‘From every point in the area, one can lift their head to the light’

“We celebrate the holiday of Chanukah in the sector … in a combination of wintery weather, an atmosphere of holiday and joy, and of course also longing for home and family.”

By Yaakov Lappin, JNS

In the winter chill of the Golan Heights, atop an Israel Defense Forces post in Syria, the light of candles from a large hanukkiah pierces the darkness.

It was built by men from Battalion 2855 of the 55th “Tip of The Spear” Reservists Paratroopers Brigade and positioned at the highest point of their forward outpost.

Soldiers of Company B, currently operating under the command of the 474th Golan Regional Brigade, say the light is a declaration of meaningful presence in a region that has become the frontline of Israel’s new security reality.

“My company, Company B of Battalion 2855 … is placed beyond the Syrian border in one of the outposts of the buffer zone space,” Maj. A., the company commander, told JNS in recent days.

The unit has been deployed there for nearly two-and-a-half months, working to thwart terrorist activity targeting Golan residents and Israeli forces, he added.

“That means that we move around in the field, learn the terrain and the population, gather intelligence, execute drills of various scenarios and thwart terror cells that are organizing and operating in the space,” he continued.

“We celebrate the holiday of Chanukah in the sector … in a combination of wintery weather, an atmosphere of holiday and joy, and of course also longing for home and family.”

The commander described a nightly ritual that has bonded the unit together.

“Now, during the holiday, every evening the company gathers in the center of the outpost for candle lighting, and a soldier from a different platoon goes up to light the hanukkiah and to dedicate the lighting to … family, to friends who fell [in battle], to partners,” Maj. A. said.

“There is something symbolic in this—that from every point in the area it is possible to lift the head to the light and be reminded that you, too, are writing a part in the story of the rebirth of our people,” he said.

A critical raid

On the night of Nov. 27–28, IDF soldiers operating in the southern Syrian village of Beit Jinn launched a critical security raid against terror operatives from the Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyya Sunni Islamist group, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lebanon.

According to the IDF, the group was planning rocket and IED attacks.

Maj. A. emphasized that the chain of national defense stretches from the Syrian outpost to the families sustaining daily life in Israel.

“Behind every fighter here in the company stands a family, and when the fighter is drafted to reserves the whole family is drafted—the partner, the children, grandfather and grandmother and relatives who help, neighbors,” he said.

“They also pay prices so that we will stand here, and this is an opportunity to say to them that we are grateful for the sacrifice and for the support that they give us, and we do not forget for a moment that they, too, have a part in this story of rebirth. This is also an opportunity to wish all the people of Israel that we may know holidays of peace and security,” he added.

The establishment of these forward positions reflects the practical application of a new doctrine outlined by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

On Dec. 14, during a candle-lighting ceremony with troops of the 91st “Galilee” Division under the IDF Northern Command, Zamir articulated a strategy designed to deny the enemy the ability to mass forces along Israel’s perimeter—one of the key changes since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

“We will not allow proxy organizations and terror armies to establish themselves along our borders—we will act to thwart them in advance,” Zamir declared.

“IDF troops are deployed in forward defense and positioned at key operational control points. Our troops are establishing security lines across all arenas in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. Our presence at these points enables better security for residents alongside freedom of operation for the troops.”