500 and carried out nearly 500 airstrikes sends the bashar al—assad tabloid. the suspect excused of killing a ceo is denied bail and court. and israel prime minister benjamin netanyahu takes the stand in his corruption trial, slamming charges against him as ridiculous. welcome to the programme. israel says it carried out some 480 as strikes over two days in syria after rebel groups took over the country and toppled the assad regime. the government says it's trying to prevent weapons from reaching walley extremists and a secure border. he claims to have destroyed assyria naval fleet monday night and in the capital damascus, aerial pictures that show the destruction of the syrian military research centre. the idf acknowledged

operations in syria beyond the demilitarised zone near the israeli occupied: heights. serious neighbours and the united nations have called for the attacks to stop. the new interim prime minister has called for stability and calm, he was appointed on tuesday with a rubber group that took damascus. the governor small pocket of rebel held territory. in damascus, some shops have reopened now, traffic is resumed and 40% of government staff were back to work. he is a international editor, jamie bowen. 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 far from 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. meanwhile, us secretary of state antony blinken said tuesday that the us will recognise and fully support the future syrian government should follow certain principles. tom bateman gave us his analysis of the us response. what the us actor said is dangling a prize in front of the people that want to take the levers of control in damascus. he is saying that a future government of syria will get both the recognition and the full support of washington. so long as it affects fulfil the number of conditions that the americans are laying out here now that's both about the transition to in the shape of this future government and the americans wanted to be credible, transparent and inclusive of the very broad sectarian religious make up of

syria itself and that it should respect minorities so that is about the way it would govern internally but there's also another element actually to the american statement here and that's about security in the region and america's strategic position. so what they say there is at the syrian government cannot use the country as the americans would frame it as a base for terrorism, it cannot threaten its neighbours now crucially, thatis its neighbours now crucially, that is the americans are very much thinking about their key ally in the region there, israel, and also that any remaining stocks of chemical or biological weapons have to be destroyed. this is largely aimed at hts, the group that lead that march on damascus, the good of the americans designated as a terrorist organisation but are basically saying here that they think the hts has been saying the right things but they want to see and judge them by actions rather than words are i think thou opening the door to dialogue

with hts, they are already suggesting that they are in direct contact with this group and they are dangling the possibility of having an inclusive representative government in syria they can have relations with washington, historic change after half a century of bashar al—assad rule and becoming an american ally in the region basically but to do that, they want a government thatis do that, they want a government that is amenable to washington's interests particularly those in the region and i do think that the cards the american have to play you are quite limited in some senses, that is in part because of the way the americans are bound and their support for some moderate opposition groups in syria earlier on in the civil war but everything now is in transition and it's really hard to tell the degree to which hts might sort of buy into this and until we get a clear position of what's happening on the ground in syria, they will take notjust days but weeks and months. tom

bateman they are, also speaking with the tosha, a senior fellow with the tosha, a senior fellow with the tosha, a senior fellow with the middle east programme of the centre for strategic and international studies, i asked how realistic of the relationship between the us and the new syrian government might be. i the new syrian government might be. ~ , , be. i think it is very realistic. _ be. i think it is very realistic. hts - be. i think it is very realistic. hts even | be. i think it is very - realistic. hts even prior to launching the trouble offensives couple of weeks ago, i remind everyone, had been trying to advocate for being delisted as a terrorist organisation and had been saying some of the right things to get there but they had not been met with any sort of negotiating partners on the other side. negotiating partners on the otherside. i negotiating partners on the other side. i think now is the time for the united states and others to have a really detailed checklist of what needs to happen in terms of transition to a civilian government and potentially elections in the future. so i actually do think that the us has quite a bit of leveraged, about 90% of the population is under the poverty line and government employees need salaries are so there's going to need a lot of external help

for syria in the days and weeks to come and so that can be used to come and so that can be used to really try syria on a better path. to really try syria on a better ath. ., ., , path. you mentioned there this rebel grow) _ path. you mentioned there this rebel group being _ path. you mentioned there this rebel group being delisted - path. you mentioned there this rebel group being delisted as l path. you mentioned there this rebel group being delisted as a| rebel group being delisted as a terror group, it's on release, he did have affiliations with al-qaeda previously, it's been working to try to distance itself from that so is that a goal, do you think, that the main rebel faction might be working towards? i main rebelfaction might be working towards?— main rebelfaction might be working towards? i think that the 've working towards? i think that they've already _ working towards? i think that they've already distanced - they've already distanced themselves from al-qaeda, many years ago, i think the question for a lot of people in syria is notjust, will they protect minorities and those who have been living in regime controlled areas and those who have been part of the security forces, for example all the military but also, if they will protect a lifestyle that a lot of syrians enjoy and remember, a lot of refugees will be returning to assyria that they remember from returning to assyria that they rememberfrom before returning to assyria that they remember from before 2011 and not perhaps what they had in

mind for syria in the future but thus far, they are saying and doing the right things and they recently issued a statement as well for bidding their members from interfering in women's attire as well. the former president _ in women's attire as well. the former president of _ in women's attire as well. the former president of syria bashar al—assad has been accused of human rights violations for years including using weapons which are banned internationally. the damascus suburb was attacked several times with chemical munitions, our correspondent has been speaking to some of those who lost loved ones there. 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 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 theirfamilies 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 funeral for theirfamilies. 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. of course you can find more on that story and our coverage was taken place on our website. around the world and across the uk, you are watching bbc news. let's take a look now at some other stories making headlines, government departments have recommended a pay rise of 2.8% from millions of public sector

workers including teachers, nhs staff and senior civil servants. inflation is permitted to average around 2.6% next year, the union unison said the report pay increase was above the cost of living summit of the recommendations will now be considered by independent pay—per—view bodies. menora labor government in wales has published its spending plans for next year with healthcare offered hundreds of millions of pounds more to tackle record high waiting times. all departments will see an increase of revenue of 3.5 and 12%, the budget will need support from a least one opposition member in the senate. in the former england rugby player has believed to have died after apparently trying to cross a flood swollen river in his car. police said a 43—year—old is suspected to have gone into the river which was hit by heavy rain during storm darragh, officers have sent was covered his vehicle in the search is continuing. your live with bbc news, the man

accused of killing a healthcare executive in manhattan last week appeared in a pennsylvania court and is fighting extradition back to new york. authorities charged luigi mangione with the murder of brian thompson when he was arrested, police said a 26—year—old was carrying an unprincipled fire on known as a ghost gun and a written document that expressed ill will towards corporate america. on his way to court, he shouted this to reporters. temple early art ofjudge and intelligence of the american people. —— completely out of judge. people. -- completely out of we , people. -- completely out of 'udie, , ., , people. -- completely out of we , . , , judge. his lawyer says he will lead judge. his lawyer says he will plead not _ judge. his lawyer says he will plead not guilty _ judge. his lawyer says he will plead not guilty and - judge. his lawyer says he will plead not guilty and spoke i plead not guilty and spoke about the decision to 1533 00:15:48,587 --> 00: