live from washington. this is bbc news syrian rebels are reportedly approaching the capital of damascus, as president assad's office denies reports he's already fled the country. office denies reports he's storm darragh rages across the uk — leaving two people dead and hundreds of thousands of people without power. south korea's president avoids impeachment over his brief declaration of martial law — but questions remain over his future and paris�* notre dame cathedral is reborn, with world leaders including donald trump and volodymyr zelensky marking the moment. hello, i'm helena humphrey. the syrian army says it's boosting the deployment of forces around damascus, as rebel fighters continue towards the capital. the government of president bashar al—assad says reports

the army had withdrawn from areas around the city are untrue. opposition forces are rapidly moving south towards damascus from aleppo and from the key strategic crossroads of homs, which appears to have fallen to opposition forces in the past few hours. other rebel factions are converging on the capital from the south, where they've taken the province of daraa. there are signs that the goverment�*s control over damascus is slipping: this footage from the suburbs shows protesters toppling a statue of assad's late father, who founded the ruling dynasty. our security correspondent, frank gardner, has the latest. they think they've won already. these are syrian rebels in the south of the country, in daraa, part of a pincer movement that is closing in on the capital, damascus. more celebrations today in the north, in the city of hama. the rebels�* advance across the country has been lightning fast. and outside the strategically

vital city of homs, islamist led rebels are streaming towards the city centre, reportedly freeing hundreds from the prison there. of syria's president bashar al—assad, there is little sign. this does now feel like the dying days of the al—assad regime. a family dynasty that has held syria within its brutal grasp for more than half a century. but where is the syrian army in all of this, because they mostly seem to be surrendering or defecting? but tonight, syrian state television did put out a video with the impression that the al—assad regime is still very much in charge. the reality is, syria's army is weak, without enough support from russia, iran and hezbollah, it's been unable to hold back the rebels. we do have some pictures of the syrian army. here they are today crossing the border into iraq, to get away from the fighting. assad had really been absent

and this tells you a great deal about psychological warfare. it seems to me that the opposition has already won because they have really won the psychological warfare against the regime itself and the syrian army does not really seem to be standing up. bashar al—assad was last seen on sunday, meeting his backers from iran. but that country has been weakened by conflict with israel and can no longer give him the support he needs. the assad regime has murdered, gassed and tortured thousands of its own people. but a big question now hangs over what comes next. as his rule crumbles around him, many fear what could follow for syria. frank gardner, bbc news. as bashar al—assad's fate hangs in the balance, the un's envoy for syria has told the bbc a negotiated solution is still possible — and that a deal is necessary to avoid bloodshed and chaos. geir pederson was speaking

in qatar's capital doha, where diplomats are holding emergency talks. key regional players including saudi arabia, egypt, turkey, jordan, iran and iraq — were in attendance , along with russia'sforeign minister, sergei lavrov. with me is now is mouaz moustafa, executive director of the syrian emergency task force. good to have you with us, thank you for coming into the studio, and just to you for coming into the studio, andjust to begin, you for coming into the studio, and just to begin, i would like to get your reaction to what we are and you are and people that you know in syria and are speaking to our witnessing on happening on the ground today. what is unfolding underground is something that is undescribable a good, is that iran, russia, the tyrants, i get out of syria, and syria, without any foreign countries like turkey etc, are liberating their homes, and am talking about liberating dungeons ——

dungeons where women and men and children are being tortured to the get that, there is a four—year—old girl, she's now 14, seeing the sunlight for the first time in a decade, it's a beautiful thing happening and reverberations on the middle east because it would bring a more stable and peaceful world, some one like president assad will no longer be in power in the syria. i will no longer be in power in the syria-— will no longer be in power in the s ria. ., ., , , the syria. i hear the optimism in what you're _ the syria. i hear the optimism in what you're saying, - the syria. i hear the optimism| in what you're saying, because i want to ask you about hts, a group that the split from al-qaeda out but has been declared in 2018 here in the united states as a terrorist organisation, how do you think ordinary syrians, civilians, are feeling about the prospect of their potential leadership as the sweep into these various areas? ,, �* , , ., areas? sure, it's terrible to reduce the _ areas? sure, it's terrible to reduce the syrian _ areas? sure, it's terrible to| reduce the syrian revolution areas? sure, it's terrible to . reduce the syrian revolution to one faction, there is an operations room that has multiple functions of different political strikes some are

