On the afternoon of October 6, 1973, a small Israeli outpost on the southern Golan Heights received the full weight of the Syrian army’s opening assault. Tel Saki, a fortified position manned by a handful of soldiers, was one of the first places hit when Syria launched its surprise attack on Yom Kippur. What happened at Tel Saki in the hours that followed is one of the most harrowing stories of the war, and the site today is one of the most powerful military memorials on the Golan Heights.
The Outpost
Tel Saki was one of a chain of Israeli observation posts and strongpoints that lined the ceasefire line with Syria on the Golan Heights. The position was small, manned by a few dozen soldiers, and designed primarily for observation rather than heavy combat. On the morning of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, most of the garrison was at reduced strength. The attack, when it came, was overwhelming.
The Assault
Syrian infantry and armor hit Tel Saki in waves. The defenders fought from their bunkers and trenches, but the numerical disparity was enormous. Syrian forces surrounded the position and poured fire into it from multiple directions. The battle lasted through the night, with the Israeli garrison holding on despite mounting casualties and dwindling ammunition.
Rescue attempts were launched from the Israeli rear, but the scale of the Syrian advance made reaching Tel Saki extremely difficult. Some relief forces fought their way through; others were turned back. The battle for Tel Saki became a microcosm of the entire Yom Kippur War on the Golan: small groups of Israeli soldiers fighting desperately against overwhelming odds, buying time for the reserves to mobilize.
The Memorial
Today, Tel Saki is preserved as a memorial site. The original bunkers and trenches are intact, and visitors can walk through the positions where the battle took place. The fortifications are scarred by shrapnel and bullet impacts, and the cramped, dark corridors give a visceral sense of what the defenders experienced during those terrible hours.
A memorial monument at the site lists the names of the soldiers who fell at Tel Saki and the surrounding positions. The view from the tel encompasses the southern Golan, the Sea of Galilee to the west, and the Syrian positions to the east. Standing there, the strategic reality of the Golan Heights becomes immediately clear: whoever holds these heights controls the landscape below.
Visit Tel Saki with Hoshen Tours
Tel Saki is an essential part of understanding the military history of the Golan Heights. Hoshen Tours includes it in itineraries that also cover Mount Bental, the Valley of Tears, and Gamla, giving visitors a complete picture of the battles that shaped this landscape and the soldiers who fought them.
Because some places speak for themselves. Tel Saki is one of them.