UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations says 43 peacekeepers have been detained by an armed group in Syria during fighting and 81 other peacekeepers are trapped.
The office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the peacekeepers were detained early Thursday on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights during a "period of increased fighting between armed elements and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces."
UN confirms that 43 UNDOF peacekeepers are being held by #Syria rebels near Quneitra in the Golan. 81 others restricted to their bases.— Alexander Marquardt (@MarquardtA) August 28, 2014
The statement says another 81 peacekeepers are "currently being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah."
Syrian rebels seized the border crossing near Golan Heights and on Wednesday following heavy fighting between Syrian Arab Army forces and fighters from Jabhat Al-Nusra and the Beit al Maqdis brigade. The border crossing has been under U.N. supervision since the end of the Yom Kippur war.
Mashable contributed to this report.