striking military targets to ensure weapons can't be used by terrorists. but it is controversial, the un says israel is violating existing agreements. as president assad's supporters flee syria — his victims are finally free to speak. translation: the whole world knows that bashar al-assad _ is an oppressor and a liar and that he killed his own people. also tonight — in the us, an outburst by the man charged with the murder of a health executive on his first appearance in court. luigi mangione appeared in the court behind me where his lawyers contested his extradition to new york. a recommended a pay rise of 2.8% for public sector workers including

teachers and nhs workers for next year. and a colony of seals kept secret for years off the coast of suffolk. and stay with us here on bbc news for continuing coverage and analysis from our team of correspondents in the uk and around the world. good evening. days after the ousting of president assad in syria, there's mounting concern about israel's bombardment of hundreds of syrian sites, with the un special envoy to syria calling for a halt. israel says it is trying to stop weapons from falling into the hands of extremists.

tonight we have testimony from syrians who fear for their lives after the ousting of president assad, and from those whose relatives were gassed by his regime and who've been too afraid to speak out until now. our team of correspondents are across the country. yogita limaye has been to the damascus suburb subjected to a chemical attack by assad. and lucy williamson has travelled south to speak to the mother of the teenager whose death sparked the civil unrest and revolution in 2011. but first, our international editor jeremy bowen reports on the winners and losers of the downfall of president assad. at the border, the biggest and potentially deadliest divide in syria. coming in from lebanon, syrians who fled the war and the assads — desperate to get home. in the opposite direction, syrians desperate to get out — families who fear they'll be singled out for revenge. some because their religious sect supported the former regime, or because the men fought for bashar al—assad.

ali read out a facebook post from a small militia swearing vengeance. so is this such a threat that you want to take your family out to lebanon? you're worried about your lives? translation: yes, sure. the kids, my wife, i'm afraid for them. that's why i'm taking them out to lebanon. violence consumed iraq and libya after their dictators. their fear is the same for syria. it's notjust about the legacy of the war. it's about the legacy of more than half a century of dictatorship. these are people, and there are thousands more coming down the road, who don't feel safe in the new syria. and going in the opposite direction are all those who just want to get home. the duty free shop, once a favourite of those the regime had made rich, has been looted and destroyed. islamist anger at a decadent regime. we drove on to damascus. the rebels took syria

as assad's army faded away but the country's still under fire. to stop islamist rebels taking over syria's abandoned military infrastructure, across the country israel's bombing it to pieces, and not farfrom this road, taking more syrian land for what it calls a buffer zone. so far, damascus is mostly calm, but here, someone tried to burn down a mobile phone shop, already looted, from a chain named after bashar al—assad's british—born wife. the family earned billions from its control of telecoms as millions of syrians starved. the firemen have been talking to syria's new rulers. he said, "they're going to cooperate. "we don't know our destiny, but god willing, it will be good." next stop was mezzeh 86, a poor district named after a notorious regime military unit. it was a stronghold of assad

supporters until they bolted the same night bashar did, as a relieved and happy safar al—safadi told me. translation: when we woke up with the sound of gunfire and the smoke, we saw their weapons and their uniforms thrown away in the streets. safar said the rebel fighters took the weapons and showed me the uniforms thrown onto the street�*s rubbish dump and into the dustbin of history — like the dictatorship. bashar al—assad. this area used to be full of posters of bashar and his father, because it was a centre of loyalists from his own alawi alawite community. a lot of the guys who lived around here supported their families by carrying guns for the regime. they were in the security and the mukhabarat, the intelligence, or they were in the military. and now, like him, they've gone.

