ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al jazeera america al jazeera on obtained leaked tellephone conversations. hello and welcome to al jazeera, i'm darren jordan live from our headquarters here in doha. also coming up kurdish fighters in iraq launch a major offensive against isil. the price of security france announces an $800 million plan to stop attacks on its soil. >> reporter: i'm tania page reporting from south africa on the launch of digital classrooms in some public schools. ♪

welcome to the program. al jazeera has obtained a leaked telephone conversation which suggests that the toppled yemeni president has been working with the houthi rebels. the audio is dated late september. he is heard coordinating political and military moves with the houthi leader. well let's bring in hashem now. he has reported extensively across yemen and has been following the events over the last few days closely. we have these extraordinary recording with the president coordinating military moves with the houthis. if true is this explosive. >> absolutely. and this explains some of the accusations leveled against hadi by the international community and the americans in particular

in november. because in november the united nations imposed sanctions on the former president accusing him of plotting with the houthis to destabilize yemen and undermine the authority of president hadi. very interesting, because in the phone conversation we hear him talking to the top military -- a top houthi military commander, asking him about how to coordinate moves in the future to undermine hadi. and the top military commander was all the time saying yes, sir, yes, sir, it shall happen. let's listen to this part where he talks about how he has to reach out to some of the aids to coordinate efforts.

>> so that was saleh there, asking the houthi commander to get in touch with his team. extraordinary team. behind the scenes the reality is that he still wheeled substantial political power. are we starting to see his reemergence into the political stage? >> this is someone who ruled yemen for 33 years. he has an impressive legacy there. he was once quoted as saying ruling yemen is like dancing over the heads of states. he still has the loyalty of thousands of people top military commanders wealthy

businessmen, tribal leaders across the country. we hear him saying to the houthi commander if the president hadi says that i'm going to appoint this man as prime minister say no to him, because i have my own alternatives. i suggest you go for this guy. we are talking about people who are loyal to the former president. but what is quite interesting is the moment when they start talking about what happened after the houthis took over the airport. and we hear him saying make sure my opponent is never given a chance to leave the country. let's listen to what he had to say.

>> so saleh, clearly saying there that no planes should be allowed to fly. otherwise those comrades will be able to escape. that's extraordinary stuff. how damaging could this be for the former president? >> it's definitely going to create political issues in yemen. he has been coming out saying i'm innocent politics is a turned chapter. i'm no longer interfering with domestic affairs in yemen. leave me alone. but this shows a man who is very willing to be there. i was invited to his palace about two years ago, and asked him a question -- asked some of his own people is this the end

of an era? and he said no wait for us. we're coming back in 2014. this man feels like he has been betrayed by the international community and now he wants a playback. >> how are these recordings likely to play into the current scenario of what we see happening in the capitol. we heard from saleh say today -- or give a call for fresh elections. so he's starting to play back on to the stage now, but how are these recordings playing into what we have seen happening over the last few days. >> you will see more people who are skeptical about the outcome. but at the same time now in yemen it seems like you are not going to have any other option but diplomacy. this is a country that is very extremely powerful particularly saudi arabia issued a statement about two hours ago saying that

the houthis have to pull out and they condemn the attacks on the presidential palace. yesterday and the day before. the houthis themselves are at a critical situation, because they are looking for an ambulancess ambulances -- balancing act. if they launch a coup the international community is not going to recognize any other authority that comes off of the back of the toppling of hadi. i think the houthis would love this following scenario a weak undermined president who is politically beholden to them for years to come. >> the situation as you say politically is extremely complex, and the houthis are basically running the show now. what do you think will end this crisis in violence diplomacy, or some combination of both. >> we know there are talks underway between representatives of the president and also

representatives of the houthi. the houthi leader made it quite clear that he wants four conditions met to be able to move forward. he wants to change -- or change the makeup of the committee, which is written in the constitution. he wants to change some articles of the constitution. he wants bigger representation and he wants to be recognized as the most powerful man in yemen. if those conditions are met -- i doubt most of those conditions will be met, because hadi still thinks of himself as the legitimate leader of yemen. if they get to some sort of compromise you'll see a settlement but i doubt we'll see permanent stability in yemen. conflicts will continue for the future. >> thank you very much indeed. well those leaked phone calls are the latest in a series of fast-moving developments out of yemen.

gulf ministers are describing the situation there as a coup. faiz jamil reports now on how events have unfolded. >> reporter: they may not officially have power, but it's a clear who is in charge in yemen's capitol sana'a. houthi rebels stand guard near the presidential palace. but they say they are only here to maintain order. >> translator: we are here to provide security and stability and to protect freedom and services of all people. >> reporter: the president hasn't been seen publicly since the attacks began on monday but the houthis say they are allowing him to stay in office. >> the problem is you don't know who are the real players and what is going on especially that the decision is not made in yemen. it's made in tehran it's made with al-qaeda leadership. >> reporter: in a television

