http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/16/world/middleeast/un-moves-peacekeepers-in-golan-over-safety-fears.html 2014-09-16 08:22:52 U.N. Moves Peacekeepers in Golan Over Safety Fears The United Nations said it moved members of its Golan peacekeeping force to the Israeli-controlled side because the area had “deteriorated severely.” === Concerned about another attack or mass abduction targeting its Golan Heights peacekeepers, the United Nations said Monday that it had withdrawn many of them to the Israeli-controlled side of the peacekeepers’ buffer zone after unidentified armed groups from Syria moved menacingly close to their positions on the Syrian side. A Although the Nusra Front dropped its demands for a prisoner exchange and humanitarian aid, releasing the Fijians unharmed, their seizure reflected the growing dangers to international organizations operating in the region. While they were in captivity, “The situation in Undof on the Syrian side and the area of separation has deteriorated severely over the last several days,” Mr. Ban said in the statement, which was posted on the United Nations website. It added that armed groups had posed a “direct threat” to the safety and security of Undof forces stationed along the so-called Bravo line in Syria. The statement did not specify the number of peacekeepers affected but said they had been moved to the so-called Alpha line bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan. “Undof continues to use all available assets to carry out its mandated tasks in this exceptionally challenging environment,” the statement said, although it was unclear how the peacekeepers could patrol their assigned areas if they were not there. The force