Under cover of darkness, 40 Filipino peacekeepers escaped their besieged outpost in the Golan Heights after a seven-hour gun battle with Syrian rebels, Philippine officials have said.

Under cover of darkness, 40 Filipino peacekeepers escaped their besieged outpost in the Golan Heights after a seven-hour gunbattle with Syrian rebels, Philippine officials have said.

Irish troops deployed with the UN peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights, Syria (UNDOF) have been involved in a number of missions to rescue UN colleagues under fire from rebel forces, a Defence Forces spokesperson has confirmed.