was always, i'm afraid, i'll never see him again. no. when. oh, you lost under the stats, december 18th, on d. w. the, this is data. believe me is life. i'm fairly, another case, city falls to siri and rebel forces, who now stand at the gates of the capital. the mascot is on a just rebels and on the summit of surrounding the city. government forces withdrawal from the key city of homes with soldiers and bass. i was, tommy said to be visiting the posts. also coming up the ceremonial reopening for it, and i'll try to get the for 5 years after the power z, an icon was ravaged by 5 dignitary joint french latest the syllabus, the success of its restoration. the

anthony held walk into the program, syrian rebel, they decided they are now in full control of the strategic city of homes. of the government forces withdrew. the cities, calculates the road to damascus, open for the main rebel offensive from the north. while opposition factions in the south are already on the capitals doorstep, the the images on social media, so siri in protest as toppling a statute left the president flight father in the southern southern of damascus to reinstate, made a report that president bush auto sat is still in the capital, although he hasn't been sending dice, competence soldiers have been seen playing across the border into a row in cities recently captured by the rebels residents already celebrating the

end of besides decades longbow that's to celebrate to be moved here and how much is only 2 days ago that is, the misled rebels, kept to the city from the syrian government forces the residents a keen to reclaim the city from the glass of president by shot on a side the lightning pace of which levels of matching across the country is taken. many by surprise, in less than 2 weeks, opposition forces have taken control of fast spy is of the country, including major cities that collect post. and how about that has been reports of messed affections in the city and on the across the country, including in damascus. the shifting front lines of this civil war also bringing wide a g. r political divides into focus. russia, one of syria's closest allies, denounced the rabbit advances. we are very much sorry for the syrian people who

came. we became a subject of another jo, political experiment. we absolutely convinced whole scheme of disability to use various like the up, the who, the shop to achieve jo, political purposes. the president of neighboring taxi said change was in the truck because everyone must see and accept this truth. hopefully there is now a new reality in syria here, the politically and diplomatically, you know, most people that are united nations, reiterated the president of and point to view the need for i'm ordering the political dumpster for me, has never been more than what it was with co star thing, we didn't work information all inclusive and credible transitional arrangements in syria with the rebels having down step chosen,

damascus is 7 suburbs. the city an army says it's created an impenetrable military code in around the capital the event. so moving fast, but momentum is on the insurgent side. so by sell a side, it looks increasing the likely that his days as president numbered and selling research as so many ad heavy groups in north africa and syria at the washington institute for near east policy. welcome, aaron. good to see you again on your way can go. you are telling me about the full of a laptop. how much of syria is still under the control of president basha, alyssa, as we speak tonight? we only see now that the 3 provinces of the country are under the control thursday and it's heart land and the coastal areas around talk to some of toppia and then the city center in damascus. everything else has fall, neither to the h. just let a fence of the affiliated southern ops room in the south. and then the turkish

bacteria, national army controls north central syria and then the us backed syrian democratic forces control the entire east. now, how do you explain that and that this rebel advance is progressing so incredibly quickly, especially now they are down into the areas that we relate to believe we're assad strongholds. yeah, i mean i'm just as surprised as anybody else. and i literally been following this every single day since the 2011 uprising. but it's clear that it's an illustration that the dire straits of the regime back in 2015 when the russians 1st went in, was that that's been confirmed in many ways. and that if the russians and the writings had gone in, then at that time, it's likely the regime would have fallen 9 years ago. but now, because the russians have been distracted in your brain, the writings been having to deal with the aftermath of israel's. ready or on her

mazda in his bola, there just isn't anybody there to do it. and because it's been so lightning quick and she hasn't been able to consolidate control and move on to the next cities each time, relatively swiftly, it hasn't provided space for counter offensive. and instead it's created a momentum of its own where now you're hearing that h t s is facilitating the defection of senior regime officials and officers inside of damascus city right now. and so what our sounds, the allies that you, you bring up russia and, or ron, what are they doing at the prism of a i'm, i'm willing to help or are they just, i'm able to help at this point. and i think that in the beginning they thought maybe they would have more time to create some form of counter offensive. but because everything has been going so swiftly, you see kind of a fait accompli happening where in the last day or 2, you saw

a russian calling for civilians from russian civilians to leave damascus. you see that their navy ships have left the ports in the coast so that they wouldn't get hit potentially by the rebel forces. and then, or ron and its proxy networks of fled across the border in iraq as well as loving on. and so now it's just the show of the regime itself. and the question is, um, you know, how long will this taken whether it will be peaceful take over damascus, or will there be some level of fighting between now and then? and so just one more in this area without iran and rush, as you say, are assad's forces and who are left alone of a number of i being out maneuvered. oh, are they have so i'm willing to stand and lose their lives, trying to hold on to hold on to ground in the name of a sides raising it's definitely all of the above. you see that? you know, it's important to remember that a sense regime ball on p himself is al,

