UN condemns detention of peacekeepers in Golan

The United Nations Security Council condemned on Saturday a renewed attack on UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights region and detention of its 44 peacekeepers from Fiji, demanding their "immediate" release. "The members of the Security Council strongly condemned continued attacks on United Nations Disengagement Observer Force positions in the Golan Heights," the UN body said in a statement to the press. "We demand the unconditional and immediate release of all of the detained peacekeepers and call upon all parties to cooperate with (the observer force) in good faith to ensure the full security of the UN personnel." The Fijian peacekeepers were detained by Syrian armed militants on Thursday as fighting has increased recently in the area between Syrian government forces and armed groups. The UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights were also attacked "with mortar and heavy machine gun fire" on Saturday morning, according to the U.N. There are no casualties among U.N. personnel in the region.