Around 20 United Nations peacekeepers have been detained by an armed Syrian rebel brigade in the Golan Heights.

Syrian activists said the UN Disengagement Force (UNDOF) peacekeepers were from the Philippines.

The UN Security Council has mobilised teams to secure their release. The UN's peacekeeping chief, Herve Ladsous, said negotiations were being held with the abductors. But a spokesman for the rebels said in a video that the UN troops would be held until President Bashar al-Assad's forces pull back from a village in the Golan.

Other countries have already pulled peacekeeping staff from Syria

Up to the end of February there were about 1,000 troops from Austria, Croatia, India and the Philippines operating in the ceasefire force.

But Croatia announced last week that it is withdrawing its 100 troops from UNDOF. The Croatian government said it feared for the soldiers' safety after reports that Saudi Arabia had bought arms from Croatia and then provided them to the Syrian rebels.

Canada and Japan have also withdrawn their small contingents in recent months because of security fears.