The Golan Heights (Hebrew: הגולן HaGolan, Arabic: الجولان al-Gūlān) is a strategic plateau an mountainous region at the southern end of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The geographic area lies within, or borders, the countries of Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The Golan plateau encompasses about 1,800 square kilometres (690 sq mi); it is situated south of the mountains and extends to the east. Since 1967, the term generally refers to a somewhat different 1,200 square kilometres (460 sq mi) area that includes the western portion of the plateau, a small portion of the Jordan River Valley in the northwest, and higher, mountainous areas in the north, which descend to the southeast from Mount Hermon. The Golan Heights are of great strategic importance in the region. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, during the 1967 Six-Day War. The territory was successfully defended in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and a sizable additional portion was later returned to Syria. The Golan Heights remain disputed.