jeremy bowen, bbc news, damascus. let's get more now on israel's actions in syria. here's merlyn thomas from bbc verify. this is the aftermath of an israeli strike on the port of latakia in western syria. several ships left completely destroyed and submerged by water. israel said it had successfully destroyed syria's fleet. it's one of a number of military sites israel has been targeting since the fall of president assad, which we've been verifying. since the fall of president assad, including these four across syria. this is one on the outskirts of damascus. it's a site that's been linked to the country's chemical weapons programme, according to the un. this is the aftermath. the un found that chemical weapons were used by assad in syria — including in the capital damascus in 2013, which reportedly killed hundreds of people. israel have also said they've been

deploying troops into syria — to a demilitarised area called the buffer zone. let me show you what that looks like. the golan heights are an area that israel seized in 1967 and later unilaterally annexed. the move wasn't recognised internationally — apart from by the us. but we've seen evidence that they've moved further into syria. we verified this image of an israeli soldier about 700 metres beyond the buffer zone. we located him by matching this photo up with satellite imagery. and these distinctive features of the terrain confirm his location. the israeli army acknowledged some forces could be "operating in tactical points" on the syrian side. however, they say their "focus is to maintain the buffer zone". what it means now is that israel has troops in gaza, lebanon and in syria. we can speak tojeremy bowen. he is in damascus. a lot of focus on

israel. what is israel up to? the israeli military has expressed what it is doing in purely security terms, saying there is a dangerous, potentially dangerous islamist group who have taken power and it would be bad for the israeli security if they got hold of all the weapons abandoned by syrian troops and possibly turn them on israel. netanyahu has gone a stage further than that, the israeli prime minister, talking for a while now about reshaping the middle east, using israel's considerable military force backed by the us, they could not do it without the americans, and that has alarmed a lot of people who believe that the way ahead is through some kind of a more peaceful transition, may involving negotiations and agreements which netanyahu and most israelis after the 7th of october takes believe it is not possible to make those kind of deals, and israel has to be the

strongest power around the place. its arab neighbours are worried because israel has a propensity for occupying territory and not giving it back so if they are taking more of syria that is a concern, and another point, if there is to be a peaceful transition to a peaceful order here in syria, the syrians themselves might need an effective military force to secure the country itself, and if all the equipment is destroyed, it is another night tonight of israeli strikes, and if all their equipment is gone and the infrastructure has gone, it will be much harderfor that infrastructure has gone, it will be much harder for that to infrastructure has gone, it will be much harderfor that to be infrastructure has gone, it will be much harder for that to be achieved. thanks forjoining us. our correspondent yogita limaye has spent the day in a damascus suburb called ghouta, where chemical weapons were used on civilians in 2018. she's been speaking to victims and eyewitnesses of the chemical

attack, who now want a new investigation. the horrors that bashar al—assad's regime tried to hide away from the world's view. their full—scale is now being revealed bit by bit. this is ghouta, a suburb of damascus and a rebel support base. pounded by the regime and its allies. and on more than one occasion chemical weapons were used here. we went to a lane where a chlorine bomb was dropped in 2018 right outside this man's house. he says this is the first time he has been able to speak freely about what happened to his wife and four young children. "i couldn't speak before this, otherwise the regime

"would have cut off my tongue. "when the attack happened, people started choking. "my wife and children were killed by chemical bombs," he says. as we talked to him, another man tells us he also lost his family in the same attack. two toddlers and his pregnant wife. anger that he has had to suppress for six years spilling out. translation: we want fresh investigations. - the whole world knows that bashar al—assad is an oppressor and a liar and that he killed his own people. for a people who for so long have not been able to talk freely, the minute we came out here, everybody had a story to tell us. and what we have heard here about the chemical attack here is just a fraction of the brutality of the regime of

bashar al—assad on his own country. not far from the site of the attack, the men took us to a mound by the side of the road where they believe their families are buried in a mass grave. today, is the first time they have set foot here. he said if they had tried in the past, they would have been executed. now they want the graves dug up and a dignified funeralfor now they want the graves dug up and a dignified funeral for their families. we also met an eyewitness who went to geneva to testify before the un. he said that he was forced to give the regime's version of events. "intelligence officers told me to lie about the attack. "i was told to say people were killed by dust inhalation, "not by chemicals and if i didn't, my family would not "be safe," he told us. undoubtedly more such stories will come pouring out of syria in the coming days.

