UN Mission in the Golan Heights Facing Troop Shortage

Thanks to withdrawal of Austrian peacekeepers

UNITED NATIONS — Austria says it is withdrawing its troops from the increasingly dangerous U.N. Observer Mission in the Golan Heights, as Syrian government forces and rebels engaged in intense fighting in the area between Syria and Israel.

The U.N. mission, known by its acronym UNDOF, has been one of the most peaceful since it was created in 1974 to monitor a fragile cease-fire between Syria and Israel.