The Golan Heights is a plateau that Israel seized from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 before formally annexing it in 1981. It shares a border with Jordan and Lebanon. The Israeli-occupied part of the region is separated from Syria by a buffer zone supported by the United Nations.
The Golan Heights is considered to be occupied territory under international law and UN Security Council resolutions, and Syria continues to demand it be returned. The area has often been a flashpoint, most recently in 2019 when former President Donald Trump said the US would recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights – a move that overturned years of policy and worsened tensions with Syria.
