Antilebanon Mountains

At the northern end of the Anti-Lebanon, mountain ridges give way to the plains and valleys around Homs. The Orontes rises in the Bekaa and flows north through this country, cutting a route between the uplands before continuing towards Hama. Rain and snow gathered in the limestone mountains feed springs and streams, while the drier eastern slopes approach the Syrian steppe. The passage through the hills links the inland basin with the coast to the west.