live from washington. this is bbc news. syria's new leader pledges armed groups will be absorbed into the army, as some communities express fear for their future. tributes are being paid to nine year old andre gleissner, who german police identified as one of the five victims in a christmas market attack. and in his first rally since winning the presidential election — donald trump says he may demand the return of the panama canal to the us. syria's de facto leader, ahmed al—sharaa, has said all weapons in the country are to come under state control — and that armed factions would soon begin to be dissolved and incorporated into the army.

his hayat tahrir al—sham group, or hts, was the key rebel group that overthrew president bashar al—assad. but it's an islamist organisation that was once associated with al-qaeda — and that's causing concern for some minorities. our correspondent yogita limaye has visited communities in the town of suweida in syria's south, and in the capital damascus — and sent this report. the dictator has fallen and fled. but what of the community he belonged to? bashar al—assad is from the islamic alawite sect. it's one of syria's biggest minorities, but it's controlled power over a majority sunni muslim country for 50 years. in a working—class alawite neighbourhood of damascus, a few agree to speak to us. dozens of others refused. i asked if they feared revenge. translation: hayat tahrirl al-sham has been respectful to us, but there are groups pretending to be hts who are making threats.

we are scared of them. they are careful when they speak, and are keen to distance themselves from the regime. but many from the alawite sect — and indeed this neighbourhood — were a part of assad's brutal forces. "where are they?" i asked. translation: everyone - who worked with the military and did bad things has fled. but people who do not have blood on their hands, they are not scared. the rebels, now in control, have said they are not looking for revenge. a group with a jihadist past and an islamist present. hayat tahrir al—sham has also promised that the freedoms of minorities will be protected. it's a crucial issue for syria's plural society. this is the christian quarter of damascus. now, we have seen christmas decorations up in some parts of the city, but people who live here tell us the decorations here are more muted than they have been before.

christians have told us that they do feel reassured by hts's promises, but that there is still uncertainty, and there are still worries about the form of government that this country will have in the future. we met youssef sabbagh, a lawyer from the christian community. i'm so happy because the assad fall. this is like a dream come true. but there is concern, i have to be realistic. a lot of syrians, muslims and all other minorities don't wish that syria will be a new afghanistan. we don't want to live under something like taliban. 70 miles from damascus, we drove to the city of suwayda, dominated by the druze — another religious minority. at the city's central square, the druze have gathered to watch their children

perform, celebrating the fall of the regime. translation: we are celebrating now, but in the event _ that there is an extreme regime with extreme laws, we are prepared to stay in the square and demand our rights. it's a moment of hope for syria, but also one of uncertainty. yogita limaye, bbc news, suwayda. the israeli prime minister, benjamin netanyahu, says israel will continue to act against the houthis in yemen, whom he accuses of threatening world shipping and the international order. his statement comes a day after a missile fired from yemen fell in the tel aviv area, causing a number of injuries. and in gaza, the civil defence agency says at least 28 people have been killed in a wave of attacks by the israeli military. targets that were hit include a school sheltering displaced families and a hospital. israel said hamas had been using the school as a command centre. this latest attack comes as mediators continue efforts to secure a ceasefire between israel and hamas. the times of israel has cited

israeli officials' confirmation that hamas has provided signs of life for several hostages still held in gaza. earlier i spoke to aaron david miller, seniorfellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace — and formerly served in the us state department focusing on middle east policy. i asked him how he rates the chances of a deal being struck soon. my my experience in israeli—palestinian negotiations is the only have two speeds, slower and slower but the closer you get to an actual agreement. but the closer you get to an actualagreement. rememberwe are talking about a limited exchange in phase one, the closer you get to an agreement the tougher the negotiating postures of both sides. there is a reasonable chance that by the end of the year the first week injanuary he could have a limited agreement which could exchange 3a and his relays are

demanding an additional ten available soldiers in the exchange for 200 plus palestinian prisoners many who convicted, tried were accused of killing his release for a 45-60 d of killing his release for a 45—60 d cease—fire. after that it will be extremely difficult. if you don't have an agreement by the first week in january and i'm beginning to think that mr netanyahu may well want to delay this until the arrival of a new administration either using donald trump as a pretext orjustification using donald trump as a pretext or justification to using donald trump as a pretext orjustification to make concessions were paving the way to give him a diplomatic success and, believe me, whoever has watched these hostages and palestinians are released for a two cease—fire, however grim distribution over the course of the last 14 months, it will be a very important accomplishment. i want to ask you more about that because the times of israel has

reported today that is really official site confirms that hamas has provided some signs of life for some hostages being held in gaza. ijust wonder, how difficult a challenge do you think that could still be when it comes to finding all of those hostages, to be frank? that is a key point. if you asked me to identify the single greatest impediment, it is the numbers of hostages exchange for prisoners. hamas wanted a week to put together a list of where the hostages are, some are controlled by palestinian jihad there are reports that criminal elements orfor jihad there are reports that criminal elements or for his or her so i think that is the key and proof of life is critically important and i and i think thatis important and i and i think that is still wants to be a heavy lift on the hamas side

