Updated

An American school in Damascus has closed and told students to leave after the Syrian government ordered it shut down in response to a deadly U.S. cross-border raid.

Students and teachers were seen leaving the Damascus Community School Monday afternoon.

A voice message on the school's answering machine says the school was closed to comply with the government's decision. A person who answered the phone at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus confirmed that the school was closing.

The Syrian government ordered the school to close by the end of the week in response to a U.S. military raid on Oct. 26.

Washington hasn't formally acknowledged the raid. But U.S. officials say the target was a top Iraqi Al Qaeda coordinator, who was killed.