address on tuesday the leader of the houthi rebels explained his group's action. he said hadi was not negotiating a power sharing deal in good faith. and accused of working with al-qaeda. and warned the international community not to interfere. >> translator: i would like to tell the security council that my measures they are making to shut us up will not benefit you at all. we are prepared to face any consequences. this is a crucial issue for the fate of the country, the future of its people and the dignity of our nation. >> reporter: members of the gulf cooperation council have called the situation a coup and urged the houthi to withdraw their fighters from all security and military institutions. in this town people demonstrated against the houthis, burning posters of the houthi leader and saying what they are doing is a coup attempt. the rebels which took control of

the capitol and nine other provinces last year say they want a real partnership and a say in the decision-making process. warning the president to cooperate or else they will take what they say are further measures. kurdish forces in iraq have launched a major offensive to cut off supply route of islamic state of iraq and the levant. zana hoda is on the front line in northwestern iraq. >> reporter: this battle is for a supply line. we are south of mosul dam in northwestern iraq near a strong hold that islamic state of iraq and the levant uses to move forces and supplies from syria to iraq. up in the skies, the u.s.-lead coalition, provided cover.

this military operation has been planned for some time now. there was intense air activity and at one point heavy and almost constant bombardment. without air strikes, it makes it very difficult for the ill equipped kurdish forces to make gains against an enemy that is well armed and trained. this is not an easy battle. islamic state of iraq and the levant are fighting back and using heavy weapons. rockets have been landing here peshmerga positions. but the in coming fire then force the peshmerga to retreat. the forces push on capturing a number of towns and villages. they were accompanied by the son of the president of the regional government the field commander overseeing an operation that kurdish officials say this strategically important. >> translator: our operation began in the early hours of wednesday. we pushed them back.

first of all they were too close to the city of tahook and second we want to cut their supply lines. there's a strategic road. >> reporter: this bat bat -- battleground is not far from iraq's power control areas. cutting off isil from its supplies is the immediate objective of the coalition, and its local parreder ins, the kurds. syrian government air strikes have injured up to 40 people on the outskirts of the capitol. these images show the aftermath of the attack targeting doma. two residential buildings partially collapsed because of the strikes. activists say 20 children are among those wounded. still to come here on al jazeera, as houthi leaders set out their demands in yemen.

we'll speak to one of their supports in the capitol. and a palestinian man injured 14 people in a knife attack in tel-aviv. more on that. stay with us. >> oh my god. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. saturday at 7:30 eastern. only on al

♪ welcome back. a quick reminder of the top stories. al jazeera has obtained a leaked telephone conversation which suggests that the toppled yemen president has been coordinating with houthi rebels. gulf foreign ministers have

accused houthi rebels of attempting a coup. kurdish forces in iraq have launched an offensive used to cut off a supply route used by the islamic state of iraq and the levant. let's get more on our top story. we can talk to hussein, a yemeni activist and houthi supporter. hussein, gcc foreign ministers today said the houthi action amounts toen a attempted coup. the facts remain the houthis kidnapped the chief of staff surrounded the compounds, isn't that pretty much a coup? >> no because if they really wanted a coup they could have done it before they entered the

presidential palace. they could have done it on the 21st of september last year and the goal for the gcc -- i mean they don't accept houthis and yemenese. they called the houthis as an occupation. how can yemeny [ inaudible ]. so those statement, i mean they always try to explain things in the wrong way, just to serve their interests. >> sir, if it is not a coup what is it then? >> this is a continuing of the revolution on the 21st of september 2014 and because the government like hasn't implemented the national dialogue and national dialogue [ inaudible ] peace and partnership agreement that lead to real tension that they exploded two days ago. >> i don't know if you were watching al jazeera arabic or al jazeera english, we have those exclusive recordings which al

jazeera has obtained that reports to show collusion between the former president and the houthis. how damaging is this going to be when those recordings come out? >> i heard this -- i think a bit of the recording, which is [ inaudible ] houthi commander and ask him to call some of the army leaders that are close to him. it is the president that called him. and if you are in a war like the 21st of september, and somebody called you and offered you, [ inaudible ] it's not the houthis that they maybe looked for that. and at a war, you can expect anything, so this is something that happened -- this is normal. this is not something that is extraordinary. >> but the houthis were part of the revolution that brought the former president down. >> yeah but the general party

that saleh is heading is not just about him. they have tens and hundreds of thousands of support ers. we have the people from the gcc, they are in the committee in some areas [ inaudible ] protecting the street because they do that as a yemeni but if somebody does something right, we say it's what saleh is doing. >> the houthis have made these latest demands that they want the new vice president to be a houthi and they want houthi fighters to be absorbed into the army. what happens if these demands are not met? are we going to see more violence? >> not more violence. houthi only use violence [ inaudible ] only use violence against him. but maybe something like a political -- how say it -- maybe a continuing of the revolution. there might be protests there might be -- and because as you say, the houthi want to get a thousand people into the army. this is one of the outcomes of

the national dialogue. it's not a new demand. i didn't hear anything about the vice president, but if it's true, i haven't heard that yet, it is just the national dialogue that should be a real partnership. the houthis are yemeni and they -- like everybody else has job in the government. they as well want to do that as was agreed. >> okay. we have to leave it there this thank you for talking to al jazeera. >> thank you. france has announced sweeping changes to bolster its security program. it comes as four men were charged in connection with the attack on a kosher supermarket in paris earlier this month. >> reporter: soldiers on the streets, the french prime minister calls it a war, and has announced half a billion dollars worth of spending to hire more men and women for the battle.

