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creates a trust to keep the craft alive. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your passions and the way you enrich your community. life well planned. nicole: at bdo i feel like a true individual, people value me for me, they care about what i want, my needs, my career path, i matter here. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" . >> i'm katrina perry in . washington and this is "bbc world news america." israel says it has destroyed

syria's naval fleet and carried out nearly 500 air strikes since the toppling of bashar al-assad. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu takes the stand in his corruption trial slamming the charges against him as ridiculous. >> the american people! anchor: a suspect accused of killing a unitedhealthcare c.e.o. is denied bail. hello, you're welcome to world news america. israel says it has destroyed syria's naval fleet. it's been carrying out hundreds of strikes on military targets across the country since the fall of bashar al-assad's regime over the weekend. disunss -- dozens of military

installation and air bases are reportedly hit. rael says it's trying to stop weapons falling into the hands of extremists and has ordered its military to create weapons-free zones in southern syria. the israeli military says troops are on the ground in syria and are operating in the demilitarized buffer zone between syria and the golan heights. neighboring nations have called the actions -- have called for the attacks to stop and the u.n.'s special envoy to syria called israel's actions very troubling. >> we are still in a very fluid period. things have not settled. there is a real opportunity for change but this opportunity needs to be grasped by the syrians themselves and supported by the u.n. and the international community. anchor: the mood in damascus is

celebratory three days after the fall of the assad regime but attention is turning to the colossal task of rebuilding syria. mohammed al-bashir has taken charge as interim prime minister. he previously governed parts of northwestern syria controlled by the rebels. he's promising stability and calm as the country transitions to a new government and says he'll stay in the role until march. i'm joined by political analyst, former presidential adviser on the opposing syrian national coalition as well as a former fellow. thanks for being with us on bbc news." you were born in damascus but have lived abroad for many years. what does the toppling of the assad regime mean for syria? did you ever think you'd see

these days? >> no, in fact, everybody thought they would remain all their lives without returning to syria or seeing the freedom of the dignity that they called for openly in 2011. this is one of the most brutal and barbaric regimes that we have seen in the 20th and 21st century and i think your viewers will have seen the images coming out of saydnaya, one of many prisons. syrians are celebrating this and they're still a little bit anxious about the security in the country. they're anxious about what kind of government they will have a chance to participate with, and they're also very anxious and very angry about the israeli attacks that didn't even leave them one day to celebrate the fall of this vicious regime with this, frankly, outrageous attack on syrian national sites and the

army which has come back to the people and the open invasion of more land in the golan heights. this is the mood i would say summarized on the third day without bashar al-assad. anchor: on your point about what comes next in terms of the government and uncertainty around that, there are concerns about a power vacuum. what is your view of interim prime minister mohammed al-bashir and the direction he'll take things in? >> i don't have a view yet because i did not know him. many of us were not following what was happening in idlib in internal governance. we know he has governed parts of idb. for most syrians, this is new territory and they're not sure how it will go. i believe everyone was reassured when they heard this was until march 1. we don't know what will come. most syrians assumed there would be a transitional period of 18

months which is what the securityouncil resolution has called for, where syrians would meet with one another, put a new constitution to vote to the seerns and then have general elections. syrians are only on the third day without assad. they're reassured somebody is in control. there's a curfew in damascus every night from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to try to regain all the weapons because the regime had thousands upon thousands of security men and militia, all heavily armed. i think this is what the current leadership is trying to achieve and most syrians are ok with that. anchor: you mentioned the israeli strikes. do you see a role for the international community in terms of helping syria and helping to build back up structures and protect itself? >> 100%. i think it is timfor the international community to come and ask, what is it we can help

you with? governments are jumping at the opportunity, austria and belgium, to stop the asylum seekers and deport them. most syrians have said they cannot wait to come back to syria. the airports are not open yet. also with the international community, they can stop the israeli aggression which not a single syrian can agree with because simply it is illegal and immoral in these circumstances. but also because sanctions had been imposed on syria because of the state the assad regime left syrians in, i think it is time to try to help the syrians rebuild their country, weput their infrastructure together and give a helping hand rather than the judgment we are used to

hearing which we would like to have the opportunity to do ourselves first. anchor: thank you so much for joining us on bbc news. >> thank you. anchor: speaking of roles for the international community, the u.s. secretary of state says washington supports syria's political transition and called for it to be an inclusive process. for more on reaction from washington, i have been speaking to democratic congressman from pennsylvania, the co-chair of the friends for a free stable and democratic syria caus. >> there's a period of uncertainty in syria, a temporary prime minister in place. do you think there's a role for the united states in the formation of democratic structures in syria? >> first let's take a moment to remark on what a remarkable only two weeks it has been, after many years of suffering, the syrian people can breathe a

