The Golan Heights are a rocky plateau located in southwest Syria. This is not only a strategic military area due to its geographical position that oversees the Jordan River basin, but also a vital water source for the neighboring countries. Israel occupied the Golan Heights in the third Arab-Israeli War in 1967. Though Syria recaptured it temporarily during the Fourth Arab-Israeli War in 1973, Israel subsequently reoccupied it. Tension still remains today.
Following the Agreement on Disengagement between Syria and Israel in 1974, the United Nations established the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), in order to observe the ceasefire and disengagement.