Syria Rebels Attack Peacekeepers in Golan Heights

The Philippine defense chief said Filipino peacekeepers in the “Israeli”-occupied Golan Heights have been attacked by Syrian rebels who are holding dozens of Fijian troops hostage on Saturday.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin told reporters in a series of text messages on Saturday that Filipino troops manning one U.N. encampment have been “extricated,” while soldiers in another encampment were “now under attack.”

The Syrian rebels have seized 44 Fijian peacekeepers and demanded that the 75 Filipinos manning two separate U.N. encampments surrender their weapons, but they have refused.