if four elements of national power work their way through here. >> thank you very much. our coverage of the u.s. air strikes in syria continues now with becky anderson in abu dhabi and the cnn center in atlanta. >> thanks for joining us. >> welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. >> coming up this hour -- >> it must be clear to anyone who try to do americans harm, we will not tolerate safe havens for anyone. >> the u.s. makes air strikes in syria. also to come, there's nobody to stop it, nobody who are listening. they thought everyone was immune from this danger.

>> an exclusive interview, iraq's new prime minister calls for more help from the united states. saying his country has paid a heavy price for the rise of isis. and the fight against ebola. health officials say deadly disease could affect millions of people within months if left unchecked. >> u.s. president barack obama before the u.n. general assembly on wednesday builds a united front against isis. we'll be speaking from a position of strength having just rallied an alliance of arab nations to help deliver the first blow against isis targets

inside syria. on tuesday, jordan, saudi arabia, bahrain and the united arab emirates where i am here delivered air strikes alongside the u.s. while canada flew combat patrols. president obama met with representatives of those nations on tuesday on the sidelines of the u.n. in new york. and he says the air campaign is just the beginning. >> because of the almost unprecedented effort of this coalition, i think we now have an opportunity to send a message that all of us are committed to making sure that we degad and ultimately destroy not only isil but other kinds of extremist ideologies that would lead to so much bloodshed. this is not something that's going to be quick. this will take time and it's not

just a military action. >> the u.s. says the khorasan group has been working on attacks for the west. . >> what makes the terror cell in syria so dangerous to the united states is they have one objective -- carry out an terror attack in america or europe. >> the intelligence reports indicated the khorasan group planned to exercise major attacks against western targets essentially the u.s. homeland. >> khorasan potential plots included clothing dipped in explosive material or nonmetallic devices like toothpaste tubes.

>> ukd get these devices through security and they could be quite catastrophic on an airliner. >> if there's no information terrorists have chosen a final target prior to u.s. strikes on their compound. >> it's far from fair whether the plot has been neutralized. the bomb maker es and the operatives that they were trying to recruit, it's possible they could even accelerate this plot. a core group of veteran operatives fought in afghanistan. a bodyguard in syria was recently captured and interrogated by the regime.

. >> exforgets say khorasan bomb makers may have been built by ibrahim al asiri, responsible for the underwear bomb and the printer cartridge. they also have a delivery system in form of western recruits with european and american passports. >> we will not tolerate a safe haven for terrorists who threaten our people. >> the u.s. says the planned attack was much further along than anyone was comfortable with. cnn new york. those air strikes mark a major escalation in what u.s. officials have called a war on isis. tuesday's targets include militant positions in and around the cities of rakka, al hasaka and aleppo. >> under the cover of night, the american war with terror groups

in the middle east entered a new more aggressive phase, striking isis in its home base in syria. >> last night, america's armed forces began strikes against isil targets in syria. >> and there was another surprise target -- a little known terror organization known as the khorasan group, an al qaeda offshoot which officials say was in the final stages of planning attacks on u.s. targets including on the homeland. even more alarming, the group waswesterners to carry out attempts. the operation began with a devastating barrage of more than 40 tomahawk missiles launched from the persian gulf and red sea. those cruise missiles aimed mostly at khorasan targets. more than 40 fighter jets and bombers, including aircraft from

four arab nations continued the assault through the night, taking on a broad array of isis positions, focus on the northern and eastern parts of syria. while the pentagon is still assessing the damage, it called the strikes a success. blows to an isis command post and training camp. the assault is an unprecedented collaboration between the u.s. and arab partner with jordan, saudi arabia, bahrain and the united arab emirates carrying out air strikes, qatar supporting the air campaign. >> the strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not america's fight alone. >> and it will be a sustained fight. the u.s. and its partners vowing this was only the beginning. >> i think the air strikes will certainly disrupt isil and may damage the khorasan group.

