Israel concerned after Austria leaves Golan

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon scrambled on Thursday night to find troops to replace some 380 UN peacekeepers on the Golan Heights that Austria announced earlier in the day it was evacuating.

 The Austrian decision came after battles between Syrian troops and rebels near the Quneitra border-crossing.

The 1,000-strong United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) has been monitoring the border for the past 40 years.

Israel is keen on the force remaining on the border, and is trying to maintain the quiet that has reigned there for four decades.

The regime's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it “regrets” the Austrian decision and “hopes it will not lead to an additional escalation” in the region.

The statement said that Israel expected the UN to uphold its commitments under Security Council Resolution 350 to maintain the UNDOF.

One diplomatic official said Israel was watching the developments closely and that its faith in the international peacekeeping troops hung in the balance.

Meanwhile, the Israeli International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz has issued a statement expressing regret at the Austrian move, adding that the lesson for Israel was clear: “Even as part of peace agreements, Israel cannot place its security in the hands of international forces instead of relying on the presence of" its soldiers.