The helicopters moved through the wadis around the Syrian anti-aircraft positions, and artillery preceded the helicopters. Syrian artillery from the nearby village Arneh shelled the landing zone and seriously wounded one Israeli. Twenty-one soldiers were also landed at the summit of Mount Hermon. By 17:25, all the Israeli paratroopers had arrived. Seven men were placed on the peak to observe. The Syrians called for seven MiGs, but these were shot down by Israeli aircraft. Two Syrian helicopters carrying reinforcements were also shot down. A Syrian ground advance from Arneh was also halted by IAF planes. The Israeli paratroopers proceeded to attack the Twists Position (, "Mutzav HaPitulim"), defended by 25–30 Syrians. One Israeli platoon commander and seven Syrians were killed, and the rest retreated. The Twists Position overlooked both the Syrian Hermon Position and the road to Arneh, so roadblocks and ambushes were set up around it. Israeli forces continued south, attacking the Cliff Position (, "Mutzav HaMatsuk"), with 30–40 Syrian defenders. Thanks in part to artillery support, the Israelis captured the position without suffering any casualties, killing 12 Syrians. The ambush around the Twists Position intercepted six Syrian trucks with reinforcements, capturing or destroying five. At 03:00, they were overlooking the main Syrian observation post. Nadel called in artillery fire. Half an hour later, the Israeli troops attacked and discovered that the Syrian defenders had fled. At 06:00–10:00, one of the battalions moved toward the Israeli Hermon to assist the Golani troops. En route, it encountered Syrians who had escaped from the Israeli Hermon. The Israeli battalion killed some of them and took 17 others prisoner. One Israeli was killed in the shootout. The paratroopers were halfway down when they were ordered by the Northern Command to move back up. Golani's casualties were fifty-five dead and 79 wounded. The paratroopers' casualties were one dead and four wounded. After the battle, one Golani private repeated the phrase "the eyes of the country" in an interview for the Israeli television. It has since become a common idiom for the Hermon in Israel. The Israeli conduct later came under criticism. Historian Uri Milstein argued that the planning and execution of the attack was flawed and scandalous. Thirty years after the battle, Drori rejected claims that the paratroopers' assistance was unwanted because of Golani's prestige considerations, and said that by the time the paratroopers could have arrived, they were no longer needed.