russia launches air strikes on syria from its fleet in the caspian sea. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up, clashes in ramallah, as students fight with israeli forces. the latest from afghanistan where government forces are making gains against the taliban. and we investigate our coral reefs are flourishing in the polluted waters of hong kong harbor. ♪

hello, there have been major developments in the war in syria, with russia launching warship strikes into syria from its fleet in the caspian sea. it says the targets were positions held by the islamic state of iraq and the levant. russia says it destroyed all 11 targets. now backed by russian air strikes, syrian troops have launched a major ground offensive against rebel groups in hahma and idlib are the targets. >> reporter: from the caspian sea 1200 kilometers from the fighting, russia unleashed

cruise missiles. the missiles were launched without warning. these images quickly broadcast on russian state television. with a range of 2.5 thousand kilometers, the targets were well within reach. moscow said it obtained permission from iran and iraq to overfly their territory. russia released graphics showing the targets. russia's defense minister briefed the president on the strike. >> translator: this morning we engaged the caspian flotilla ships. data indicates that all targets were destroyed and no civilians were harmed. >> reporter: the strike was totally unexpected and it does beg the question as to why russia would target isil positions 1200 kilometers away,

when it has a large fighter bomber force on the ground in syria, carrying out daily strikes. it would go to remind the west of russia's military reach in this conflict. and in rome ash carter formally ruled out any military cooperation with russia. >> i have said before that we believe russia has the wrong strategy. they continue to hit targets that are not isil. we believe this is a fundamental mistake. despite what the russians say, we have got agreed to cooperation with russia so long as they continue to pursue a mistaken strategy and hit these targets. >> reporter: a disappointment for president putin who had hoped to persuade the u.s. to join his coalition against isil. the strikes on syria could be the first time that it launched their new system in

conflict the missiles have a range of up to 2,000 kilometers. they can be fired from ships and submarines and are reportedly able to carry nuclear as well as conventional war heads. they can fly at super sonic speeds less than 15 meters above the ground making them incredibly difficult to shoot down. a russian military analyst says the missiles are precise. >> they are very accurate. many of the new families of russian missiles that are coming on line are accurate and have very long-ranges. this is the ground attack version of an anti ship missile. it's very accurate, it's well over 2,000 kilometers, probably 2500, 2600 kilometers in range. this particular firing they did, went across iraq and iran, and

they are very accurate, within a couple of meters of the target. how do they target it? you have to preselect the target and know its gps coordinates. the pentagon has just said that one of its aircraft had to aller its fight path to avoid russian aircraft in syria. let's go love to rosiland jordan in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the pentagon is confirming that at least one instance one of these aircraft -- and they are not saying whether it was a fighter jet or a surveillance vehicle or drone, which is unmanned, had to basically get out of the way of russian fighter jets, but they did say that this has happened since the u.s. and russia had their first communication in a video conference to talk about what is being describe as

de-confliction, basically the process of makes certain that the americans don't get in the russian's way, and the russian's don't get in the american's way while they are conducting air strikes inside syria. but what is worrisome is there has not been anymore conversations on trying to make sure these rival air forces don't get in each other's way, lauren. >> reporter: ash carter was claiming the russian strategy in syria is wrong, but he was saying we'll continue basic technical communications. but presumably unless they do coordinate, we are going to have these kind of incidents happening again, i suppose. >> that's right. and because this -- this incident happened since the first official conversation between the two militaries, it does raise more concerns about the risk of something going

wrong over the skies of syria. and certainly, what is also a concern to u.s. military officials is the fact that in light of the report of the russians firing cruise missiles at what they say are isil targets inside syria is that the cruise missiles basically were fired from a platform in the caspian sea over iranian air space and then iraqi air space, and apparently the iraqis were not notified. so there is now the risk of something else possibly going wrong because there isn't this open channel of communication, which the u.s. says is essential at this moment. >> rosiland jordan thank you very much indeed. witnesses on the ground in syria, say russian air strikes have destroyed the main weapon's depot of a u.s.-trained rebel

group. >> reporter: a new phase in russia's intervention in syria. the air power is now being used to support a syrian army counter offensive on the ground. areas are coming under fire. this battle is for control of an important corner in western syria, strategically situated along the main highway between the cities of damascus and aleppo, and it seems the government has informed the residents of the planned assault. >> translator: after the syrian regime threatened to invade the town, the families fled from their homes, and now this town is empty of civilians and only rebels remain. >> reporter: people started fleeing on tuesday. tens of thousands live in the town, it is not clear how many already left. but the rebel factions in this region are promising to fight back. >> translator: we will defenning our land. we will not allow the army or

russian and iranian occupiers to enter. we promise that we will burn them. >> reporter: russian air strikes have been weaken the opposition. they stopped the rebel advances in this region, and now they are helping the army recapture territory. >> reporter: the immediate objective is becoming clear, to change the balance of power on the ground. zana hoda, al jazeera, beirut. ♪ tensions remain high between israelis and palestinians with three reported stabbings in the last few hours and an increase in violence. this was the scene in ramallah on wednesday when students fought with israeli forces. one man was killed and several others were injured. the palestinian leader has