but in respect to prisoner releases on the other side, the netanyahu government is going to have a tough decision to make. they are interested in making sure some of the policy prisoners that they release are not returned to the west bank and not to gaza, they are deported to either turkey or persia. so i think this is still the key element frustrating and talking the agreement. a 9—year—old boy who died in friday's attack on a christmas market in germany has been named. he was andre gleissner, killed along with four adults in the city of magdeburg. the man suspected of carrying out the attack, taleb al—abdulmohsen, has been remanded in custody on charges including murder and attempted murder. he moved to germany from saudi arabia 18 years ago. police say he had posted islamophobic comments online. the german government says it will investigate whether more could have been done to prevent the tragedy. anna foster sent this report from magdeburg.

this is andre. nine years old, looking forward to christmas, enjoying a night out at the festive market when he was killed. a fundraising account for his devastated family has raised thousands of euros. on social media, his mum said, "let my little teddy bear fly around the world once again." taleb al—abdulmohsen has been charged with andre's murder and that of four other people at the christmas market. german investigators are building up a picture of the saudi doctor, including in his own words. my name is taleb. i'm from saudi arabia. i'm an activist. in 2019 he was interviewed by the bbc. he talked about how he used his free time to help people. i created a website to help people seeking asylum, especially from saudi arabia and the gulf region. now he's been charged with killing five people at magdeburg's christmas

market, speeding a powerful car through the packed alleys between the stalls, causing terror and panic. the attack unfolded in the city's central square at around seven o'clock on friday evening. the car turned off a nearby road and onto a pedestrian crossing, entering the market through a gap in the concrete security perimeter that had been left open for emergency vehicles. it drove into the celebrating crowds, injuring more than 200 people, a0 of them seriously. minutes later, the car left the market on the east side and joined the main road. but the suspect couldn't get through the traffic, and this video shows armed officers arresting him, telling him not to move from the ground. taleb al—abdulmohsen lives in this quiet town, bernburg, around 25 miles away from the site of the attack, and more detail is coming to light about his background and his views.

he came to germany from saudi arabia nearly 20 years ago, and works at this clinic as a psychiatrist. ulrika's relative is being treated here. she was shocked when she heard the link. yes, i was very shaken. it's horrifying, terrible. it's made me sad, it's made my whole family very sad, and everything i know is sad. from his home on this peaceful street, taleb al—abdulmohsen built an online presence which will be key to the police's investigation. in 2019 he spoke to a german newspaper about what he called his activism, telling them, "i'm history's most aggressive critic of islam. "just ask any arab if you don't believe me." attention is now turning to safety and security, whether this market was protected enough and whether authorities had any warnings that taleb al—abdulmohsen may have posed a threat. germany is waiting for the answers. anna foster, bbc news.

the bbcs bethany bell has also been following the story from the scene in magdeburg. she's been speaking with locals there to get there reaction — and gave me the latest on the suspect. he has now been remanded in custody and faces charges of murder, attempted murder and causing the interest of bodily harm. there are now reports coming in that there were warnings about him, not least from the saudi authorities but one german official today said some of these alerts were not specific enough to be investigated. also there have been other complaints about him, but there also seems to have some miscommunication between the authorities, those are unconfirmed reports, we are waiting to see what the next few days bringing when it comes to more about the background of the case and the suspect. i

also want to ask you, how are people where you are coping with this just days before christmas? it with thisjust days before christmas?— with thisjust days before christmas? , . , , christmas? it is a very, very difficult time _ christmas? it is a very, very difficult time for _ christmas? it is a very, very difficult time for people - christmas? it is a very, very. difficult time for people here. it is a sense of shock, sadness and disbelief. a man walked up to me here in the market and said, iam to me here in the market and said, i am from magdeburg, something clearly with along that the security at this market, how was the car able to and to this area at all? and another woman i met said, this is my home town and there is pain there, terrible pain. the president of panama has rejected threats from us president elect donald trump about the sovereignty of the panama canal. mr trump says he will demand the return of the waterway to us hands if panama doesn't cut transit fees. mr trump made the threat in a speech at the turning point usa conference in arizona — his first political rally since he won the presidential election in november.

you have got to treat us fairly, they haven't treated us fairly, if the principles of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the panama canal be returned to the united states of america in full, quickly and without question. i am not going to stand for it. so to the officials of panama, please be guided accordingly. the panama canal has been the main link between the atlantic and pacific oceans for more than a century. it was built with american funds and was a special us territory until 1979, when the us handed it over to the panamanian government. over the past year, plumetting water levels brought on by drought have forced authorities to cut the number of ships transiting the canal. transit fees have skyrocketed as shipping companies vie for the few remaining slots. the president of panama, jose raul mulino, has since responded to president elect trumps comments. take a listen.