but we have to be realistic about what we can achieve. >> the pentagon, by the way, says it's still assessing the impact of tuesday's air strikes. becky? >> a key leader of the militant group has been killed in the u.s.-led air strikes in syria. the group posted this photo on twitter claiming to show the man known as the turk. cnn can't independent verify the group's reports. al qaeda has been fighting the government in syria and also fighting isis, the very target of those strikes. qatar among the arab nations involved in these strikes in syria, the nation has put aside i well documented differences with saudi arabia and the uae to take

part. the uae's foreign minister said it comes down to the fact that isis is a common enemy. >> i think it's indicative of the threat that everybody feels is coming. nobody is basically immune. everybody is threatened. the way/loof i have, the values. this is how the coalition was built. we need to act. we can't be passive. >> this is going to be an ongoing operation through which we will preempt my attempts to try to cross our borders and infiltrate our borders.

we need to secure the stability of our borders and our soil. . meanwhile, iraq's new prime minister tells cnn that isis fighters who cross from syria into iraq have inflicted tremendous pain on his people. arab nations have joined the fight. >> we had one in the last two years. this is a danger. now i think we're happy that everybody is seeing this so that they're going to do something about it.

and i hope they do something about and they do try. >> when the united states informed you about this new wave of attacks in syria, the officials formed the syrian government, is that correct? >> well, i understood america has informed the syrians as well. >> your national security officials have been with president assad recently. did they worn him or tell a president of the united states? >> initially i asked my superior visitor h sor that iraq will not play any part on the attack on syria. we're only supporting this in this containment.

we shouldn't be disturbed from anything. we're not part of any question and we have been told by americans and other allies, their only aim is to crush isis. they haven't any plan beyond that. >> dash, a used word in iraq to describe isis. the new iraqi prime minister went on to discuss what he will say to the u.s. president when the two leaders meet this week. you can hear that next hour when we have more of that exclusive interview. meanwhile, syria's ambassador to the u.n. speaking out against the u.s.-led air strikes in his country. he spoke with cnn's richard roth. he said washington is not seeing the bigger picture. >> we advised our american counterparts not to repeat the american fiasco in iraq by

undertaking the same kind of blind min tear attacks. >> so far, washington preferred to photoonly one truck. >> coming up after the break, we're going to take a closer look at some of the state-of-the-art weaponry used to target isis in syria. we're going to talk to military able list about their effe effectiveness and what else might be done.

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transform tomorrow. there will be air strikes against isis in syria. advanced combat for the first time as tom foreman tells us, there is a very good reason it was chosen for the mission. >> it's the most advanced fighter jet in the world or a jet that's had a lot of cost overruns. missile carried inside or it's better at eluding radar. this is just one of a tremendous number of aircraft brought to bear here including tomahawk missiles out there. an aerial assault. tremendous amount of power. and when you look at this, what you would expect the pentagon

ought to be showing is tremendous devastation on the ground. but look at the images they released. that's not what they show. they show very specific images of individual place where is there was damage, not here in the original, but over here. look at the very specific pinpoint damage. statement in the second image here. they showed how there's a big area of damage out here, but it's important to bear in mind, they pointed out that it was all contained reason the mention line of the area they were trying to hit. why do they care about that? because of this. the coalition that has been put together here is very sensitive to the idea that these are arab nations joining in an assault up here. almost certainly part of what the pentagon wants here is a clear message that they can, with these advanced aircraft like the f-22 provide pinpoint accurate assaults and that helps calm the sense here that there will be collateral damage that could make it hard for all the other nations. >> the air strikes targeted isis

headquarters, training camps, combat vehicles as well. but how effective were they in the big picture? bombing in iraq, you know, a checkpoint here, an armored vehicle or an artillery piece here and there. it hasn't done much in terms of rolling back territorial control in iraq. what can these strikes achieve in the big picture of dovetailing ends and means? >> thanks for having me. that's a great question. the first is the effect of a bombing campaign. in 1991 and 200. that coming bam cain was extraordinary effective in destroying his offensive military capability. we go against the united states, they've been conducting persistent bombing campaign

against the taliban now for 3 years and they're still kicking away. isis is an organization that falls hall way in the middle of that spectrum. not quite a full-state actor and not quite a full nonstate actor. they can sort of shape shift and morph between a nonstate actor and a state actor when it pleases them. i think in the short term, these air strikes will be effective at destroying their ability to go on the offensive. >> in terms of rolling back isis, i'm skeptical it will have any at all. >> an enemy that can and will and has treated into urban areas. it's impossible, isn't it? it speaks to the eventual need for those boots on the ground.