insisted palestinians are not seeking confrontation with israel. clashes across the occupied west bank has seen five palestinians killed since october 3rdrd. more than 1,600 have been injured. four israelis have also died. >> reporter: there were clashes in several areas around the west bank in jerricho, bethlehem, and hebron where one of the protesters died and here in ramallah where students of the university had called for their own day of rage. now the clashes lasted for several hours with israeli forces using once again live ammunition to push back the protesters. this has been going on for several days and there is one figure that really stands out at this stage, and that's the number of wounded. according to the red crescent and palestinian health ministry, since october 3rd, 1,642

palestinians were wounded and among them you have about 260 that were hit by live ammunition about 650 that were wounded because of rubber coated steel bullets. that just gives you an idea of the amount of force israeli soldiers have been using to push back these protesters and to confront them. each time there is more -- there is a new injured, each time that someone dies, it gives -- it really increases the resolve and determination of these youth, many of them will tell you everything else fades, the negotiations are not happening. there is no political way ahead that we can see and trust, so the only thing we can do at this stage is to continue to keep up the pressure, at least to make our voices heard and to make everyone understand that we will not stay quiet until we get what

we want. now the rest of the population does agree with the message of these youth, but also is not -- is wondering what is the step ahead, you know, people here have been going through already a first and second intafada, there is talk of a third, but we're still not there, many will tell you, and then what? if we don't have a clear goal, then more people will die, there will be more death and destruction around, and probably we won't get much. certainly a lot of people here are frustrated. a lot of people do wonder what lays ahead, but none of them seem very positive at the moment. still ahead on the program, one of the world's biggest diamond producers discovers that the gems are not so precious anymore. and calling for unified european approach to the refugee crisis, the german chancellor and her french counter part

address the european parliament. >> this is the true definition of tough love. the only way to get better is to challenge yourself, and that's what we're doing at xfinity. we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around.

♪ hello again a reminder of the top stories here on al jazeera. russia has fired 26 cruise missiles into syria. the defense ministry said the targets were associated with isil and al-nusra. moscow has bolstered its presence on the ground in syria, as it backs government forces in an offensive against rebel groups. and there's heightened tension in israel following reports of a number of

stabbings. in one incident an palestinian stabbed a man to death outside of a mall. doctors without borders is calling for an independent investigation for investigating the bombing of its hospital in kunduz, which called 22 people on saturday. the u.s. military took responsibility for the attack after initially blaming afghan forces saying it was a mistake. doctors without borders says the coordinates were well-known, and the attack amounts to a war crime. >> we are not rely only on internal investigations. today we have announced we're seeking an investigation into the kunduz attack by the international humanitarian fact-finding commission. this commission was established in the additional protocols of the geneva conventions and the only permanent body set up to

investigate violations of international humanitarian law, such as attacks on hospitals which are protected in conflict zones. the government counter offensive to recapture kunduz continues. a government counter offense if was launched on tuesday. al jazeera's correspondent has this update. >> reporter: the city is now quiet, but the two sides are not far from each other. taliban and afghanistan government forces are few hundred meters from each other, taking position. civilians are getting out of their home to do some shopping. some shops are open. they were suffering for almost 10 days with no food, no water. they were stuck in their homes, no electricity. some are leaving the area. we talked with couple of

residence of kunduz city. they are telling us that they are -- they don't have faith on afghanistan security forces anymore that the area going to be cleared soon from taliban. they believe the fighting going to continue for sometime now. we talked to the afghanistan security forces we asked them why they are going so slow. we asked them if there is lack of capability among afghanistan forces. the officials are telling us here, one, that they have lack of leadership, lack of coordination, among the 7,000 forces we believe here, then they are saying that the second reason that taliban are hiding in the residential area. if afghanistan security forces are giving it a hard push it might cause heavy civilian casualty. that's why they are going so slow. india's president has called for more tolerance and unity in his countrying, following outage at the killing of a muslim man

for allegedly eating meat. a mob beat the man to death with bricks and stones. the cow is a sacred animal in hinduism, and there is a state-wide ban on its slaughter. >> translator: the state governments or the federal, if anybody tries to spread tension or creates any communal problem it will not be tolerated and strict action will be taken against him. police in belgium have been fighting with protesters after a large anti-austerity march by the trade unions got out of hand. the demonstration turned nasty with demonstrators confronting riot police. the unions say 100,000 members took part in the rally. they are unhappy at the austerity pollties of the prime minister.

greek police say they have broken an international criminal ring that has been trafficking through greece. those detained come from pakistan, egypt, syria, and iraq. police say the alleged smugglers helped refugees travel from turkey to the greek eye land of kos. they charged 3,400 u.s. dollars for fake registration documents. the european parliament has been meeting. and there was an historic joint address between angela merkel and francis hollande. the two leaders set out their vision for dealing with europe's refugee crisis. neave barker reports. >> reporter: if ever there was a rallying cry for europe, then

here it was. they arrived at the european parliament they faced a continent beset by challenges. it's the humanitarian crisis and the arrival of nearly half a million refugees in europe that has created rifts between countries willing and able to help, and those who want to keep them out. in the mediterranean e.u. warships have begun patrolling the waters. it is hoped this task force will help tackle people smuggling. hungary, the chuck republic, romania, and slovakia have all rejected plans to share refugee numbers across the continent. >> translator: with each crisis fears emerge. we have to live with fear.