translation: the canal is not under the direct i or indirect control of china, the european community, the united states, or any other power. as a panamanian, i strongly represent any statement that misrepresents this reality. every single square meter of the panama canal belongs to panama _ the panama canal belongs to panama and will continue to belong — panama and will continue to belong to panama. the sovereignty and independence of our country are non—negotiable. as mr trump's innauguration approaches, speculation is mounting about what day one of his term might look like, particularly when it comes to immigration — a subject mr trump also touched on at his rally. 0ur reporter mike wendling was in phoenix for the event and shared his analysis with me earlier — take a listen. he largely stuck to the script keeps talking about throughout the campaign and since he was elected, he has consistently said that mass deportations of

millions of immigrants who do not have legal permission to be in the united states will start on day one. he will take immediate action on that and that brought a big applause today. it's more complicated than that and it is notjust signing a piece of paper. he also pledged to shut down the motherboard or and prevent migrants from moving across the southern border and said he would take action on treed. 0ne would take action on treed. one interesting thing he did not mention today was that he plans to pardon or plans to pardon people participated in the riot on january people participated in the riot onjanuary six, people participated in the riot on january six, 202i people participated in the riot onjanuary six, 2021 at people participated in the riot on january six, 2021 at the people participated in the riot onjanuary six, 2021 at the us capital, not mention that today, that is not an indication that does not plan on doing so, but it, i thought was interesting, that he did not mention that in front of a very friendly home crowd. he also spoke at length on what he calls local culture and promised to put a stop to it but do have a clearer sense of what exactly needs by that —— woke culture. what exactly needs by that -- woke culture.— woke culture. what he means when he talks _ woke culture. what he means

when he talks mammography| when he talks mammography culture is a focus on gender and race. he said would be the official policy of the government is that there is just two genders, men and women and his criticized to that people are transgender and promised to tackle but he calls transgender is in schools and he also mentioned critical race theory, a bugbear of the maga movement in the right wing. a school of thought that teaches there is systemic racism in society. fortrump there is systemic racism in society. for trump and his supporters these are far left ideas and they want to expunge them notjust from schools, but from larger american society. of course these are also some of course these are also some pretty fuzzy ideas. also what the government can do about thatis the government can do about that is pretty fuzzy. so it is a line that gets applause and certainly seems like being woke is on the way out, boarding a practice is a much larger question that we will see play out over the next four years. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

let's look at some other stories making news. more flights to and from heathrow airport were cancelled sunday, as strong winds in the uk continue to disrupt travel during the busy holiday season. around 100 flights were cancelled — affecting about 15,000 passengers. air travel has also been disrupted in northern ireland. all flights in and out of belfast city airport were cancelled sunday evening. the cancellations came after an air lingus plane suffered an emergency incident while landing during strong winds. it appears the nose wheel of the plane collapsed as the aircraft landed. the plane had flown from edinburgh to belfast with four crew members but no passengers on board. no one was seriously hurt. a london—based ugandan runner has completed a journey of more than 8,000 miles on foot. he ran and walked from south africa's cape town to london, barring a few sections where he had to cross seas or avoid the war in sudan. along the way, he faced racism in europe, and a spell in a south sudanese jail. deo hoped to use the journey to bring awareness to,

and to protest racism. you're live with bbc news. russia's president vladimir putin has vowed to bring more destruction on ukraine, in retaliation for a drone attack on the central russian city of kazan on saturday. mr putin accused ukraine of carrying out a massive assault that struck a luxury apartment block located more than 1,000 km miles from the ukrainian border. earlier i spoke to michael bociurwik, a seniorfellow at the atlantic council. thank you forjoining us here on the programme. i would like to start with the comments from the russian president, putin, is pledging retaliation after ukrainian children struck residential buildings in the city of kazan in russia. what are people in ukraine anticipating, will it deter those ukrainian strakes that we have been seeing is russia? i don't know but psychologists

would say about this but it has been normalized so much amongst the population after three years of war whether that is a good thing, we don't know, but of course the good thing here is that people are continuing with running their businesses and nurturing theirfamilies, a person marriages and things like that, but for sure, the statement from mr putin that he plans to use not one but several of those experimental high—powered missiles onto decision—making centers like kyiv people and of course when there is an incredible trust right like the one in kazan in the past 2a hours that hit luxury apartment buildings the ukrainians are pretty much now conditioned to expect some kind of retaliation.— of retaliation. let's touch a bit on the _ of retaliation. let's touch a bit on the situation - of retaliation. let's touch a bit on the situation on - of retaliation. let's touch a bit on the situation on the | bit on the situation on the battlefield because russia has accelerated its advance across eastern ukraine in recent months i wonder, do we know anything more about ukrainian strategy here, efforts to

counter that, all of the fact that there will be a change of administration here in the united states soon that could alter support levels? abs, united states soon that could alter support levels? a couple of thins alter support levels? a couple of things there _ alter support levels? a couple of things there is _ alter support levels? a couple of things there is that - alter support levels? a couple of things there is that indeed l of things there is that indeed the russians are making grounds, closing in on a very strategic center in eastern ukraine. already a major factory that makes ukraine. already a m