>> at the end of the day, you've gone at isis commander inside a residential home. are we willing to bomb a rez den home to get to that one bad guy? leaving aside the morality of killing innocent people, it just -- the only effective way is to get boots on the ground and go after them as individuals. isis has 30,000 to 35,000 sfiegters. until someone is going head to head with them on the ground, they're going to contender to run free. in iraq in particular, it's about disenfranchised sunnis.

>> what kind of does that say? 2, 2 1/2 months until the end of active combat. the real problem here is the political reconstruction of syria. does syria continue to exist. iraq is in danger. if we want to preserve the nation-state system, we have to be fully invested in a political process that works, that represents a majority of citizens. i thought we were so close to that in iraq. and unfortunately, instead of

getting the george washington of iraqer, we got malaki who turned out to be a puppet of the iranians. it's just a historical tragedy that the first man up failed so badly. syria, i'm more skeptical. there are enough sunnis who are committed to the political process we can still win to this if we continue this. a. >> we could talk all day but we'll have to leave it there. thanks so much for staying up and joining us late on the east coast. >> thank you for your time. >> doctors facing an uphill

battle, of course, every single day. and now new report warns that the deadly outbreak as the potential to get a whole lot worse. that after this.

the u.s. center for disease control says cases should jump from 550,000, almost 1.5 million if stronger steps are not taken to fight the virus. there are about 5800 confirmed cases as you know so far. more than 2,800 people have died from the disease. experts are blaming a, quote, inadequate and late global response for the scape of the outbreak. >> the cdc says these worst case scenario figures can be avoided, but only if 70% of the people currently infected get proper care and get it soon. there is some hope with the opening of a new facility all the time. >> inside this ambulance, three

ebola patients including a teenager. all of them denied entry to one of monrovia's overcrowded ebola treatment centers. >> the ambulance weaves through traffic, trying desperately to get care where it's been promised, the city's newest ebola hospital, opened just hours before. the island clinic. but when we arrived with the ambulance, we find a hospital not ready. the patients in the ambulance we followed are strong enough to walk, but there are ambulances already here, carrying patients too weak to walk on their own. two patients stay curled on in a ball. these men can't move either. we're told he's not wearing clothes below the waste because of the intense diarrhea caused by ebola. try to come down and walk a little the worker tells the man. i'm too tired he says. then summoning up his energy he tries. for now, he's left where he

falls. this little boy tries to walk in, too, but then he collapses as well. get up and go inside workers tell him. you'll only get food if you go inside. >> another worker says let him rest. they agree that's best for now. the workers tell us staff inside are suiting up in their protective gear so they can carry the patience in. we showed our video to the w.h.o. their reaction? >> it's horrible. i think what the lesson is here that people still come too late. they're very, very sick. that's when you get scenes like this. it's much better when you feel the first signs and symptoms. >> many people do try to get there earlier and they're turned away. >> that's why i'm so glad we opened this clinic. >> the hospital was open, why weren't they -- >> very good question. i don't have the answer.

yes, they should have. >> 50 graf says perhaps the reason is the hospital became overwhelmed. almost all of the 120 beds were already filled within the first day. >> this is shocking. >> of course, this is exactly what we should try to do. it's horrible. >> is h this something you're going to check on. >> of course i will. immediately. >> when we left the hospital, the boy and the man were still on the ground, a symptom of a system overwhelmed and a new hospital apparently unprepared. >> elizabeth cohen there. world health officials have said this is the worst outbreak of ebola ever. there have been previous ones. if you would like to help, we put together a list of groups working to fight this disease. you could find all of that a cnn.com/impact. >> well a desperate situation is getting worse. ahead, we'll have a live report on tens of thousands of syrians

flooding across the turkish border. that up next. ♪

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welcome to our viewers around the world. >> i'm michael holmes at the cnn center in atlanta. let's bring you the headlines now to this minute. u.s. president obama going to the u.n. general assembly on wednesday to rally support for a coalition against isis. mr. obama thanking representatives from five arab nations who carry out air strikes who are involved in some way in those isis strikes in syria on tuesday, vowing that the fight is just beginning.

one official says the group was working on new ways to smuggle exclusives on to airplanes. >> there is a new forecast for the ebola epidemic. they outline a worst case scenario, estimating between 550,000 and 1.4 million cases by january if the disease is not better contained. more than 2,800 people have died from the disease so far.

