Mattat

Mattat מַתָּת‎
Sasa Tegart fort
Mattat Show map of Northwest Israel Mattat Show map of Israel
Coordinates: 33°2′25″N 35°21′17″E / 33.04028°N 35.35472°E / 33.04028; 35.35472
Country	Israel
District	Northern
Council	Ma'ale Yosef
Founded	1979
Founded by	HaSuka members
Population  (2022)[1]	227

Mattat (Hebrew: מַתָּת) is a small community settlement in northern Israel. Located near the Lebanese Border between the cities of Ma'alot-Tarshiha and Safed, it falls under the jurisdiction of Ma'ale Yosef Regional Council. In 2022 it had a population of 227.^[1]

The village was founded in 1979 by a group of families from an organisation called HaSukah, and was the first settlement of the "Lookouts in the Galilee" plan. It is located on the land of the Palestinian villages of Dayr al-Qassi and Al-Mansura, both depopulated in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.^[2]

Today many of its residents are employed in local industry and agriculture. Tourism is also an important source of income, and Mattat's scenic setting is featured by several small hotels.

Mattat's name is equivalent in gematria to 840, its altitude in metres. The high location and mountainous region provides the town with a relatively temperate climate. Summer temperatures rarely break 30 °C and humidity is low, and summer nights are even chilly. The winters are cold and wet, with an average of over 800mm precipitation, including the occasional snow.

During the 2023 war between Hamas and Israel, northern Israeli border communities, including Mattat, faced targeted attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions based in Lebanon, and were evacuated.^[3]