4 UN peacekeepers seized in Golan Heights

Four UN peacekeepers monitoring the cease-fire in the Golan Heights were seized Tuesday, UN said. The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) said four Filipino UN peacekeepers who were patrolling in the area were taken by an unknown armed group near Jamla. "Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade", a rebel group fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, claimed that the UN personnel were seized for their own safety when they came under fierce fighting in the region. The group posted a message on Facebook saying, "Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade of Free Syrian Army works to secure and protect the UN members in Yarmouk valley in the buffer zone between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights." Earlier in March, 21 UNDOF members were detained by Syrian opposition members and they were released unharmed four days later . In 1967 Israel occupied the Golan Heights. The UN peacekeeping force was established in 1974 to monitor withdrawal of Israeli and Syrian forces from the buffer zone. The team is formed of about 1,150 members.