Controlled explosion in Golan Heights one of largest ever in Israel

A controlled explosion was executed Wednesday in the Golan Heights, one of the largest blasts of its kind in Israeli history.

The purpose of the explosion was to remove large amounts of basalt rock that had shifted geologically in recent years and threatened to come crashing down a slope, endangering drivers on a road near the Hippos-Sussita archeological site.

The explosion was reportedly planned for weeks by Netivei Israel – the national roads company of Israel – and “Tamar,” a company that specializes in controlled detonations.

According to reports, the explosion caused an avalanche of hundreds of tons of basalt that were then cleared from the road, allowing travelers to drive by safely.

A series of smaller explosions would have endangered the wildlife near the excavation site, so “Tamar” designed a larger detonation that had explosives organized in the form of a Star of David, Channel 12 reported.

Now an archaeological site, Hippos was a Hellenistic city that was abandoned after a devastating earthquake in the year 749.