>> the most air strikes are focused on raqqa in syria. this is similar to a photo of a damaged tower treated by isis official radio station yesterday. but the group apparently trying to train raqqah's operating normally. the isis flag flying overhead. >> well, it's used raqqah as the defacemasto capital for months. what life is really like inside the city. we have this report. and we have to warn you some viewers may find some of these images in brian's report disturbing.

>> one witness relayed what it was like as allied missiles struck. the witness said isis leaders in the city of raqqa vanished from side. >> they fled out of fear. but they were living among civilians. this is very dangerous. >> according to accounts, isis terrorized the people every day. this is what residents routinely see. crucifixions of nondlooefrs, the severed heads of isis enemies displayed on poles. >> is this still common place in raqqa? >> yes, they are. unfortunately, the number of crucifixions have gone up, as well as decapitations. and they're for anyone who opposes the islamic state. residents describe an islamic police state where music has been banned. women have to dress head to toe in veils. if they don't, they could be

lashed or worse. >> some women were even executed because of this. because of the veil. >> smoking is outlawed. >> if they see anyone holding a pact of cigarettes, you will get a couple of lashes. >> for merchants sells alcohol and cigarettes their supply is burned on the streets. in this propaganda video, a merchant says he can't display women's clothes that don't conform to dress codes. >> you have to display this inside. whoever wants to buy this will wear it for her husband, no problem. she can wear it. but you can't display it on the street. >> cnn cannot independently verify these accounts, but a u.s. official tells us inside raqqa, isis enforcers use threats, violence and informants to intimidate residents. witnesses say teenage boys are recruited as informants. >> it gives them money, it says please inform on your parent, on your family member, tribes.

in exchange for that, we will give you influence. >> how did isis come to control this major city? because raqqa is in eastern syria, it wasn't a priority for the assad regime or the other opposition forces they were fighting against. they were concentrating on western syria and isis stepped into that void. now with air strikes targeting raqqa, he says if the city falls, he believes the assad regime is the most likely force to come back in. cnn, washington. >> many refugees just want to know why it took so long for u.s.-led air strikes to hit the group in syria. thousands of people have fled their homes in the past week. tens of thousands, if not hundreds to escape the militants. we have more from across the border in cur key.

>> the terrorist organization took over dozens of villages. those refugees arriving utterly exhausted, desect jed, having left everything behind. many said they wanted to see more air strikes by the u.s. and the arab coalition. inside the city of raqqa that was the scene of many of those strikes, one activist saying they most certainly welcomed this action saying that it was about time. and the international community came together to a certain degree because they felt as if they had been utterly left aside to their own means to try to fend for themselves. but he also said that isis was entrenching itself within the civilian population, that it had evacuated most of the facilities that the air strikes were targeting, anticipating this type of military action. but in other parts of the country, something of a different sentiment as it became

apparent they were not just targeting isis, but they ooer organizations which is viewed by many activists, many residents as being the only entity that had been capable of standing up against the regime and standing up against isis. more and more fear and apprehension being expressed about what it is that the u.s. and its allies' true intentions are, and lot of anxiety about what the upcoming hours, what kind of violence the next few days could possibly bring. now n australia, a teenager who officials describe as a known terrorist suspect was shot dead by police after he stabbed two officers. this incident happened outside of a police station in melbourne where the 18-year-old was due for questioning and turned up as arranged. many reports say he had made threat against the prime minister of australia, tony

