Following Israel's occupation of the Golan Heights in 1967, Tell al-Hara served as a strategic Syrian reconnaissance point overlooking the Golan Heights.[8] It was captured by Syrian rebel forces fighting under the banners of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Jabhat al-Nusra from the 7th Armored Division,[2] one of the largest armored brigades of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in southern Syria,[3] on 5 October 2015, partially as a result of the apparent defection of SAA general Mahmoud Abu Araj.[5] Tell al-Hara's capture paved the way for the rebels' capture of much of the western Daraa Governorate and the southern Quneitra Governorate.[4] They held Tell al-Hara for about four years until Syrian government forces retook control of the hill on 7 July 2018 after a two-day battle.[3] Rebels apparently recaptured it before surrendering the hill to government forces in a reconciliation agreement on 16 July.[6]