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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Nora Rahm.

In Syria, rebels are advancing toward the capital of Damascus, after seizing control of other

key cities, threatening the 24-year rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it's assisting UN forces in the Hader area in Syria

after an attack against a UN post there. Israel has also conducted exercises and boosted troops

near the border with Syria. NPR's Daniel Estrin reports from Tel Aviv.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Monitoring Group says

Syrian regime and Russian forces have withdrawn from Kunetra, the border area next to the Israeli-controlled

Golan Heights. There are reports Syrian rebel forces have swept into that area. Israel says it

has sent troops to the Golan Heights to reinforce the border zone with Syria.

And Israel carried out military exercises in the area, drilling rapid forces deployment by land and air to prepare for emergency scenarios, such as a sudden storming of the border.

Israel's leadership has been holding consultations in recent days in light of the

swift gains of Syrian rebel forces against Syrian government forces. Daniel Estrin, NPR News,

Tel Aviv. Bitcoin hit 100,000 this week. It's a remarkable milestone for the cryptocurrency.

NPR's Rafael NAM reports the election of Donald Trump as

president has sparked a rally in cryptocurrencies after he promised to make the U.S. the crypto capital

of the planet. This week, President-elect Trump nominated Paul Atkins, a former financial regulator

who supports cryptocurrencies as the new chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission,

and he appointed venture capitalist David Sachs as the new czar for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies.

That may have a lot of investors excited, but it's also raising a lot of alarms.

Cryptocurrencies have historically been very volatile, and they're used in all kinds of illegal activities like drug trading.

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