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tv   BBC News  BBC News  December 8, 2024 2:00am-2:31am GMT

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live from washington, this is bbc news. syrian rebels are advancing on the capital, damascus, as president bashar al—assad's office denies reports he has fled the country. 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 about his future. and paris's notre dame cathedral is reborn, with donald trump and volodymyr zelensky among world leaders marking the moment. hello, i'm helena humphrey. syrian rebel fighters are advancing on the country's capital, damascus. news agencies reuters and afp say residents in damascus have told them they have heard gunfire in the city. the syrian army says it is boosting its military deployment there, and president
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bashar al—assad's government says reports the army had withdrawn from areas around the city are untrue. opposition forces have been rapidly moving south towards damascus from aleppo and from the key strategic crossroads of homs. the head of the rebel advance has said his forces have taken full control of homs in the last few hours. other opposition factions are converging on the capital from the south, having taken control of daraa province. there have been signs the government'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. a few hours ago our security correspondent frank gardner filed this report. 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.
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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 has been unable to hold back the rebels.
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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 of its own people, but a big question mark now hangs over question mark now hangs over what comes next. what comes next. as his rule crumbles as his rule crumbles around him, many fear around him, many fear what could follow for syria. the un's envoy for syria told what could follow for syria. frank gardner, bbc news. frank gardner, bbc news. speaking earlier on saturday, speaking earlier on saturday,
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the un's envoy for syria told the bbc a negotiated solution is still possible and that a deal is necessary to avoid bloodshed and chaos. geir pedersen was speaking in qatar's capital, doha, where diplomats were holding emergency talks. key regional players including saudi arabia, egypt, turkey, jordan, iran and iraq were in attendance, along with russia's foreign minister, sergei lavrov. let speak now to mohamed taha from bbc arabic. very good to have you with us. what's the latest you can tell us? ~ ., ., .,, what's the latest you can tell us? ~ ., ., ., us? well, helena, now most of the reports _ us? well, helena, now most of the reports that _ us? well, helena, now most of the reports that are _ us? well, helena, now most of the reports that are coming - the reports that are coming from syria, from many news agencies, are confirming that now the opposition are inside the capital, damascus. there are some people who have heard some firing of arms inside damascus. not sure if this
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firing is fighting orjust a celebration of them arriving. damascus reports that they managed to get to the prison as part of the outer damascus and that they freed some prisoners from there. there are reports that some government troops are fleeing. there are reports that the opposition are besieging damascus airport. so these other reports we cannot 100% sure what a right or not, but these are the reports that are coming from many— more than one source that is reporting this news from damascus at the moment. news from damascus at the moment-—
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news from damascus at the moment.- from - news from damascus at the moment.- from some l there, reports from some residents of gunfire. i do also want to ask you about president bashar al—assad. want to ask you about president basharal—assad. is want to ask you about president bashar al—assad. is there any more news about the potential of his whereabouts, or is that still very much a question mark? , �* , . still very much a question mark? , v . , still very much a question mark? , �*, ., i, mark? yes, it's a very big historical— mark? yes, it's a very big historical moment - mark? yes, it's a very big historical moment for - mark? yes, it's a very big i historical moment for syria, after many years of these efforts of the opposition to topple the assad government and the assad rule. it is a massive moment after many leaders in the region faced the same situation previously, as we can see, as we saw what happened in tunisia, egypt, in sudan, in see, as we saw what happened in tunisia, egypt, in sudan, in yemen, in iraq and other yemen, in iraq and other countries in the last years. as countries in the last years. as lyse doucet said in an earlier lyse doucet said in an earlier bulletin, she knew that the bulletin, she knew that the assad family are now in uae and assad family are now in uae and assad family are now in uae and assad family are now in uae and assad himself, we heard lots of assad himself, we heard lots of
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reports earlier in in reports earlier in the last day that he might be in russia or he might be in other countries. but we didn't have any confirmation about that. we had reports coming from damascus saying that he is still in damascus, leaving the army there, but as the opposition now enters the capital, we will know for sure within the coming hours if this opposition will go to his residence or the
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aleppo, then very easy entering into hama, then into homs, aleppo, then very easy entering into hama, then into horns, and now into damascus from the north and from the south at the same time. we do not have any confirmation at the moment, as we speak, whereabouts assad is, but in the coming few hours it is a very serious, developing situation in the middle east. it's a very historical moment as well. i it's a very historical moment as well. ., ., ., ., as well. i mean, no matter how --eole as well. i mean, no matter how peeple in _ as well. i mean, no matter how peeple in syria _ as well. i mean, no matter how people in syria feel— as well. i mean, no matter how people in syria feel about - people in syria feel about this, and of course we know about the opposition for a very long time, from the arab spring, the uprising in 2012 and so on, nevertheless, whatever happens here, and if this is the beginning of the end of the assad regime, which has been in power, that dynasty, since 1971, this must be a pretty uncertain moment, one would imagine, for syrians about what will happen in the coming hours and days. do we have a clear idea about how