abbott. the wounded officer is in stable condition. now that incident comes as australian lawmakers begin debating a number of counterterrorism measures. senior international correspondent ivan watson joins us now with more on that. >> the australian government introducing a number of new law, some would impose a prison sentence of up to five years for advocating terrorism. and then a new criminal offense that we really haven't seen anywhere before that would make it a crime to travel to a place that the australian government designates as a, quote, declared area where terrorist organizations engage in hostile activity. and the australian government has used that syrian city of raqqa a strong hold of isis as

an example of one of these proposed designated area ps .and if somebody would travel to one of these places, the burden would be upon them to try to prove their innocence, a reason for why they travelled to this place. they could face prison sentences of up to ten years if this law is allowed to go through. and this illustrates what the australian government says is the increased threat that it faces, that australia faces as a result of australian nationals traveling to the middle east, the australian government says scores have traveled to syria and have joined and fought alongside isis and other militant groups in that area. some of them have traveled back and they say that they pose a potential threat. the incident that you ze scribed that took place in melbourne today with this 18-year-old terror suspect, which was described as stabbing two police

officers in the head, abdomen and arm when he was summoned for an interrogation will probably add to support for this law, which has been criticized from some circles in australian society. notely from islamic groups that have suggested that it would give the government more power to target the muslim community in australia, and that could also hurt civil liberties in the country. michael? >> and certainly, having grown up there, ivan, there used to be a pop loor description of australia living in poetically splendid isolation from the world's woes. is there a notion this has been shattered of late particularly with the involvement in iraq, afghan staen now the isis threat seems to be, you know, leaning to a rising level of public angst there. >> well, that's certainly the case that the australian prime minister is making. and one of the arguments he very

quickly embraced the anti-isis coalition that was declared by u.s. president barack obama. australia was quick to commit more than half a dozen fighter planes and support aircraft as well as military advisers to the middle east. they departed several days ago for the united arab em rats. they have not yet been deployed over iraq as far as we know. but that is the intended goal, to really bolster the u.s.-led operation there. fighting in iraq will protect australia, even though it is thousands of miles away from the threat of isis. >> thanks for that, ivan. ivan watson there with the latest from hong kong. becky? >> the wife of an aide worker held by isis gets a new add tape of her husband.

what he said and the western reaction after this short break. >> even the uk did not participate in the strike against isis. will it change its policy? woman: everyone in the nicu -- all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world.

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this is obviously not the end of effort. it's rather a beginning. but i'm confident we have a partnership that's represented here that will be able to be successful. >> well, a message of gratitude and caution from u.s. president barack obama in new york tuesday. he might with officials from the five arab nations that joined the u.s. for strikes against isis in syria. that, of course, includes uae. there are several notable nations, not yet involved, though, in these strikes. turkey didn't participate, but its prime minister says the country will do what it can to fight the militant group. turkey is being directly impacted by the spread of isis, taking thousands and thousands of syrian refugees, freeing the violence. egypt receives considerable military aid from the united states but wasn't up with of the partners in the strikes. sunni extremism is a major concern for shiite majority iran. but its long standing sour

relationship with the u.s. and its allies syria makes a military partnership pretty difficult. prime minister david cameron says he supports the air strikes in syria, though his country didn't participate. isis already executed one british hostage and has threatened to do the same to another. france already conducting air strike against isis in iraq. its foreign minister says the president has no plans to do the same in syria. those flights close to here in uae. >> a wife of a hostage held by isis has received an add tape from her husband once again pleaing for his life. he was part of a team of volunteers who went in syria in december to deliver aid. barbara henning questioned why

isis militants won't let her husband go after an islamic court declared he was not a spy nor a threat. the pentagon says freeing the hostages remains an important goal. >> we've remained concerns about the fate of the hostages that we know they've had. that's not something we've ever taken lightly. certainly something we've never stopped thinking about. we did attempt one rescue not long ago over the fourth of july weekend. it's something we're watching very, very closely. as closely as we can. >> now, as we mentioned, the uk notably absent in air strike against isis, but that might soon change. the prime minister david cameron set to address the united nations general assembly in new york later on wednesday. the uk providing arms and surveillance to curdish forces in iraq, but not directly involved in this latest offensive. what's the temperature there

