Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has instructed the IDF to seize additional points in the buffer zone in Syria along the Iraeli-Syrian border. Katz also ordered the establishment of a security zone “free from heavy strategic weapons and terrorist infrastructure” beyond the buffer zone that could threaten the State of Israel. IDF troops have also been instructed to establish contact with the Druze communities in the area and other populations in southern Syria.

Russia announced today on Sunday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have received political asylum in Russia and arrived in Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier issued a statement indicating that Assad left Damascus and “ordered a non-violent transfer of power.” A few minutes before the Russian announcement, a Russian transport plane took off from the Russian base in Latakia, Syria. Kan News reported that according to Ukrainian intelligence, Assad’s escape operation from Syria to Russia was meticulously planned by Russian intelligence, including carrying out a deceptive operation during which the plane carrying Assad disappeared from radar. Following the operation, Reuters published a report suggesting that Assad may have been killed in a plane crash.

Hamas has directed other Gaza-based terrorist organizations to prepare detailed information on the captives they are holding as part of a potential deal with Israel, according to sources cited Sunday by AFP. Members of groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Popular Resistance Committees were reportedly asked to confirm the status and conditions of their hostages—specifically, whether they remain alive. The request is seen as an indication of possible negotiations aimed at exchanging hostages for a ceasefire. A Hamas insider told AFP that contacts have intensified with Qatari, Egyptian, and Turkish mediators.

So much for rumors of a plane crash, an airstrike or other theory. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family have arrived in Moscow, where they have been granted asylum by Russian authorities, according to Russian news agencies citing a Kremlin source. The Interfax news agency quotes the unnamed source as saying: “President Assad of Syria has arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them (him and his family) asylum on humanitarian grounds.”  

The massacre of October 7th, 2023, will be remembered as the day Iran’s grand strategy began to crumble before the world’s eyes. When Hamas launched its barbaric assault on innocent Israeli civilians, it was acting at the behest—or at least with the tacit encouragement—of the Iranian regime. Tehran believed that a decisive terror attack would pressure Israel, rally sympathizers across the Middle East, and reaffirm Iran’s stature as the region’s puppet master. Instead, the opposite occurred: what was meant to show Iranian strength and influence exposed its vulnerabilities and set off a chain reaction that left Iran’s proxies shattered and Iran’s regime imperiled. Hamas, long considered Iran’s frontline force against Israel, was the first domino to fall.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a “historic day for the Middle East” during a visit to Mt. Bental on the Golan Heights, near the Syrian border, following the collapse of the Assad regime. He was joined by Defense Minister Israel Katz and Golan Heights Regional Council Chairman Uri Kellner. During the visit, Netanyahu received a briefing from Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin, Head of IDF Northern Command, and Brig.-Gen. Yair Peli, Commander of the 210th Division. The discussion centered on developments in Syria, the IDF’s increased presence along the border, and preparations for future security operations.

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, infamous for deploying chemical weapons against his own population, has fled Damascus as rebels seized control of the capital. According to reports from Reuters and Syrian state television, Assad, his wife Asma al-Assad, and their three children have left the country. Their destination remains unknown. FOLLOW REAL-TIME UPDATES ON YWN’S LIVE BLOG Assad’s departure marks the apparent end of over five decades of rule by the Assad family, beginning with his father, Hafez Assad, in 1970. The civil war that has gripped Syria since 2011, claiming over 500,000 lives, reached a turning point with the fall of Damascus and key cities like Aleppo, Hama, and Homs to rebel forces.

Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, the renowned maggid, bestselling author, and decades-mohel, is in need of tehillim and rachamei shamayim after suffering a stroke on Friday evening, just as Shabbos began. Rabbi Krohn was attending the Agudath Israel of America convention at the Armon Hotel and Conference Center in Stamford, Connecticut, when the medical emergency occurred. Waterbury Hatzolah paramedics were on the scene immediately and transported him to a local hospital in Stamford, where he is currently undergoing treatment. Earlier on Friday, Rabbi Krohn delivered an inspiring session at the convention and was scheduled to address attendees again later that evening. PLEASE SAY TEHILLIM FOR PAYSACH YOSEF BEN HINDA (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The IDF announced on Motzei Shabbos that its forces aided UN forces to repel a Syrian rebel attack on a UN outpost near the Druze village of Hader in southern Syria, just a few feet away from Israel’s Ramat HaGolan. “A short while ago, an attack was carried out by armed individuals at a UN post in the Hader area in Syria,” the IDF spokesperson stated. “The IDF is currently assisting the UN forces in repelling the attack.” “The IDF is deployed with reinforced forces in the Ramat HaGolan area and will continue to operate to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.” The IDF decided to further bolster its forces near the Syrian border following a situational assessment.

In an act of psychological terrorism, the Hamas terror group released a propaganda video on Shabbos of hostage Matan Zangauker, 24. Zangauker was abducted from his home on Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7. In the video, which is his first sign of life,  Zangauker is seen making statements scripted to him by his captors. “I am Matan Zangoker, and I have been in the hands of Hamas for 420 days,” he begins. “I appeal to the Prime Minister; I heard about your new plan to bring us back home.  I heard that you promised $5 million to whoever returns us home safely and a safe exit from the Gaza Strip. I am very disappointed. Now I’m sure you don’t know your enemies and you don’t understand their intentions. “This is your failure and that of your government since October 7,” Zangauker continues.