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World

A look at the latest developments in the Syrian conflict

Associated Press
Published | Updated

BEIRUT – Here are the latest developments in the Syria crisis:

— Austria announces it is withdrawing 377 U.N. peacekeepers from the Golan Heights after Syrian rebels briefly overran a crossing point near the border with Israel, deepening concerns the civil war is spreading to neighboring countries. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it regretted the decision and hoped that it would not lead to "further escalation in the region." Fighting between President Bashar Assad's forces and mainly Sunni rebels has already spilled over into Turkey and Lebanon.

— Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri taps into the deepening Sunni-Shiite rift stemming from the conflict, calling on Sunnis everywhere to devote their lives, money and expertise to the overthrow the regime, set up Islamic rule in Syria and prevent a U.S.-allied government from taking over after Assad, whose regime is dominated by the Alawite sect — an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

— Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh warns the Syrian ambassador there to stop criticizing his host country or risk expulsion. Syrian ambassador Bahjat Suleiman is an ardent critic of Jordan's policies toward his country, accusing it of siding with anti-Assad forces.

— Aid group Doctors without Borders warns that the needs of civilians in Syria and neighboring countries far outstrips the relief currently being supplied, urging the international community to ramp up its aid supply a day before a humanitarian conference in Geneva.

— A Filipino U.N. peacekeeper is wounded in the leg by an artillery or a mortar shell that landed at Camp Ziouni, a logistics base in the Golan Heights, during fighting between the Syrian government and rebel forces.

— A Turkish soldier is wounded by shots fired at a military patrol along the Syrian border, prompting soldiers to return fire at assailants among a larger group of about 500 people trying to cross into Turkey. The Turkish military statement suggests that those who fired at the soldiers were smugglers.

— The European Union commits 400 million euros ($525 million) more in aid to deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war.