secular is some are conservative, but they agree on one thing, they are going to liberate syria from al-qaeda, isis, iran, russia, isighed, and they will allow people to have their country back. let's look at what happened so far, in the matter of two days. when the assad gym it took them years, with the russians flattening in, killing everybody, like what they're doing in ukraine now, but the rebels took it in two days, zero civilian displacement, the rub is increased —— include an operations room that includes hts as one of them. as include why hts is qualified as a terrorist organisation in the united states or united nations, it's based —— based on an older vision —— version, at the time when syria was a complete mess, that mostly

affiliated with al-qaeda in order to our new —— do isis, both people, and what happens is that portion dissolved, hts, still, i do not agree with them politically and in other ways, but they were the ones that defeated the al-qaeda affiliated syrians, so it's ironic for them to be that don't follow, but they are just one of many and they're not there to rule anyone like that taliban. i5 there to rule anyone like that taliban. , ., , ., ., taliban. is there a period of instability. _ taliban. is there a period of instability, which _ taliban. is there a period of instability, which one - taliban. is there a period of instability, which one might imagine in some circumstances, we have heard from minorities, other whites, chris stephens, dues and so on who might be concerned about what this might mean, 7 concerned about what this might mean,? �* . ., concerned about what this might mean,? �* . . , ., concerned about what this might mean,? �* . ., mean,? i'm excited that you say ou're mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing — mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from _ mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from them, - mean,? i'm excited that you say you're hearing from them, but l you're hearing from them, but your sins are concerned, i'm sure they're concerned, mostly the west and the rest of the world, because imagine of happy people be if ukraine was defeated in russia and was

deliberate in it, if dungeons and gulags where they were torturing babies were being liberated, but instead the competition is about this one group that all of the mainstream media is reducing to this thing and it's a story of concern, but i would advise the bbc, and i'm happy to co—ordinate it, is talk to the bishop of all catholic christians in aleppo city i just spoke to richard grenell, a friend of the incoming president elect in the united states, and he caused because he wanted an update about was happening in syria, and i said this is what is happening, iran is losing, the run outs, rush out, assad outs, he said it is great and the president is worried about the christians, so we put them in touch with multiple christians in aleppo, including the bishop, the highest ranking bishop in all of syria representing the vatican, and the bishop told him his biggest concern was russia and assad bombing cities, and the biggest things

about the rubber slaughtering babies and minorities is scaring the communities, it's amazing that services are being provided. amazing that services are being rovided. �* ., amazing that services are being rovided. �* . u, ., provided. after a decade of difficulties _ provided. after a decade of difficulties and _ provided. after a decade of difficulties and what - provided. after a decade of difficulties and what we - provided. after a decade of i difficulties and what we seen happening in syria, as you point out, briefly, if you do not mind, what do you think is the prospect of fair and free elections, then, where we to see the assad gym fall? this elections, then, where we to see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was — see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there _ see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there and - see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there and iran - see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there and iran and j as assad was there and iran and russia was there, there is not democracy, but syrians were able to free themselves without outside support, which is important because regional countries cannot force us to do anything, what we want un resolution 2254 to be implemented as by the syrian people are not sergey lavrov. thank you for being with us first or. —— mouaz moustafa.

health officials in gaza say israeli strikes killed at least 34 people on saturday. the israeli raids hit a house in gaza city. four women are among those killed. israel has not commented on any of the strikes. it comes as qatari officials say there is momentum for a possible ceasefire deal between israel and hamas. qatar's prime minister says the country is engaging with president—elect donald trump's incoming administration. sources tell the reuters news agency mr trump's middle east envoy travelled to qatar this week to facilitate an agreement before his inauguration at the end of january. hamas says a ceasefire could only be reached if it secured an end to the war in gaza. israel says the war can only end once hamas is eradicated. hamas released a video saturday claiming to show israeli hostage matan zangauker in captivity. in the video — which we willing not be showing — a man who introduces himself as matan can be seen pleading with the israeli leaders to make a deal that would bring those being held by hamas back to israel. matan�*s mother responded to the release of the video — urging israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu

to bring her son home. translation: after 14 months of hell, sleepless and anxiety l that cannot be described in words, i have a sign of life from matan. my matan is alive!! at the beginning of my speech, i want to say: any deal that does not return everyone is a death sentence for the rest. netanyahu: end the war, return everyone! israeli air strikes on two villages in southern lebanon killed six people on saturday. the lebanese health ministry says five people were killed in an attack on the beit lif village , while one person was killed in a drone strike on deir seryan. israel has not commented on either incident. it is the latest attack to test the ceasefire agreement between israel and hezbollah that has been in place for less than two weeks. two people have been killed by falling trees as storm darragh brings severe weather to parts of the uk.

