43 UN peacekeepers held in Syrian Golan Heights – Official

Forty-three UN peacekeepers are being held by an “armed group” in the Syrian Golan Heights, a UN spokesperson says.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force personnel were detained near Quneitra, during fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces.

Another 81 peacekeepers are being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of al-Ruwayhina and Burayqa.

It comes a day after rebels took control of a crossing into the Israeli-occupied Golan after a long battle.

Activists said the rebels included members of the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

During the fighting, an Israeli soldier and an Israeli civilian were wounded by stray bullets. The Israeli military said it had responded with artillery fire at two Syrian army positions.