Rebels kidnapped 21 Filipino UNDOF peacekeepers on the disputed Golan Heights between Syria and Israel. On a video uploaded to YouTube, a group that identified itself as "The Martyrs of Yarmouk" claimed responsibility and said the peacekeepers would be held until Syrian government forces withdrew from the area around Al Jamlah. However, the leader of the political opposition later said that the peacekeepers of their own safety. He said the UN convoy was at risk in the area, which is under Syrian government bombardment, and that the peacekeepers would be released to the Red Cross. Video footage showed the peacekeepers, one of whom said, "We are here safe in this place. We are here because while we are passing through position (unintelligible) to Jamlah, there were bombing and artillery fires. This is why we stopped and, civilian people tell us, for our safety, and distributed us in different places to keep us safe. And they give us good accommodation and give us food to eat and water to drink."