the southern city of daraa was the centre of the anti—assad unrest that started in 2011, and in response, government forces put it under a brutal ten—day siege. our middle east correspondent lucy williamson has travelled there to meet the the mother of a 13—year—old whose torture and death at the hands of the authorities helped to esalate the rebellion. the road to president assad's fall began in daraa, an opposition stronghold south of damascus where years of fighting have left holes in homes and families. days after assad fled syria, the mood here is stilljubilant. if anyone should be celebrating, it's the al—khateeb family. the torture and death of 13—year—old hamza,

arrested at an anti—government rally in 2011, helped spark the long syrian uprising against president assad. but no—one here was smiling today. the family had just learned that hamza's brother omar had also died in custody, five years after he was arrested. his death confirmed in documents found at the notorious saydnaya prison. his mother told me, since the regime fell, she'd been waiting for omar to come home. today, shaking with grief, she called on god for revenge. translation: | asked god | to afflict him and his children with what afflicted my children. i hope he will pay the price. when news of president assad's fall came, the people of daraa came here. across syria, people who suffered together are now

celebrating together. but the opposition here is diverse. they've lost their common enemy. now, they need a common vision. deraa's new military leader is an english literature graduate who defected from syria's army during the protests that followed hamza's death — his group separate from the islamists who swept into damascus on sunday, but both converged on the capital. i said in damascus, when we entered, "we thank god that we still live to see this moment, this great moment." "my friend, i trust in syrian people. "i trust they will choose their best choice. "nobody will accept any person who will be a dictator." choose? you mean elections? of course. that is what we are looking for. in daraa's cemetery today,

they laid the past to rest. the flag of the syrian opposition tied around hamza's headstone. 13 years after his death, the war with assad has ended. but peace in syria has not yet been won. lucy williamson, bbc news, daraa. in other news now. the man accused of killing a healthcare executive in new york has appeared in court this evening in pennsylvania. in an angry outburst, 26—year—old luigi mangione shouted at reporters while being escorted inside. he's been charged with the murder of brian thompson after he was arrested yesterday at a mcdonald's in pennsylvania in possession of a gun. he'd been on the run for days. jessica parker has the very latest. as luigi mangione was taken into court, he appeared agitated. ..an insult to the intelligence

of the american people... shouting about an insult to the intelligence of the american people. the 26—year—old faces several charges, including one of murder, after being apprehended in pennsylvania on monday. along this roadside is a small branch of mcdonald's, and it's now become a key focus in this case, because it's in there that luigi mangione was spotted. an employee then tipped off police. investigators are trying to piece together his movements over recent days, and they're talking to people who were inside that mcdonalds when the suspect walked in on monday morning. a guy came in the door, and i didn't really look at him. i thought everyone was kidding around. the one guy said, "that looks like the shooter from new york". well, then we laughed and...

i guess he placed his order and wejust went on about our business, but we were kidding about that, "wouldn't that be something?" you know? these are images from inside mcdonald's released by police. a far cry from the luigi mangione of 2016, where he graduated top of his class at an all boys private school. the class of 2016 is truly defined by its inventive, pioneering mentality, that accompanies a strong commitment to tradition. he would go on to a prestigious university. the allegations he's now facing have shocked those who know his family. you wouldn't think someone of privilege or of means - from a family that's known for doingi so much for the community would do something like this. and honestly, as a criminal defence attorney, i can say he has _ the presumption of innocence. | but that being said, even to be| charged for something like this, it's just really surprising. more recently living in hawaii, he is said to have suffered from back problems.

