MOSCOW, June 6 (RIA Novosti) – Russian state television crew has come under fire from a Syrian rebel group at the Golan Heights in the Israel-Syria border, the Rossia 24 reported on Saturday.
According to reporter of the VGTRK state-run network, Yevgeny Poddubny, their crew was moving with a column of Syrian government military vehicles towards a checkpoint of the United Nations’ peacekeepers on Saturday when they were attacked.
Poddubny said that the Syrian rebels were hiding in ambush at the road and attacked the column from both sides firing at civilians.
Following a 15-minute battle, the TV crew with the help from the militaries managed to reach the UN-monitored checkpoint, the reporter was quoted as saying by the channel’s website. No information about victims was immediately available.
On Friday Russia offered to send its peacekeepers to the Golan Heights as part of a UN monitoring mission after Austria said it would withdraw its forces, citing danger to its personnel in war-torn region. The UN officials said that the peacekeeping agreements prevent it from accepting Russian troops.
