The Syrian army has retaken control of a UN-monitored crossing into the Golan Heights that had been overrun by rebel forces. Austria has said it will withdraw its peacekeepers from the Golan Heights because of the fighting.

The Austrians were not hurt in the fighting, but two peacekeepers from the Philippines were hit by spillover from the back and forth between the rebels and Syrian government troops.

The Austrians made up more than a third of the 900 United Nations troops at the Golan Crossing.  UN peacekeeping spokeswoman Josephine Guerrero said the withdrawal would affect the operational capacity of the mission observing a decades-old ceasefire between Syria and Israel.

“Austria has been a backbone of the mission and their withdrawal will impact the mission's operational capacity,” Guerrero said.

Israel expressed regret at Austria's decision, and said it hoped it would not lead to "further escalation" in the region.

Croatia, Canada and Japan had already withdrawn their contingents in the Golan because of the conflict in Syria.