UN troops quitting Golan Heights over Syria violenceJune 7, 2013 - 10:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Austria says it is withdrawing its 377 UN peacekeepers from the Golan Heights after Syrian rebels briefly overran a border position before government troops retook it, Belfast Telegraph reported. Chancellor Werner Fayman and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said that "the development ... has shown that further waiting can no longer be justified". Rebels attacked the border position near the destroyed city of Kuneitra early on Thursday, June 6. The peacekeepers receive most of their supplies through that position from Israel. The development is likely to deepen Israel's concerns that the volatile area in the north along the Israel-Syria frontier could fall into the hands of radical Islamic factions fighting with other insurgent groups against President Assad's forces. The Israeli military said the Israeli side of the crossing had been declared a "closed military zone" and was off limits to journalists because of the fighting nearby. The incident comes a day after the Syrian military, backed by Lebanese Hezbollah militants, captured the strategic town of Qusair near the border with Lebanon in a significant blow to the opposition fighters trying to topple Assad's regime. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. |