UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday that clashes between Syrian government forces and rebels near a demilitarized zone on the Golan Heights controlled by UN peacekeepers risks heightening tensions between Syria and Israel, dpa reported.
"The situation is deteriorating and has affected the UNDOF area of operations significantly," Ban said in a report to the UN Security Council, adding that the situation may jeopardize a ceasefire between Syria and Israel, which occupied the Golan Heights in a 1967 war.
The report said the presence of Syrian troops and unauthorized military equipment in the demilitarized area is a violation of the ceasefire agreement in 1974.