Peacekeepers confirm the incursion of armed people into the Golan region
United Nations law enforcement agencies – United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) – confirmed the incursion of armed people into the Golan region, announced today by Israel.
“Today, UNDOF personnel observed unidentified armed individuals in the separation area, approximately 20 of whom entered one of the mission positions in the northern part of the separation area”a spokesperson for the peacekeeping forces told Agence France-Presse in the evening.
“The inviolability of the premises of the United Nations must be respected at all times”this spokesperson adds, underlining it “Attacks against UN positions and peacekeepers constitute serious violations of international law”.
Previously, the Israeli army announced that it had helped the UN forces do so “reject” an attack in Syria, on the border with the Syrian Golan occupied and annexed by Israel.
according to Rami Abdel Rahmane, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Syrian troops, who are facing the meteoric wave of rebel troops, have retreated from their positions in Kuneitra province, which borders the adjoining Golan Heights .
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said this in the evening “armed forces” had penetrated “in the buffer zone”. “Attacks were carried out against UNDOF in the area”he said,adding that Israel was “concerned about violations of the Separation of Forces Agreement concluded with Syria in May 1974”.
The Israeli army also said in a statement that its chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, had been visiting “on the Syrian border” and declared “ensure that local factions do not act” against Israel. The statement adds that Israel “dose not intervene in events in Syria” Moreover “works to counter and prevent threats in the area”.
Israel captured part of the Golan from Syria during the 1967 arab-Israeli War, before annexing it in 1981. This annexation is not recognized by the United Nations. In 1974, a United Nations force was sent to a buffer zone to monitor a ceasefire.