politically? what is david cameron likelihood. >> david cameron e pressing his support for those air strikes in syria and iraq. downing street saying that he currently is in new york, undertaking discussions about more ways in which the united kingdom can help in the fight against isis. he's expected to address the u.s. assembly on the topic of isis and the situation in iraq later today. he gave an interview to merch network nbc in which he discussed the nature of the isis threat. take a listen. >> there's no doubt in my mind it has already undertaken and is planning further plots in europe, including my own country in order to kill and maim innocent people, and the same applies to the united states of america. >> now, the prime minister has said that he would like to consult with the house of commons before engaging british forces in any sort of military

action, leading some here to speculate that he could recall parliament from recess as early as friday. there is support for potential air strikes before doing so. >> an historic meeting is planned between mr. cameron and the iranian president, the first time there's been such a meeting since the 1979 revolution. that will take place in new york as well. we'll be right back.

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>> welcome back. i'm becky anderson along with

michael holmess in atlanta for you. five arab countries now famously joined forces with the u.s. to carry out air strike s against isis in syria. it's a level of cooperation rarely seen in this part of the world. what it might mean for the united states and the middle east going forward. let's discus that. a former official with the united nations and the u.s. state department joins us now live from washington. there's no doubt this is what mr. obama and his secretary of state wanted. four of the five nations stumping up with participation as opposed to just support which came from qatar and certainly from the uae. we had a statement that is the first of what one assumes is a series of air strikes. now, it seems it's fairly quiet overnight. what can we expect next? >> what's really important is that you commented.

worldwide people support it especially in the area supported. i think we can expect more air strike against isis and the shadowy group, the khorasan group. certainly the u.s. and the other coalition partners have more targets that they want to hit. and they need to hit them very quickly before isis changes its act ticks. i think we can also expect isis will change its tactics. it will likely go on the offensive, retreat in cities and towns and hide among the population. >> i think that's what's interesting here. this strategy was planned very early by president obama and the end game, it seems, degrade and destroy isis. it's what happens between now and then, isn't it, that is absolutely crucial now. as you have a sort of group that has moving parts, back and dport over a border they don't even recognize.

we've seen some 200 air strikes over iraq of late. matt coran who is there says you see these air strikes, air cover for those working on the ground, and there are troops on the ground. the iraqi government forces, for example. but they just come back. they go away and they come back. could we expect the same thing in sort of headquarters in syria by isis? one of isis' tactics is to go to the areas that are we weakest, that are most vulnerable. in iraq, they attack the christian towns that were not as fortified, didn't have as many fighters to protect. we now see more recently isis doing that in syria, attacking some of the curdish towns in the curdish area of syria. they probably wanted to do that before air strikes happened. they wanted to infiltrate those area, which are a little bit weaker and make it tough for the

u.s. to use that as a supply and support area. as you know, the coalition is considering putting in place perhaps a no-fly zone. the kurdish area is one place they could have done it. isis is finding the most vulnerable areas and i suspect moving into the cities and towns mietding among civilians. that's what we can expect. air strikes are important, but we need more than air strikes. we need ground forces, not necessarily foreign fighter, but certainly we need to fortify the kurdish forces in iraq and the modern opposition in syria. >> this reminder, you can always turn to our web viet for the latest on the air strikes on syria and the rest of the day's major news. that's all at cnn.com/international. sir, thank you for that. the iraqi prime minister says he is glad some arab countries have

finally woen to the threat posed by isis. >> but he would like a lot more help from one country in particular. we're going to have that and much more after the break. ups is a global company, but most of our employees

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welcome and thank you for joining us for cnn's special coverage for the war on isis. it is 9:00 a.m. in the uae. i'm becky anderson in abu dabi. and it's 1:00 a.m. on the east coast of the united states. i'm michael holmes at the cnn center in atlanta. welcome to our viewers in the u.s. and indeed all the way around the world. ahead this hour, president obama prepares to speak at the united nations, making his case that the entire world should stand up to the threat of isis. this as u.s.-led air strikes pound the terror group strong hold in syri