Sultan Yacoub


Sultan Yacoub is a Lebanese village in the West Beqaa District, about seven kilometers from the border with Syria.

Battle in the Lebanon War

The battle for Sultan Yacoub, part of the Lebanon War, occurred on June 12, 1982. During the battle, a column of Israel Defense Forces armored vehicles were ambushed at a narrow pass near the Beqaa Valley by the Syrians. Eighteen IDF soldiers died in the battle, which was viewed as an Israeli intelligence failure. Three IDF soldiers remain unaccounted for. Five soldiers were captured with two being released in subsequent exchange deals. Reports say that the remaining three were paraded through Damascus held on top of their captured tank. Time Magazine reporter Dean Brelis testified to having seen the 3 captives alive at the time. Among the three is an American Citizen named Zachary Baumel, whose remains were returned after an Israeli intelligence operation on April 3, 2019, and Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, both of whom remain missing. Despite being ambushed by Syrian commando units armed with French made Milan anti-tank missiles the unit inflicted heavy casualties on a Syrian armored battalion sent to reinforce positions in the village.

Syrian influence

After the evacuation of Lebanon in April, 2005 by Syria, Sultan Yacoub remains a focal point of tension over sovereignty. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command has a base nearby the village, and dozens of PFLP-GC have been caught trying to sneak illegally across the Beqaa Valley to Sultan Yacoub.

Rocket attacks on Israel

In May, 2006, three to eight Katyusha rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon. The IDF responded by with a missile strike on the PFLP base at Sultan Yacoub.