200,000 homes are without power, mainly in wales and northern ireland. a wind gust of 93mph was recorded this morning in wales. and there's been travel disruption across rail networks and at airports. our wales correspondent hywel griffith reports. damage and disruption in the wake of storm darragh. after standing strong for almost 150 years, llandudno's pier couldn't cope with hurricane—force gusts of wind. we got up this morning to, like everybody else, a nightmare, really. and to see the damage and how rough the weather has been has really shocked us. it's heart—wrenching. overnight, roofs were ripped off. the hope is that something can be salvaged from this chapel near newtown. fallen trees, closed railway lines and roads. here in lancashire, one claimed the life of a driver in his 405. a second motorist was killed in birmingham this afternoon.

in swansea, the occupants of this car were fortunate to get out unscathed. flights were cancelled. those already in the air were in for a bumpy landing. the winds may have eased, but the risks from storm darragh remain persistent. rain has triggered flood warnings right across wales. falling on already saturated ground, the fear is that river levels will rise quickly. cars were close to being submerged as the river wye burst its banks. tonight, flood warnings remain in place. thousands of people are still without power. it looks like the worst part is over but there is still very, very high winds, more rain to come, and people should be very, very careful.

as the fourth named storm of the season keeps sweeping through, people around the country are left to count the cost. hywel griffith, bbc news, cardiff. south korean prosecutors arrested former defence minister kim yong—hyun sunday over his alleged role in president yoon suk yeol�*s martial law declaration. this comes as opposition mps vow to push for impeachment after yoon narrowly survived an attempt to oust him by just a handful of votes. tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the country's parliament, calling on president yoon suk yeol to resign. he declared martial law earlier this week — only to reverse just a few hours later amid widspread public and political outrage. our correspondent, laura bicker reports. pop music plays. mass protests can feel like pop concerts in korea, even when they're calling for the impeachment of a president. young and young—at—heart

sung together, united in the hope that yoon suk yeol will be removed. the president suddenly declared martial law late on tuesday night and the country's elected politicians were forced to battle their own military to overturn it. today, he said sorry to try to save his career. translation: i sincerely apologise to the citizens i who were likely alarmed and disturbed by these events. the crowds still cried for his removal. but soon, they realised the president's own party would not vote to impeach him, and the singing stopped. translation: what i believed and thought as democracy - and freedom, it all collapsed in a single moment. i'm very angry. now is the time for each person to rise and come out here with us.

the lawmakers, they should represent the people, not the president. and we are very angry. we are very upset. we are not going to back down until he is impeached. in contrast to the crowded streets, the seats of the ruling party sat empty as they boycotted the vote. all efforts to get them to return were in vain. this was not the result that they were hoping for. president yoon might think that he can stay on for another two years as a lame duck president, or his party might think of other ways to get rid of him, but south koreans have proved themselves to be resilient and determined protesters and these demonstrations are only going to get louder and larger. with one last plea, the crowd pushed forward towards the parliament gates, calling on mps to get

back inside and vote. the people of south korea are now challenging the politicians. and disconsolate but defiant, they have vowed to return. laura bicker, bbc news, seoul. five years after a devastating fire ripped through notre dame cathedral in paris, it reopened in a lavish restoration ceremony on saturday evening. the colossal project — costing more than $700 million — has been completed broadly in the timeframe promised by french president emmanuel macron. world leaders descended on paris to mark the reopening. us president—elect donald trump and ukraine's president volodymyr zelensky were there, meeting with mr macron ahead of the ceremony. representing the united kingdom was prince william — who also met with the us president elect. our paris correspondent andrew harding has more on the momentous night.