large sigh of relief that the assad regime of brutality is over. so that's the good news. the what's-to-come news is uncertain and it is my view that those of us in congress and all of the u.s. government should play a supporting role in what needs to be a syrian-led effort so that they have truly a free, stable and democratic syria, and we don't see what we have so often seen in other such cases where a despot is deposed but what follows him is no better, in fact, perhaps even a little bit worse. so that is where i'm concentrating my efforts as well as the rest of us in our bipartisan caucus. anchor: there's a coalition of rebel groups that have made the push to topple bashar al-assad. the largest, is there a role for

the u.s. to look at that designation? >> i think it is time for the u.s. to pause and take a look at that designation. much will be determined on how this group decides to govern. let's not forget, 23 million people in syria, more than 12 million were displaced as a result of the syrian war, what started as a civil war but then involved iran, russia and others. there are plenty of criteria to look at. i think this is the time where the u.s. and european allies pause and begin a re-evaluation that ultimately will be dictated by the behavior of the parties in syria. anchor: do you see a situation emerging where there would be

concerns about how civilians are eated, whether certain groups are protected, minorities are respected? >> like i said before, i think that a lot of how we respond will be based on the behavior of this very wide admittedly coalition that has been able to achieve something that seemed impossible literally weeks ago. so in many ways that will dictate the answer. waiting to see, i do think it is crucial that the u.s. government does all they can behind the scenes to help civil society in syria and those who truly want a small d, democratic, future. anchor: it's about to be a republican controlled congress, senate and the house, and the white house, as well. what will the appetite be then

for supporting syria? >> i think there's reasons for concern. this is not your grandfather's republican party in the united states, not what we saw through reagan and the bushes. we have a strong isolationist streak within the republican party and maga movement, representing perhaps the majority of republicans in congress and throughout the nation so i think on a host of issues, i certainly have my deep concerns. anchor: when you're talking about helping to rebuild civil society, as you put it there, behind the scenes, do you think that republican controlled congress also will not be as interested in doing that? >> i wouldn't make that a definitive prediction but it is a serious concern i have. i would say some reason for optimism is the fact that just earlier in the spring, on ukraine, we were able to push through with a large bipartisan

majority an aid bill for ukraine even though a slight majority of house republicans voted against it so that offers perhaps a window into how we could go about it when it comes to syria and taiwan and a host of issues, that if we have the leadership of house republicans with us, we could forge a coalition mostly made of democrats. anchor: benjamin netanyahu has become the first serving israeli prime minister to take to the witness stand as a criminal defendant testifying in his trial to charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery. the prime minister told the court in tel aviv that the allegations were ridiculous. prosecutors saying that netanyahu accepted lavish gifts and exchanged favors with media owners for positive press coverage. that we dismissed the accusations as absurd. the trial is expected to

continue for years to come. our correspondent reports. reporter: a moment of truth to power, at least for benjamin netanyahu's critics. he was chipper as he arrived in court today in tel aviv, despite being the first ever sitting israeli prime minister to stand trial. he faces corruption charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery, including accepting $300,000 worth of gifts, including champagne and cigars, and of agreeing to ease press regulation in exchange for favorable media coverage in one of israel's biggest selling newspapers. mr. netanyahu denies it all. speaking on the eve of his testimony, he said the investigation into him had been borne of sin. today in court he said the trial was based on an ocean of

absurdities. this case, which has been rumbling on for years, has divided israel. outside the courthouse today, anti-bb protestors faced off with his supporters. >> the accusations from the protestors here, some of whom have family members held hostage in gaza, is that prime minister netanyahu has prolonged and escalated the wars in the middle east for his own political survival and even to avoid going to jail. reporter: calderon is still a hostage in gaza and his wife is angry at her prime minister. >> he care more to survive in a political way. it's very sad.

reporter: bb needs to go to jail was the chant but mr. netanyahu is crently riding high in opinion polls. his supporters say at a time of war, he shouldn't have to face a trial. his testimony alone is expected to take a minimum of two weeks. bbc news, tel aviv. anchor: for more on prime minister netanyahu's trial, i have been speaking to a member of the israeli knesset. as prime minister netanyahu put it, he's currently leading israel in battles on seven frts. should this trial have waited until he was out of office? >> no. i think every democracy has to look at its leaders,

specifically prime minister, like it looks at any civilian. mr. netanyahu has been already on trial for a few years and i think the fact is israel is at war for 14 months now and still not finished. has to come together with the fact that the leader now is on trial. he has to get into court, plead and say his truth and, you know, the judges will get the decision. so that has to go on. the country has to go on, democracy has to go on, and i think it is the right decision of netanyahu, and the leader of the country will be on trial as far as is needed. anchor: he has described his appearance as a threat to national security. do you see it as such? >> no. i think the fact is that israel is led, we have good army forces, we are still in battle in at least three fronts, and yet when prime minister is

