Syrian rebels want troop pullback before they free UN men

Rebels holding 21 UN peacekeepers near the Golan Heights in southern Syria say government forces must leave the area before they free their "guests", an activist in touch with the fighters said on Thursday. Rami Abdelrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted a spokesman for the "Martyrs of Yarmouk" rebel brigade as saying the peacekeepers were being held as "guests" in the village of Jamla, about a mile (1.6 km) from a cease-fire line with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
"He said they will not be harmed. But the rebels want the Syrian army and tanks to pull back from the area," Abdelrahman said after speaking to the rebel spokesman on Thursday morning. The capture of the UN peacekeepers close to Israeli-held territory was another sign that Syria's conflict, nearing its second anniversary, could spill over to neighbouring countries.
Israel has said it will not "stand idle" if violence spreads to the Golan, which it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. But a senior Defence Ministry official voiced confidence on Thursday that the United Nations could secure the peacekeepers' release, signalling that Israel would not intervene.
Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch said rebels from the Martyrs of Yarmouk have been seen in other videos carrying a grenade launcher that appears to be Croatian. Media reports last month quoted US officials saying Saudi Arabia was sending Croatian arms to Syrian rebels. The Philippine government condemned the capture of the peacekeepers - three officers and 18 enlisted men - which it called a "gross violation of international law".
President Benigno Aquino told reporters the peacekeepers were being well treated and that the United Nations was in touch with the rebels to ensure their safety. "By tomorrow they expect all of these 21 to be released," he said, adding their release might occur as early as Thursday. Syria announced on Thursday it had uncovered an Israeli spy camera monitoring a "sensitive site" on its Mediterranean coast, saying the discovery highlighted Israel's role in the uprising and insurgency against Assad. Israeli officials made no comment on the Syria report.