UNIFIL and IDF (archive)
UNIFIL and IDF (archive)Israel news photo: Flash 90

United Nations officials announced Wednesday that Nepal is withdrawing some of its troops from its contingent to Lebanon, and instead sending them to the Golan Heights.

The 130-troop Nepalese unit has been asked to fill in a gap left by the withdrawal of Austrian troops from the United Nations Deployment of Forces (UNDOF), The Daily Star reported.

The 868-person Nepalese force serving in the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will continue its operations there, sans the lone company being sent to the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

“Due to the urgency of this requirement, the government of Nepal has decided to withdraw one company from the Nepalese contingent of UNIFIL in order to deploy it to UNDOF,” UNIFIL officials said in a statement. 

Tensions are running high on the Golan Heights, as Syrian infiltrators continue to attempt to cross the border in the region.

Israeli soldiers opened fire Tuesday night on Syrians who attempted to cross the border, apparently attempting to steal some metal according to a statement Wednesday by the IDF Spokesperson.

But in a far more serious incident, unidentified armed Syrians infiltrated an unmanned IDF outpost in the region in the southern Golan area of Tel Fares Tuesday night.

The two were spotted by soldiers from the IDF’s Nahal Brigade during a routine patrol of the area, but managed to flee before the soldiers arrived.

At the same time, the IDF unit came under fire by Syrian government forces, who it is believed were targeting rebel fighters at the Israeli outpost. IDF soldiers returned fire to the source. No injuries or damage were reported.