called to court and accused, he has to be there like any other citizen. that's the way democracies work and i'm proud that our democracy treats our prime minister like any citizen. the show goes on and the fighting against terrorists that attacked us october 7 is going on, although the prime minister is in court three days a week. anchor: we have seen him revive talks in recent weeks in relation to gaza, getting the israeli hostages back home and improving the humanitarian situation there. do you think is that looking more or less likely at this time? >> i think it is more likely. look, we have yet 100 hostages in the gaza strip, a hamas terror organization is still shooting at soldiers, the same with hezbollah. seven israeli soldiers were killed on this last day. and fighting is still going on,

yet israel is the only democracy in the middle east, always seeks for peace, always wants an agreement. and i hope we can reach agreement like we did in lebanon and look for th-- start looking for the day that the war will end. we'll have our people back. we will pay a big price but we're willing to pay it and maybe we can look at the day after also in the gaza strip. although israel needs to hold a strong army to defend itself because we are surrounded by terror organizations and yet we could look hopefully at the future where where the war will be tending -- ending and people will be back in israel. anchor: the family of the hostagestill held in gaza are unhappy with prime minister netanyahu and some want to se o. when you couple that with this

trial, do you think is it time for elections in israel? is it time for an end to the prime minister's reign? >> when you're prime minister, you have to go to elections and be re-elected. so i think that is a true demand and i do see netanyahu hopefully finishing the hostages deal and then taking israel to elections which i think will revise the more liberal voices in israel and i do hope we have a wider what we call a zionist government which holds different voices in this vibrant democracy. anchor: when you're talking about threats to israel in the reason, we've seen bashar al-assad toppled in syria, yet israel has been carrying out dozens of strikes against syria. the i.d.f. saying it's destroyed

syria's navy fleet. why is that happening now? >> syria wasn't taken over by democratic forces. it was taken down by extreme islam organizations, some connected, some born by al qaeda and some are even isis people so these are all kinds of tribes that have overtaken this country sitting on israel's border. now, if the air force, even chemical bombs that assad held would fall in these hands, no place on earth would be safe, including the western world. anchor: e attacks that israel is carrying out have received widespread condemnation from the u.n. should they continue? what's your view there? >> of course. i think it's something that has to be done. when you see extreme person that

has -- and he's reaching out his hand to a big bomb, you have to stop that. i think it's a big thing that he's doing and must do for the peace of the world and i think we have to have the western world not only helping us but also doing its best to do the same things, because when extreme terror organizations put their hands on chemical bombs, that's a real threat for the world. anchor: a member of the knesset for the opposition party. now here in the u.s., a man charged with the murder of the unitedhealthcare c.e.o. has contested his extradition to new york during a court hearing in pennsylvania. on his way into court, luigi mangione was heard shouting and yelling.

he was arrested by police on monday in possession of a gun and a handwritten document that expressed ill will towards corporate america. let's bring in our north america correspondent. bring us up to date on the latest developments. what have you been hearing about this individual and from legal sources, as well? >> by all accounts those who knew him say they would have never suspected luigi mangione was capable of doing what he's accused of, killing brian thompson. i've spoken to two people who knew him. one is a local radio station disk jockey and lawyer who knows several of the mangione family. he says that luigi was a star student in school, he came from a wealthy, prominent family, so this is a shock to the community there. from someone who knew him from his time in hawaii, r.j. martin

was part of the surf breaker community, a co-living situation for professionals, and luigi lived there in 2023 and he said he often spoke about his back pain. he didn't compin about it. he was an energetic, lively individual who he said he was friends with and could have never seen him do something that he's accused of but he said he had chronic back issues that could put him out for a week at a time so this is incredibly relevant because invtigators are trying to look at the key few months when luigi mangione actually wasn't in touch with family and friends and what could have changed in that time. but speaking to legal experts, they say he could put forward a psychiatric defense which could help him if he comes to new york to face the charges. anchor: thank you very much. the congressional task force investigating the failed attempt to assassinate donald trump in

july called the incident tragic and preventible in the final report, saying various failures allowed thomas matthew crooks to nearly kill the former president. you can learn more about that story and all of the day's news on our website at bbc.com/news and check us out any time on your favorite social media platform, as well. that's it for today for the "bbc world news america." thanks so much for watching. and do take care. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation.

and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

amna: good evening. i'm amna nawaz. geoff: and i'm geoff bennett. on the newshour tonight, the new leaders of syria begin the difficult task of keeping the rebel factions united now that their common enemy has been overthrown. amna: the suspect in the ne