but we must not live dominated by fear. there is a temptation to retreat into the national shell each time there is a crisis. >> reporter: it was a message shared by the german chancellor who urged the e.u. to maintain belief in the european project. >> translator: we musn't fall pray to the desire to act nationally in these moments. he must about together. it is now that we need europe now. we need more than ever before, the cohesion and courage that europe has always shown in the past. >> reporter: but as the two leaders pressed for greater solidarity, it became apparent that behind closed doors european officials were working on plans to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers. $900 million will be earmarked to remove people without the

proper paperwork, many economic migrants from afghan countries. the last time the leaders of france and germany gave a joint address here was 26 years ago, a matter of weeks after the fall of the berlin wall, back then the rhetoric was all about expansion and unity, now it's all about overcoming challenges and holding on to what europe has. and that requires unparalleled cooperation at a time of unparalleled strain. neave barker, al jazeera, strasburg. a series of suicide attacks in nigeria's northeast has killed at least 18 people. it happened during three separate bombings on wednesday. eight others were injured. mass rallies are being held in south africa where many full-time workers struggle to make enough to live on. they are calling for the minimum

rage to be raised. diamonds are central to the economy of botswana, but a global oversupply of the precious stones is hitting the industry, and thousands are losing their jobs. our correspondent reports. diamonds results in 70% of botswana's export income. >> the imbalance will pull through, and, you know, we're working very hard to ensure that consumers still desire diamonds. >> reporter: sales reached $80 billion last year, but this year's economic uncertainty in many countries and a slowdown in growth in china are damaging the industry. the world's leading diamond

company says demand remains strong despite a more than 20% drop in sales in the first half of this year. >> we're investing heavily in the long term. >> reporter: but jobs have been lost here and other countries which cut and polish diamonds. a third of employees in the cutting and polishing sector have already lost their jobs. two companies have shut down and many others have cut back production. but suppliers hope this year's christmas period will help. traditional traditionally botswana has mined and sold raw diamonds. >> diamonds is the life blood of the economy of botswana, so a lot [ inaudible ] not only in the diamond industry, the off spin of it, we are talking about people in the government please, people in hospitality, education. >> reporter: the trade union also says diamonds need to be

marketed dishthly to appeal to younger buyers. executives are urging government leaders to make concessions. >> they wanted to buy diamonds, ship them out of the country completely, they call that flexibility. we could have added services removed from the diamonds. they come up with all sorts of things. those that we can help them, we have. botswana has cut the economic growth forecast by almost half. many say this is a wake-up call for botswana to not rely on single commodity. volkswagen will recall an estimated 11 million cars worldwide next year after the company was found to have cheated emissions tests. the recall operation will begin in january, and cars will be

returned to the factory to have their illegal software changed. there has been a surprising find in the waters of hong kong will land reclamation and pollution is prolific. sarah clark reports. >> reporter: cranes and construction sites circle hong kong's harbor front. land is slowly devouring these waters as the city expands its footprint. these scientists are keeping a close watch on what is happening on land, but an even closer watch on what is going on beneath the water, and what might be happening to the coral. >> reporter: we have pollution that deprives from development particularly from sewage, heavy metal contamination, and a lot of sedimentation that results from reclamation activities. so all of these things synergistically affect coral in a very negative way. >> reporter: david baker is

leading this international research team. the group is diving at key spots around the harbor, logging coral species and how they are faring in the face of these tough conditions, and no one was expecting this. >> i'm pretty surprised because the numbers of the water quality [ inaudible ] concentration, et cetera, they shouldn't be any coral living in hong kong. >> reporter: just a few nautical miles away from this development, the drivers have found coral, not just alive, but thriving. >> it's remarkable. we can dive in place where you would think no coral could survive. polluted harbors, marinas, and you still can find corals, or coral relatives. >> reporter: so far the team has recorded more than 80 different species of coral. that's more than what has been identified in the entire caribbean sea.

>> a very clear day in hong kong, and on this site we saw a great diversity of coral, and some little schoolsover fishes today. it was a pretty nice day today. >> reporter: like any other marine environment around the world, this region is feeling the impacts of climate change and develop. but the stronger types of coral are holding on. and scientists are trying to establish how they survive. they collect fragments of corral to monitor and cultivate. >> we canning atively grow them and create baby corals, and venning yulely our goal is to put them back. >> reporter: the fact these corals are thriving is leafing scientists baffled. >> so we could make a hypothesis that the corals have only be selected because the strongest survive. so these could be supercorals

that may hold secrets for coral survival globally. >> reporter: sarah clark, al jazeera, hong kong. more on our website, aljazeera.com. demanding an investigation. doctors without borders wants answers as to why their hospital was hit in an another round of strikes against isil. russia steps up attacks as syrian ground forces step