A view of Syria from Israeli side of the border. Photo: wiki commons.

Syrian opposition forces now have overrun the country’s border with Israel, according to a report by Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom.

According to the paper, a senior defense official in Jordan has confirmed that two divisions of the Syrian army, comprising tens of thousands of soldiers, which had been posted permanently along the Golan cease-fire line, have now almost entirely disintegrated.

According to the defense official, the regime in Damascus no longer has any control over the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

“The regime no longer controls south-east Syria, and most of the periphery has been overrun by rebels and their supporters,” the official said. “The Syrian Golan has turned into a no-man’s land, ruled by armed opposition militias and extremist terrorists that have infiltrated the country.”

The official added that “Iranian Revolutionary Guards and armed Hezbollah fighters who were helping the Syrian soldiers in the Golan area have also disappeared in recent days, abandoning positions and posts full of supplies and ammunition.”

A day after IDF patrols came under fire in the Golan Heights, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz moved Monday to reassure Israelis planning on visiting the Golan Heights.

“We’re here to live. The Israeli people need to be strong and calm, and visit the Golan Heights,” Gantz said during an Army Radio interview. “Clearly, we must and can visit the Golan. I even recommend it highly – it’s quiet, safe, and beautiful, and no less important, we must not disrupt the routine of our lives because of one incident or another,” the military chief added.