cathedral bells toll. the famous bells ring out once more. then three knocks at the cathedral door, and notre—dame is officially reopened. some would say reborn. inside, no hint of the fire's damage. instead, gleaming limestone and a host of vips. prince william is here, alone, to represent the united kingdom, greeting donald trump, who seemed close to arm wrestling the french president, emmanuel macron. applause inside for the firemen who tackled the blaze and saved much of the building. and a french "thank you" projected on the outside. president macron, weakened politically these days, sought to inspire and to unite. translation: we have rediscovered what greatj nations can accomplish —

to achieve the impossible. this cathedral has shown us what a nation is and what the world should be. it was late on 15th april 2019 that notre—dame caught fire. an inferno spread, a watching world gasping as the famous spire collapsed. but the work of 2,000 craftsmen and women, a flood of donations and a strict deadline have brought france's most beloved building back to life. before tonight's ceremony, time for a short meeting between macron, trump and ukraine's embattled leader volodymyr zelensky. it certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now, and we'll be talking about that. but the focus tonight was on one building that has weathered centuries of storms and has re—emerged, looking and sounding perhaps

even better than new. the restoration of cathedral was a monumental effort years in the making. around 250 artisans, architects and other experts are said to have worked to restore the gothic landmark to its former glory. one of those architects is jackson dubois, a new york—based timber framer who worked on the spire in france's loire valley for three months. he's also the executive director of the timber framers guild. i spoke to him a little earlier. i like to start by getting your reaction to what to you personally. reaction to what to you personally-— reaction to what to you personally. reaction to what to you ersonall . , ., ., , personally. great to be here with you. — personally. great to be here with you, helena, _ personally. great to be here with you, helena, and - personally. great to be here with you, helena, and it - personally. great to be here| with you, helena, and it was personally. great to be here . with you, helena, and it was an amazing day of finally unveiling the results of a solid five years of amazing work by so many craftspeople, celebrated today very much behind barricades of his or her

and all the police and delegates that everybody saw and all the fanfare going on to stop it was amazing to see, and you could tell that there is a whole vibe going on around the island here in paris. talk whole vibe going on around the island here in paris.— island here in paris. talk to us about— island here in paris. talk to us about your _ island here in paris. talk toj us about your involvement, you're talking about the hard work of the christ people, yourself included, a ready you even used and carving techniques in some of this incredible restoration. i was able to spend _ incredible restoration. i was able to spend three - incredible restoration. i was able to spend three months| incredible restoration. i was - able to spend three months last year represented in a few american organisations. the timberframework american organisations. the timber framework skilled and another studio in taking part in the reconstruction of the gothic elements of the spire and to fours and quadra foils and to fours and quadra foils and all that really high, mediaeval, gothic elements included in the original vision of the spire. it was a mix of hand tools and power tools, and there was definitely a lots of hand carving involved. the material came in on one side of

the shop with marks still on and left ready to be installed in notre dame, it was really cool in notre dame, it was really cool. ~ ., , cool. where there any challenges _ cool. where there any challenges along - cool. where there any challenges along the i cool. where there any - challenges along the way? i know your name is jackson dubois, which is relevant, but what was it like for with your colleagues were french. there was a language _ colleagues were french. there was a language barrier, - colleagues were french. there was a language barrier, it- colleagues were french. there was a language barrier, it mayj was a language barrier, it may ancestors are from central new york, so when in it was the boys, but in france it was the boys, but in france it was the boys, so we had to —— there was a language barrier so we had to lean into the similarity with our work, lean into the similarity with ourwork, but lean into the similarity with our work, but every day it was a pleasure to explore. i wonder what ou a pleasure to explore. i wonder what you felt — a pleasure to explore. i wonder what you felt when _ a pleasure to explore. i wonder what you felt when you - a pleasure to explore. i wonder what you felt when you would i what you felt when you would like so many people around the world watched the images in

2019 of the spire burning and collapsing, it felt like there was a collective gasp, and then watching that and becoming involved in that project, how does that feel from that moment? it does that feel from that moment?— does that feel from that moment? ., , . , , moment? it was incredibly moving- — moment? it was incredibly moving- i _ moment? it was incredibly moving. i was _ moment? it was incredibly moving. i was in _ moment? it was incredibly moving. i was in the - moving. i was in the architectural design office at architectural design office at a time, and everybody stopped what they were doing and were absolutely sharing in the heartbreak paris was feeling that evening. in the days following, when a design competition was proposed, i knew that it would be reconstructed in kind. i have been able to do projects with carpenters been able to do projects with carpe