BICOM

The United Nations (UN) Security Council yesterday renewed the mandate of its peacekeeping presence on the Israel-Syria border and pledged to strengthen its force.

The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been in operation on the Golan Heights, which straddles the border between the two countries since 1974 in the wake of the Yom Kippur War. However, during the last few months, UN peacekeepers have been caught up in the intense fighting between Syrian President Assad’s forces and opposition groups seeking his downfall. On more than one occasion, UN peacekeepers have been forcibly detained by rebel groups and last month, Austria withdrew its personnel, a full third of the UN force, after they were endangered by fierce fighting at Quneitra, which is situated just dozens of metres from Israeli positions.

A UN Security Council resolution yesterday unanimously renewed the UNDOF mandate for six months while also stressing “the need to enhance the safety and security of” its forces and recommending “additional mitigation measures to enhance the self-defence capabilities.” In practice, according to diplomats this means that UN troops will likely now receive equipment such as flak jackets, armoured vehicles and machine guns. Although around 500 Fijian soldiers will fill the gap in UNDOF vacated by Austria, the UN is apparently in talks with various countries to expand the force from 900 troops to 1,250.

Earlier this week, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon observed a large-scale IDF drill on the Golan Heights and both warned that there would be a decisive response to combatants in Syria should they launch an attack against Israel. During the past few months, mortar and gunfire from fighting in Syria has landed on Israeli territory with some regularity. Although Israel has largely put this down to errant fire, the IDF has returned fire on occasion.