The Syrian foreign ministry said on Saturday it "understands" the decision of the UN observers' mission head to suspend work in the country, saying "terrorist groups" were threatening its members.

"The ministry understands the decisions taken by General Robert Mood, particularly those related to preserving the safety of observers," the official SANA news agency reported, referring to the head of the UN mission.

The report said that the ministry was "notified" on Friday night by General Mood of his decision to "temporarily reduce the work of observers because of what he called the escalation of violence targeting them."

Read the report on SANA's website here.