On the Border

We had the opportunity to go up to an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) outpost on the Lebanese border and visit with the troops (who all looked to be no more than about 19 or 20 years old).  They were a great bunch of guys, and all are very proud to be serving their country.  In Israel all men are drafted for three years, when they turn 18 years old, and all women are drafted for two years.  They said we could take all the pictures we wanted to of the facility, but asked that we not publish them to the web for security reasons.  Here are some pictures of the surrounding area that I took from the IDF facility .

The road up to the border outpost.  The antennas are from the UN security outpost on the other side of the border fence.

If Google Translate is correct, this sign at the border outpost reads "City of Do More Before 7"

The valley below is the northern part of the Hulah Valley.  In the background you can see Mount Hermon, with snow still on top in mid-March.  Mount Hermon straddles the borders of Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

More of the Hulah Valley, with a hazy view of the Golan Heights in the background.

This is the United Nations security outpost, next door to the IDF facility, located in the Blue Line zone between Israel and Lebanon.

The blue can marks the blue line!

Looking over the border into a village in Lebanon

Off in the distance, north of where I was standing, is another United Nations outpost along the border of Lebanon and Israel.  Courtesy of a telephoto lens!