On April 16, 1974, the Israeli Engineering Corps completed a paved road to the summit, even while suffering heavy Syrian artillery bombardment, with a D-9 tractor becoming the first mechanized vehicle to ever reach the peak. After the road was complete, Israeli tanks and APCs were placed at the outpost, and its defenses were fortified. These armored vehicles would prove crucial in repelling Syrian attacks on the Israeli outpost on April 18–19, and again on April 22.