The UN Security Council has decided to extend the peacekeeping mission between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights for six months, expressing concern that military operations in the area could lead to an escalation of tensions.

Since a surprise attack by Syrian rebels that toppled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month, Israeli forces have entered the demilitarized zone established after the 1973 war, which is patrolled by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).

The UN Security Council stressed in the resolution it adopted on Friday "the need for both parties to abide by the terms of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic and to observe the ceasefire with utmost precision."

The Council expressed its concern that "ongoing military operations by any party in the 'area of separation' continue to have the potential to escalate tensions between Israel and the Syrian Arab Republic, jeopardize the ceasefire between the two countries, and pose a risk to the local civilian population and United Nations personnel on the ground."

The ceasefire agreement stipulates that neither the Israeli nor the Syrian armies will be allowed to be present in the demilitarized zone, the 400-square-kilometer "separation zone."