The Arab League (AL) decided to suspend its observer mission in Syria, head of AL's monitoring operation room in Cairo told Xinhua on Saturday.

"The AL decided to temporarily suspend its observer mission in Syria to protect observers from increasing violence," Adnan al- Khodair said, adding that the decision was made by AL chief Nabil al-Arabi, not by Arab foreign ministers.

Khodair did not give a specific date about when the AL would resume its mission, but said "till the situation gets better."