this spine x—ray appearing on what's believed to be his social media. officials say documents found on mr mangione showed ill will to corporate america. it was last wednesday that health insurance boss brian thompson was killed in new york city. a shooting that exposed deep anger with the country's health insurance industry. in america, we do not kill people in cold blood to resolve policy differences or express a viewpoint. luigi mangione's lawyer has now contested his expedition to new york, meaning the suspect will remain behind these walls in pennsylvania for now. jessica parker, bbc news in altoona. asi as i was saying, inside that court house behind me, luigi mangione's lawyers protesting his extradition

to new york, where the murder charge has been filed and where this extraordinary case all they can. jessica park reporting there. here, police say the former england rugby union player tom voyce may have died after his car was swept away during storm darragh on sunday. it's thought the 43—year—old, who played nine times for england and has been missing since the weekend, tried to cross a ford, but his car was caught by the strong current. in israel, benjamin netanyahu has appeared in court in tel aviv on corruption charges, which he labelled "ridiculous." he's become the first serving israeli prime minister to take the witness stand as a criminal defendant. he's facing charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. john donnison was in tel aviv for the trial. he's now back injerusalem. jon, an extraordinary moment? unprecedented, and of course during

unprecedented times in the middle east. benjamin netanyahu is accused of taking hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gifts including fine champagne and cigars in exchange for favours. he has also accused of doing a deal with one of israel's biggest media moguls to get favourable press coverage. in court today, mr netanyahu said this case was based on an ocean of absurdities. his supporters say this is no time, a time of war, for a prime minister to be standing trial, but his critics, and there were plenty outside court today protesting, including the families of some of the hostages still held in gaza. they say that the prime minister has prolonged and escalated the war is in the middle east for his own political survival, and even to avoid going to jail. he is expected to testify four weeks. thank you, jon. jon donnison there. thousands of women are set

to have their claims for equal pay settled, four years after they took action against birmingham city council. the dispute relates to claims that women employed in female—dominated roles such as teaching assistants were underpaid compared to those injobs dominated by men. the council says the payout has partly contributed to it declaring itself bankrupt last year, as phil mackie now reports. all chant: equal pay. equal pay... a small group of women gathered outside the council house in birmingham today in celebratory mood. supported by the union which backed their claim, around 6,000 will get an average of between £50,000 and £60,000 each after the city council reached a settlement. among them is teaching assistant pamela whatley. it's been especially good for the women of birmingham to come together the way that they have and fight for what's rightfully ours. but i would say that hopefully, those people will also have to put their faith in the council that all the incompetency will stop that's got us to this point,

because it's not the workers' fault. it's provided some christmas cheer for the workers who will benefit, but it's been a problem that's taken an age to sort out. i spoke to one of the women who was part of a much earlier equal pay claim more than a decade ago, and then realised she still wasn't being paid fairly and was part of today's settlement as well, whichjust shows how long this has been going on. this was 2012, when hundreds of workers won a court battle for equal pay, and the problem goes back even further than that. in 2008, workers went on strike when the council tried to equalise pay between men and women. by last year, birmingham said it owed up to £760 million in equal pay claims. it's been forced to increase council tax by 21% over two years, and says it needs to make £300 million in savings. pressure on the uk's largest authority to make ends meet has continued to rise. the equal pay settlement

allows it to plan ahead. we're continuing to ensure that we're doing everything we can to see that an injustice like this does not persist in this council and doesn't come back to haunt future generations as well. it's a really important moment, but there's still much work we need to do. what do we want? equal pay! the deal is expected to be approved next week, and the teaching assistants, dinner ladies and cleaners will finally be paid the money they're owed. phil mackie, bbc news, birmingham. several government departments have recommended a pay rise of 2.8% for public sector workers, including teachers and nhs workers, for next year. our political editor chris mason is here. that's just above the forecast rate of inflation? that's right, yes. and this primarily relates to senior civil servants, teachers, doctors and

dentists. 2.8% is a little bit above inflation. what we've seen this evening is a minibus full of trade union leaders arriving and then serving up a platter of dis— obliging the action. the royal couege obliging the action. the royal college of nursing suggesting that for an average nurse this would amount to a couple of quid extra a day and would barely cover a cup of coffee, so it is an insight into a coming row, and will be interesting to see how noisy or not it gets in the new year between trade unions and governments. will it be affordable and manageable? find and governments. will it be affordable and manageable? and we have also had _ affordable and manageable? and we have also had the _ affordable and manageable? and we have also had the chancellor- affordable and manageable? and we have also had the chancellor today l have also had the chancellor today promising to weed out what she calls wasteful government spending. that sounds familiar. it wasteful government spending. that sounds familiar.— sounds familiar. it does. we've heard it before. _ sounds familiar. it does. we've heard it before. plenty - sounds familiar. it does. we've heard it before. plenty of- sounds familiar. it does. we've l heard it before. plenty of rachel reeves predecessors have said just that. they are calling it a zero—based review, which is westminster speak for going through every single budget line by line, a line i have also heard before, where

