Breichat HaKatzinim – Syrian Officers’ Pool

This natural spring-fed pool near the Banias Springs on the Golan Heights provided shady relief for Syrian Military Officers from the blazing hot summer sun… thanks to Israel’s greatest spy!

Eli Cohen was recruited by the Israeli Mossad in the late 1950s to infiltrate the Syrian government. He posed as a wealthy businessman and entertained many high-ranking military officers at his home in Damascus.

Some of his military friends took him on a tour of the Golan Heights to visit the military fortifications and hidden bunkers.

Feigning sympathy for the soldiers exposed to the sun, Cohen had eucalyptus trees planted at every position.  Eucalyptus are not native to Israel, but they grow quickly and provide a lot of shade.

The eucalyptus trees stood out like a sore thumb and were used as targeting markers by the Israeli military during the Six-Day War and helped Israel to capture the Golan Heights in two days.

Sadly, Eli Cohen was eventually captured and executed by the Syrians in 1965, but his brave actions helped change the course of history. Read more about him on this website maintained by his family

Today it is a wonderful place for a picnic on a hot summer day when you are visiting the Northern Galilee and the Golan Heights.