Israel suspends in-person classes in some communities along the Syrian border

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday ordered the cancellation of in-person classes in four Druze towns in the Golan Heights, near the Syrian border, following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government and the entry of the insurgents into Damascus.

Classes in the towns of Buqata, Ein Qiniye, Masade and Majdal Shams will be held remotely until further notice, while kindergartens will operate normally, the IDF said in a statement.

In addition, several farmlands along the border have been declared “closed military zones,” meaning farmers will only be able to access them in a coordinated manner at specific times and civilians will not be allowed to enter.

The decision comes after the IDF confirmed that it has deployed troops to the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria “to ensure the security of the communities in the Golan Heights.”

The deployment has reportedly been carried out in coordination with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the demilitarized zone, and Israeli forces will remain in the area until the situation calms down.

Syrian insurgents declared Damascus "free" of President Bashar al-Assad today after a 12-day offensive launched by a coalition led by the Islamist group Levant Liberation Organization along with other factions backed by Turkey to defeat the Syrian government.

Syrian Prime Minister Mohamed Ghazi al-Jalali said on Sunday that he is reaching out to “every Syrian who is interested in this country to preserve its institutions.”

The rebels said shortly afterward that public institutions in Syria would remain under al-Jalali's supervision until they were "officially handed over."

For its part, the highest political body of the Syrian opposition in exile, the Syrian National Coalition (CNFROS), said today that it is working to "complete the transfer of power to a transitional government body with full executive powers." EFE and Aurora