Troops may be pulled out of UN mission

Irish troops could be pulled out of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights if the operation is dragged any further into a Syrian "civil war".

Defence Minister Simon Coveney issued the warning after Irish soldiers were involved in a highly dangerous mission at the weekend to rescue 35 Filipino UN officers taken captive by Syrian rebels allegedly linked to al-Qaeda.

Mr Coveney said all soldiers involved in the operation in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria are safe, having returned to their Camp Faouar base.