they look at all of the numbers. they are trying to move on from the budget of a couple of months ago with all the talks about tax rises and instead talk about spending. they are saying it doesn't amount to cuts because a department having saved money, shave 5% of its budgets, can then reallocate them elsewhere on the government because my priorities. the conservative say they welcome the idea, but then point to the pay offers to plenty of public sector workers in a few months back which they suggest wasn't necessarily a wise use of public money. one example which came up public money. one example which came up today which caught our eye, the department for, a year in sport in its declaration of expenditure had paid nearly £600 each for ministerialfolders, the kind of thing you carry around bits of paper within. i was in the parliamentary gift shop earlier. you can buy one if you are there for £39. so considerably cheaper than the £590

the government paid for it. a little insight into the spreadsheets that will be getting plenty of attention in the coming six months. chris, thank you _ in the coming six months. chris, thank you very — in the coming six months. chris, thank you very much. _ in the coming six months. chris, thank you very much. chris - in the coming six months. chris, i thank you very much. chris mason there. and katie razzall has newsnight on bbc two shortly. good evening, reeta. tonight, we can reveal the government's plans, due to be announced tomorrow, to reform jails. we'll ask an ex—offender and ex—prison inspector whether this will solve the prisons crisis. that's newsnight, coming up in a few minutes on bbc two, bbc news and iplayer. thank you, katie. a fast—moving wildfire whipped up by strong winds has torn through the wealthy californian city of malibu, destroying homes and forcing thousands to evacuate one of the most sought—after areas in the us. flames were seen close to the library of pepperdine university, where students can be seen sheltering. around 6,000 residents in the area have been ordered to evacuate their homes.

the local fire chief said that there hadn't yet been any deaths or serious injuries, but warned that the fire had not been contained and the area remains under immediate threat. now, a secret colony of grey seals full of pups. they're off the suffolk coast at orford ness, and they were kept under wraps for three years in the hope that it would help them to thrive. now, for the first time during pupping season, cameras have been allowed in to film them. jo black was there. we're on a trip to see suffolk�*s secret seals. this is believed to be the county's first breeding colony of grey seals after they simply turned up one day during a storm in 2021. their home is orford ness, a former 20th—century military testing site, a once top—secret and remote location. military on the site from 1913 and they were doing everything

from testing early planes as weapons, they were just testing radar here. it's now run by the national trust, whose rangers continued the theme of secrecy by keeping quiet about the seals to try and give them a chance to thrive. we kept it quiet because we wanted to protect them. we think the seals are here because it is quiet and it's undisturbed. lots of places around the country has real problems with seals being disturbed by humans, unfortunately, you know, wanting selfies, wanting to get close. here, they are undisturbed, it's remote, and they've thrived for the last three years. this group on the mess was originally around 200 in number. in the space of four years, it's easily doubled with more pups being born each year. one day, we had no seals on the beach and then suddenly there were 200. so they stayed and they had pups that first year. so we had 25 pups born — the first time we've ever known pups to be born on orford ness — and they came back the following year and brought some friends

and we had some more pups, so 66, and then last year we had 133 pups born on site. there are bigger colonies elsewhere in the uk, but any new group, especially with successful pupping numbers, is for many a good conservation story. jo black, bbc news at orford ness. time for a look at the weather. here's simon king. and if you want to continue watching the bbc news at ten, please turn over to bbc one or you can watch on iplayer. next, it's newsnight. tomorrow, justice secretary shabana mahmood will announce the government's plans to overhaul britain's prisons. we'll ask an ex—offender — and an ex—prison inspector — will it work?