• Syrian Army 'retakes Golan Heights crossing'
    1 replies, posted
[QUOTE]The Syrian army has taken control of a UN-monitored crossing in the Golan Heights that had been overrun by rebel forces, Israeli military sources say. Tanks and armoured vehicles were used in the fighting at Quneitra, near Israeli-held territory. Austria has said it will withdraw its peacekeepers from the Golan Heights because of the fighting. It comes a day after Syrian troops backed by Lebanese Hezbollah militants retook the key town of Qusair. The involvement of Hezbollah and the upsurge of fighting near the ceasefire line with Israel in the Golan have both raised fears that the conflict could spread across Syria's borders. Rebels seized the crossing near the town of Quneitra earlier on Thursday, with explosions and heavy shelling rocking the area. But an Israeli military source said Syrian government forces retook the symbolically significant position hours later, and that it was now relatively quiet in the area. Austria said UN peacekeepers had withdrawn to safety as fighting raged around the crossing and Quneitra. It said it would now pull its troops out completely because the threat had "reached an unacceptable level". Austrian troops make up more than a third of the more than 900-strong UN force monitoring the demilitarised zone and Quneitra - the only open crossing between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Israel expressed regret at Austria's decision, and said it hoped it would not lead to "further escalation" in the region. Croatia, Canada and Japan had already withdrawn their contingents in the Golan because of the conflict in Syria. Syria's deployment of tanks in the demilitarised zone violates ceasefire agreements in place since the Arab-Israeli war of 1973, but sources have told the BBC that Israel will not react. Israel captured part of the plateau in 1967 and later annexed it in a move that has never been internationally recognised. Israeli officials have voiced fears the civil war in Syria could spill over their borders. They are worried the Golan Heights could be used to launch attacks against Israel - either by Islamist extremists fighting for the rebels, or by Hezbollah militants fighting on the government side. [/QUOTE] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22795655[/url]
Well at least this shit might be ending soon.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.