>> translator: over the next three years there will be 2,680 new jobs dedicated to the fight against terrorism in the police defense and justice services of the state. this effort ladies and gentlemen, is huge but it's indispensable to guarantee the security and protection of the french people. >> reporter: other measures include a national registry of suspects. the prime minister says there are some 3,000 in france right now. he also promised easier wiretapping for the intelligence services and a deradicalization program, targeting the prison population and young people. but experts say more needs to be done such as promoting a dialogue between muslim leaders and local politicians, not police. >> in a way france was escaping terrorist attacks because of good policy. now we are obliged to think

further, and to think what could be the after -- after with a big a, you know, not just reactive and just increasing of budget. >> reporter: the first charges in the killings this month were laid on wednesday with men suspected of providing weapons to this man. if this is a war, then it stretches beyond the borders of france. the number of people on french soil linked to suspects in syria and iraq jumped to 130% last year. a nigerian man being held by boko haram has now been freed. he was working as a teacher before he was abducted last july. police in zambia have fired tear gas at protesters rallying against the early release of presidential election results.

they refuse to leave the national result center in the capitol. they gathered to protest against the release of poll results while voting was still going on in some remote regions. to israel now where 13 people have been injured after a man boarded a bus and started attacking people. police say the man was a palestinian who entered tel-aviv illegally. >> reporter: another stabbing attack in israel this time in tel-aviv. police say a palestinian man boarded a public bus and stabbed its driver first. he then moved on to stabbing passengers before fleeing. the authorities say he was apprehended by security forces 400 meters away from the bus and shot in the leg. >> translator: i saw the bus standing at the junction. people were running away from it. i went outside, i saw the terrorist running outside, policemen were chasing them.

they chased him and shot him. i decided to run for the bus to help the injured. >> reporter: the attacker now in police custody is a 23-year-old pal tinnian man from the occupied west bank who authorities say entered israel illegally. palestinian sources identified him. like all palestinian cities and towns is under israeli occupation. the government blames the palestinian authority and ham mass. >> and hamas by praising this morning's attack has demonstrated what hamas is a brutal and vicious terrorist organization. president abbas, the heard of the palestinians cannot have it both ways. he can't link arms with world leaders in paris to condemn terrorism, when he links arms

with hamas back at home. >> the last attack happened last november. israeli soldier was killed after he was critically wounded while struggling with a palestinian man who attempted to grab his weapon near a train station. israelis are angry about this latest attack. it comes at a time when the public is divided, ahead of an anticipated early election in march, something that puts the prime minister under more pressure to act. >> translator: it's very sad and frightening that a person can get on a bus and attack the driver and passengers. the arabs don't want to live with us in peace no matter what we do. >> reporter: meanwhile talks between the two sides are stalled, and a return to negotiations seems a remote possibility. there has been a brief lull in lost illties between israelis and palestinians up until now, with october and november being the bloodiest month.

now there are fears that this could start a new cycle of violence between the two sides. a prominent egyptian activist has been transferred to a military prison hospital. he has been on hunger strike for 80 days and ady bettic. his sister says his health has deteriorated but is now in a stable condition. he is charged with violating protest laws attacking a police officer, and stealing his radio. al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three colleagues who have been imprisoned in egypt for 389 days. mohammed fahmy, peter greste and baher mohamed are falsely accused of helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood. charges they deny. the south african government is now converting some public schools in high-tech learning centers. but is tech centric learning

cost effective and sustainable in the long term? tania page reports. >> reporter: it's a big day for these students. from now on tablets will replace their school books. the secondary school is among seven public schools switching from paper to screens. thanks to a partnership between government and private sponsors. >> you will see different types of wi-fi. you are going to students. >> reporter: the teacher guides them through lessons and if she is ever off sick another teacher can be streamed into the classroom. this girl is excited about the investment in her future. >> education is the key to success, so when using tablets it's more easier than writing, and you get to do more work and stuff like that. so it's more important and it's going to help more -- a lot of people in future to get jobs. >> reporter: that's important in a country where most school

graduates are unemployed. >> everybody will know you come from here and this is the school of the future. >> reporter: but the future is expensive. it will cost $1.5 billion for tablets and internet connectivity for the schools. but while this school is being propelled into the digital age, most schools in south africa don't have libraries, some don't have flushing toilets, and many are under sourced and understaffed. this group forced south african government to adopt standards in all schools. but it has questions. >> is this an approach that is cost effective and sustainable and can be rolled out across the country? and most importantly is it going to deliver on its promise of providing a better education for all. >> that may depend on whether these students can improve their

pass rate at the school and how many go on to find jobs. and a quick reminder you can keep up to date with all of the news on our website, there it is. aljazeera.com. all of the latest in ongoing developments. that's aljazeera.com. in this this this. >> it themselves equip and train people to document abuses. the renowned musician reflects on a life event that infliences his work now. >> i was bullied by a group of kids. they took my clothes out and