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civilians, for example, in damascus feel about hts? yes, what we can _ damascus feel about hts? yes, what we can see _ damascus feel about hts? yes, what we can see from _ damascus feel about hts? yes, what we can see from pictures, | what we can see from pictures, it is a mixed feeling moment, as you said. it is an uncertain moment. at the time when there are many people in syria suffered during the war from what they considered as an operation from the syrian government, as they managed to crack down hard on the areas that the opposition were controlling or fighting— we heard lots of reports about shelling, about lots of areas, residential areas, that were bombed and lots of people were killed, lots of people were put in prison. we heard a lot of this news. there are lots of atrocities between the assad
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government and the assad army and the opposition, and the people who supported the opposition, and what they called the revolution. and they still call it the revolution. so we saw pictures that are coming that were confirmed and verified by bbc arabic that many people are happy, many people are celebrating, many people are celebrating, many people are celebrating, many people are welcoming the change. but yes, as you said, it is an uncertain moment because this militant opposition, some of them were part of daesh, the previous so—called islamic state in syria and iraq, some of them were part of al—nusra, which is a group that was affiliated with al-qaeda, but we saw recently golani, the leader of this movement, the leader of these troops, appearing on
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other media in an interview. he looked like a statesman, he was assuring everyone. and we didn't hear when they entered aleppo that they did any revenge or any atrocities. we didn't see them doing the same when they entered hama or homs. we didn't see until now any extremism or any revenge, if i might say, after all of this these years of warfare. but after the islamist in the region were a little bit not on the forefront after the collapse of the rule of the muslim brotherhood in egypt and also what happened with the decline in indonesia, after all of the muslims declined in the region, when we saw other
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troops that are perceived to rule parts of syria again and the coming back of islamist �*s, it is definitely a and historical point for syria, and a mixed feeling for the syrians who faced lots of situations, and they want to carry on a peaceful life.— and they want to carry on a peaceful life. talking about that uncertainty, _ peaceful life. talking about that uncertainty, also - peaceful life. talking about| that uncertainty, also heard from the un envoy on syria today saying that negotiations are possible, saying that they must happen to to stop further chaos or bloodshed. we've also heard comments as well today from russia. of the assad regime's key allies, saying that they maintain that support. so is there the possibility here that something else could still happen — that we could see more strikes, for example, from russia or, for example, from russia or, for example, we could see a
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negotiated end to this? surely there are multiple possibilities now. there are multiple ossibilities now. ~ �* possibilities now. well, i'm not sure — possibilities now. well, i'm not sure if— possibilities now. well, i'm not sure if the _ possibilities now. well, i'm not sure if the russians - possibilities now. well, i'm i not sure if the russians mean political support or military support. 0n the military side, we cannot see on the ground that strong defence from russia of the assad regime, as we saw before the ukraine war started or before the stopping of the fighting started five years ago. we do not see that. we see the opposition go to these cities like aleppo, like hama, like homs, cities like aleppo, like hama, like horns, and now in damascus, without fighting. we didn't hear russia started striking some of the opposition strongholds when the fighting started. but when the
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opposition took the momentum and started to take a city by city, i think we heard reports that some of the russian ships that some of the russian ships that are in tartus left and redeployed somewhere else, and some of their air defences somewhere else that are responsible for 300 as 400s. they were deployed somewhere else. so i'm not 100% sure if russia is really willing to defend the assad government militarily. but from what we can see there is definitely the political momentum. they are participating in thejoe hart talks. they are participating, they are talking all the time with iran and turkey —— doha. and they are willing that the situation in syria will not descend into chaos and they will find a situation in syria where there is some compromise,
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some peaceful solution somehow. because now in syria you can see that the syrian territories are now split between many forces, the kurds in the north, hts is massively controlling and will control very soon damascus, and we have other troops that are affiliated to turkey and different areas. we heard news that hezbollah also sent some troops to a city or two around damascus, to have some presence there. we're not sure what the situation of the iranian troops, as we also cannot see defence from the iranian side of the assad government. we cannot see fighting as they were doing before, from the revolutionary
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guard. so i am not 100% sure if russia is putting its weight militarily behind the assad government. they are really, really busy with the ukrainian war, as hezbollah is really busy with the war with israel. and one last question, briefly, if you don't mind. whenever you have a situation like this, and there is the potential for have a situation like this, and there is the potentialfor a political vacuum, there there is the potentialfor a political v
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