Sultan Yacoub
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Sultan Yacoub (Sultan Yakoub, Sultan Yaakov) is a Lebanese village in the eastern Beqaa Valley, about five kilometers (three miles) from the border with Syria[1].
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[edit] Battle in the Lebanon War
The battle for Sultan Yacoub, part of the Lebanon War, occurred on June 12, 1982. During the battle, a column of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) armored vehicles were ambushed at a narrow pass near the Beqaa Valley by the Syrians [2]. Eighteen IDF soldiers died in the battle, which was viewed as an Israeli intelligence failure[1]. Three IDF soldiers remain unaccounted for.
[edit] Syrian Influence
After the evacuation of Lebanon in April, 2005 by Syria, Sultan Yacoub remains a focal point of tension over sovereignty[3]. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command has a base nearby the village, and dozens of PFLP-GC have been caught trying to sneak illegally across the Beqaa Valley to Sultan Yacoub [4].
[edit] Rocket Attacks on Israel
In May, 2006, three to eight Katyusha rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon[5]. The IDF responded by with a missile strike on the PFLP base at Sultan Yacoub.
