From early March 1974, the situation in the Israel-Syria sector became increasingly unstable, and firing intensified. The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) was established on 31 May 1974 by Security Council resolution 350 (1974), following the agreed disengagement of the Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan.

Since then, UNDOF has remained in the area to maintain the ceasefire between the Israeli and Syrian forces and to supervise the implementation of the disengagement agreement.

During the Syrian conflict, however, there were violations of the ceasefire with the escalation of military activity in the area of separation patrolled by UNDOF peacekeepers.  On June 29, 2017, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2361 (2017) renewing UNDOF’s mandate until December 2017, and strongly condemned the use of heavy weapons by the Syrian armed forces and armed groups in the area of separation.