The Valley of Tears (sometimes called Vale of Tears Battle, Hebrew: עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא, Emek HaBakha) is the name given to an area in the Golan Heights after it became the site of a major battle in the Yom Kippur War. On 6 October 1973 the Syrian 7th Infantry Division attacked the Israeli 7th Armored Brigade in the area between Mount Hermonit and a southern ridge known as "Booster" in Israel, or Tel el Mekhafi in Arabic.
The Syrians started the offensive with an artillery barrage, but failed to move tanks across the anti-tank ditch. They penetrated the Israeli defenses at night with the help of night vision equipment—equipment that the Israelis lacked. The next day, the Syrians mounted a second attack, and at one point in the engagement less than forty Israeli tanks were facing approximately 500 Syrian tanks.
On the fourth day, the 7th Brigade received a small reinforcement force when it was down to about a dozen tanks and almost out of ammunition. The Syrians retreated for reasons that are still debated.
Read more about Valley Of Tears: Background, Prelude, Aftermath
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