The principal theaters included Israel, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights on the Syrian front. Fighting also involved Lebanon and Jordan and the approaches to important regional cities. The Suez Canal, desert routes through Sinai, the Jordan valley, and high ground along the Syrian frontier were major strategic features. Short distances between population centers and contested borders made control of roads, passes, and defensible terrain especially important.