away they still need sunni is, but most sunni still disliked the regime. so now that it appears that it's all over, they don't want to have anything to do with it anymore. and so the allies within the region have fled mainly to the coastal areas in the heartland and talk to some of talk you. so it's, it's likely that a lot of the remnants of, of the region fighting force or the sunni is that the base in damascus and they have no interest in probably fighting against h t s. at this point, especially since she has no controls. the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th largest cities in the country. that hasn't been much of a thought up so far. are we expecting anything different that happened in damascus as well? when we did talked a week ago, i thought maybe once we got to hop on homes, there'd be a little bit more of a fight. and, you know, there's been skirmishes here and there, but it hasn't been anything large scale or nearly what we saw, maybe a tech in and go into fighting. so at this point, it seems that there probably will be fighting to take the capital, but likely won't be as, as big as maybe many would've imagined just

a week ago when i have a few guys to observe the rebel group around, boom, how much al giovanni from a distance, what do they want? they want to be the new rulers of syria. of course, it will be in a different manner than what the side or team has been doing. obviously the spiders and follows as baptists era, nationalistic ideology, where as a h t. s, the acronym are conservative is list um, so they'll try and rule based off of their interpretations of islam, especially as it relates to minorities within the society. but generally speaking, we have an 8 and a half year track record of them governing it live in northwest syria now. and they've primarily just been focused on, you know, giving services and delivering goods as needed to the local population. and it hasn't been anything along the lines of what say we've seen with, you know,

these allow me state or all kite or even, you know, governments like in the tal bonds. if get us, then it's still a concern is the most regime, it's still has a sore chain elements, but it's uh, you know, not quite as you know, it's not as extreme is the tall, blonde islamic theater. all titles will assad still be present in syria? do you think at the end of the no, not at this point, i'd be surprised if he was the president by the end of next week and dealing with the washington institute. thanks so much for your time. appreciate it. thanks for having me to the fronts now with a ceremony, it has been taking place in paris to knock the reopening of north for down cathedral. the

residence and the clone hosted dozens of will leaders and dignitary and french capital to celebrate its restoration cathedral in how to paris is undergoing a painstaking renovation to restore it, to its former glory. to find that if it's worth and would weigh in 2019 forcing its famous fire to collapse my instruction only narrowly avoided destruction. the deputy coast correspondent leasing louis was there for the grand reopening of the cathedral as well. it's been a very moving ceremony with distant ha said the ringing of the bell. you know, the bells were ringing for the 1st time. after 5 and a half years and there was a flows from inside the cathedral. the people here are 10000 peoples of thousands of people on the said river bands that have come here to watch the ceremony live on

giants streams that i set up a loan. the said that was one pot, then the ox, richard knox. on the do not so the toddy with a saw made of 10 by that mistake from the fire and there was this rate so by you knock 3 times then why on? so that's 3 times and actually the quiet was sending so not to them. the properties on so to be honest with you then into the cathedral very moving may even be, you know, that was a symbol of the catholic religion. re taking possession of the cathedral. there was also another part of the religious ceremony where the organ and the, the great oil good with 80000 types was a 1st for the 1st time again, as someone was playing on that organ, the pipes were no damage shooting the slides, but they were polluted with lead, so they had to be really cleaned in a painstaking a process to be able to have a republican when they quote,

a republican part of the ceremony. where, for example, the president, him on my call was speaking, holding a speech, saying that the whole nation differentiation was expressing it's rough 2 to 3 days who i told you not for them, the police from the 5, but also restore it. and these people, the people who were storage, the computer and who said that they were here tonight. i people the inside and outside of the rules for a clock thing for them in a moment of, you know, prostitute say how joyful everybody was, how everybody was thought the cathedral is now reopening status of the lease of the way that in past. all right, tom, for some of the stores making headlines, they sell a motion to impeach south 3 and president you and so your the has failed 1000 members of his party boy caught him by television of opposition. little mac is

filed the impeachment for the in response to the president's martial low declaration. this way. as an unice, since apologized for the public anxiety caused by his announcement tardies are investigating the cause of a deadly building collapse in the hague. at least 4 people died when a city apartment complex caved in. following an explosion. fire rescue work is searching the rumble of bodies. all right, let's get a quick reminder about top story. the cell of the siri nami, has withdrawn from the strategic city of homes and the size of a lightning offensive by level forces. the mask is on age. as syrian rebels closed in on the capital. some soldiers in vassar, a saw tommy had things fling across the border into over the and with that you're up tonight. after a short break, sports life works a mile in the shoes, the vin number, any important that i,

that's a key it improve, and that's coming up often a short by don't forget, you can catch up with the data. but the news on the youtube channel, or the website at www dot com math, and the housing building. it's less than the what thing is that? what do you get for $0.50 or $0.50? no thanks income sales nor did you know it costs $0.50 to feed one hungry child for one for the evening.