun and knocked out the lead tank. But then he and his squad commander were killed. The enemy column advanced. First Sergeant Anwar Barbar, in charge of the second 10-inch gun, could not be found. The platoon commander searched for him but unsuccessfully.... Private Hajj al-Din, who was killed just minutes later, took the gun and fired it alone, knocking out two tanks and forcing the column to retreat. But when the platoon commander tried to radio the information to headquarters, nobody answered.


The First Platoon Attack

The battalion commander and the leading company with only 25 soldiers that were now separated from the rest of the battalion arrived under Tel Faher. The battalion commander Lieutenant-Colonel Moshe 'Musa' Klein ordered the 25 Golanis, who survived the initial Syrian fire, to attack the position from two flanks. Both the southern part and the northern were heavy protected with
bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. ...
s,
trench A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from eros ...
es and a double row of wire. Inside waited a company of the Syrian 187th Infantry Battalion with an arsenal of anti tank guns, machine guns and 82 mm
mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
. Its Syrian captain remembered : "It was one of our most fortified positions. It placed the Israelis directly in our
crosshairs A reticle, or reticule also known as a graticule, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an optical device such as a telescopic sight, spotting scope, theodolite, optical microscope or the screen of an oscilloscope ...
." The Syrian commander of the northern part ordered his men not to fire until the Israelis reached the wire to catch them in a
kill zone In military tactics, the kill zone, also known as killing zone, is an area entirely covered by direct and effective fire, an element of ambush within which an approaching enemy force is trapped and destroyed. The objective of the ambush force i ...
. Only minutes later, his deputy reported that "the Jews are already inside." The battle continued for more than three hours. Of the group of 11 who fought on the southern part 3 Israeli soldiers survived, and of the northern group of 10 only Corporal Yitzhak Hamawi survived.
"We ran, Musa (Klein) and I through the trenches. Whenever a helmet popped up, we couldn't tell it was one of ours or not. Suddenly in front of us stood a soldier whom we couldn't identify. The battalion commander shouted the password and when the soldier didn't answer, he fired a burst at him but missed. We jumped out of the trench, ran five meters and then Musa fell on his face... killed by the Syrian soldier he'd missed. Our radioman waited for him to leap up again, then shot him."


Company B takes Burg Babil

When the other surviving forces of the battalion reached under Tel Faher, the operation officer commanded Company B to take Burg-Babil a Syrian platoon post between Tel Faher and Tel Azaziat. The Syrians didn't resist and Company B returned to help the fighting in Tel Faher.


Company A and C deputies flank from the North


The Brigade Commander Finds that Something is Wrong


10 Soldiers from Company B Enter the North Fort


Brigade Reconnaissance Company Join the Battle End

Of the 260 Israeli soldiers that fought at Tel Faher, 34 were killed and 113 were wounded while 62 Syrians died and 20 were taken prisoner.


Aftermath

The IDF had achieved most of its goals of Operation Hammer even with heavy casualties. They penetrated no deeper than 8 miles into Syrian territory, but established a five mile wide bridgehead between Zaura and Qela. They used the night of 9/10 June to regroup and resupply its forces. At the same time the Syrian Government was pleading with other Arab countries for military support, but no assistance was forthcoming. Syria realized that they now stood alone against the IDF. The Golan Heights had fallen in just 31 hours.


Medals of valor

The following Israeli soldiers were decorated in April 1973 with a
medal of valor This list of medals for bravery is an index to articles about notable medals awarded for bravery or valor. These medals, usually associated with military forces, police forces, or other public safety entities, are given to personnel who have serv ...
.Medal of Valor
/ref> * David Shirazi (posthumously) Private David Shirazi was part of the assault team that had to climb up the 100m rigged slope under heavy Syrian mortar and machine gun fire to reach the barbed wire fence. Wire cutters would have taken too long. He lay himself across the wire and told his comrades to use his body as a bridge. After the last one got through he untangled himself and ran after them into the Syrian position. When the machine gunner fell wounded, he took his weapon and continued the attack until he was killed some minutes later. *Moshe Drimmer (posthumously) Private Moshe Drimmer belonged to a group of nine combat soldiers who had to clear the path of mines for the tanks. A few hundred meters from Tel Faher he came under heavy fire. His half-track was hit and burst into flames. Nevertheless, he turned the machine gun inside the burning vehicle towards the Syrian position and gave covering fire to his comrades. He continued firing until his vehicle was hit again and exploded. *Natanel Horovitz Lieutenant Natanel Horovitz was the commander of one of the three tanks that reached Qela. His commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Arye Biro, was badly wounded by splinters but continued to lead until he collapsed and had to be evacuated. He sent Natanel Horovitz to take the lead. Horovitz' company raced through the relatively weak outpost of Gur el Askar, continued towards Na'amush. There he should have been united with another company to storm Na'amush, but due to delays, he continued on his own. He successfully passed the Ukda position. Suddenly he realized that he was storming Sir Adib, which he had been trying to avoid. But he was fully engaged and had no other choice than continue his assault. Captain Yuval Ben-Arzi tried to contact Horovitz to tell him to storm Qela, but couldn't reach him, because the hatch was hit and wounded him in the head. His blood had shorted the radio intercom in his helmet. The second in command, Major Rafael Mokady was dead and several other officers dead or wounded, the battle group was at a crisis point. Only the wounded Lt. Horovitz was still advancing. In the end, he entered the enemy stronghold with just two other tanks and captured the position. Later he rose to a senior rank in the IDF. *Shaul Vardi Sergeant Shaul Vardi was one of the tank commanders that stormed Qela. On the way to Qela he had destroyed several fortified Syrian positions. But when his tank was hit, he got wounded in the face and was unable to see for a while. When he recovered his sight, he continued to fight. His tank was hit for a second time and this time knocked out. Armed with only Uzi SMGs and hand grenades, he and his men continued to clear Syrian positions. Only after the objective was achieved, he allowed himself to be evacuated to hospital.


Today

Many of the trenches and bunkers of Tel Faher are in the same condition as they were on capture. It was the 1st Golani Brigade that captured the pivotal position at a cost in casualties. The place is now called Mitzpe Golani or Golani Lookout.


References

{{Coord, 33, 13, 28, N, 35, 41, 32, E, display=title Geography of Northern District (Israel) Geography of Syria