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russia. we have a special report on syria's streets with members of the rebel group now in charge. and a devastating cyclone rips through the french island territory leaving what residents call apocalyptic seas. ♪ sumi: welcome to world news america. syria's former president bashar al-assad said he never planned to step down as president and insist he left syria at russia's request, according to a statement on the telegram channel belonging to the syrian presidency offering his view of the rebel offensive that toppled him. it is unclear who currently controls that channel or whether mr. assad wrote the post but he claims he was besieged on a russian base where he was overseeing combat operations only to find that syrian troops abandoned their positions. he went on to defend his record serving as president and said

his bond with the syrian people remains unshaken. it comes as russia's military activity increases. russian forces were seen heading to the city of tartus. the european union's foreign policy chief is calling on syria's new leadership to expel russia's influence in the country. our russia editor steve rosenberg has more from moscow. steve: where is bashar al-assad? he has not been seen since he fled syria. today, a statement purporting to be from him appeared on the social media accounts of the former syrian president. dateline moscow. it is unclear who controls the accounts and whether assad wrote this. "my departure from syria was neither planned, nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles. i remained in damascus carrying out my duties until the early hours of december 8. at no point did i consider

stepping down or seeking refuge." president putin, who met army chiefs today, has were poorly granted -- reportedly granted assad asylum. most of this speech was about the war in ukraine, not a word about syria. ♪ despite having this naval base in syria in tartus, and a major airbase, events have seemed to taken moscow by surprise. was russia too distracted by its war in ukraine? >> things that we focused on ukraine and lost syria. we did not lose syria. we still have basis. steve: but you don't know what the future of those bases will be. >> of course, and you don't know. steve: for moscow, the issue of the bases is urgent.

a kremlin spokesperson said moscow was in contact with what he refers to as representatives of those horses who control the situation in syria. it is a dialogue that will decide the fate of russia's military presence. if they lose their bases, they will lose their foothold in the eastern mediterranean. president putin invested heavily in syria. what might the russian elite be thinking about the fall of assad? >> it stands as a putin failure. they cannot say it openly say it. it is an example of how the autocratic regime could fall. steve: as president, bashar al-assad was a regular visitor to moscow. his exact whereabouts now remain a mystery. steve rosenberg, bbc news. sumi: meanwhile, a senior european diplomat in syria

traveled to damascus to discuss the unfolding political transition in the country. it comes as syria's defective leader announced all armed factions would be resolved under the new administration. he led the rebel offensive that toppled the assad regime told journalist that only the syrian state army would carry weapons. the semiautonomous kurdish administration already called for an end to fighting in a comprehensive national dialogue with the new rulers. i spoke with julian barnes dacey, the director of the middle east and north africa program at the european council on foreign relations. what do you make of bashar al-assad's purported statement saying he never meant to flee to russia? julian: i think that is clearly trying to make it that the decision was forced upon him and he would never willingly abandon syria as he would see it. it is clearly a cover for the fact he escaped the country in the cover of night, and

effectively left not only the country but his own regime allies. sumi: why do you think this point in particular was important for him to make, if he did write this statement, because we are seeing syrians combing prisons, revealing atrocities they say that were committed by the al-assad regime. julien: assad tried desperately to salvage or make an effort among the constituencies to salvage some credibility. clearly, the situation on the ground has really transformed everything in a matter of days. the regime has completely collapsed in all elements and this is assad trying to justify a narrative for his own benefit. sumi: what about russia's role in all of this? we have not seen president putin talk about syria and assad, we know is in moscow now. russia still has bases in syria.

what future do you think it will have their? julien: i think most importantly, most notably, this is a huge strategic loss for russia. they invested huge military and economic resources, propping up assad for more than a decade. that all crumbled in the space of a week. this was a key foothold in the region. it was a basis for regional, international credibility in terms of asserting russian strength and that has all shown to be hollow. there's a question of what happens to russian military bases. there may have been initial agreement with the opposition to maintain those, but clearly, russia is on the back foot and it is hard to imagine it has a longer-term strategic presence to be maintained now. sumi: if we look at this transitional phase in syria, the rebel leader spoke to journalists on monday and urged the u.s. and others to lift sanctions that had been placed on the assad regime and to remove the designation, the

terrorist designation for the main rebel group that led the offense of that led to the downfall of the assad regime. is that something we will see from western countries? julien: we are already seeing direct engagement with hts, despite its terrorist listing. i think there will be a desire to reach out to the new leadership and try to encourage them and push them to a pragmatic path that we have seen since i took over. we have seen a special outreach to minorities. we have seen them talk about inclusion governance. these are all things that western governments are going to want to maintain, encourage. i think engagement, we will see. sanctions and other measures would probably be tied to hts actually delivering on some of these commitments in terms of political transition. sumi: hts says that is precisely what it wants.

what do you think the biggest challenges will be in the path to creating an inclusive government? julien: let's first and foremost to see if they are really committed to that. they have sent out positive signals, but the group ran was a fairly authoritarian governance system in idlip. we have to see if they will open up to a more inclusive process. the head has talked about the prospect of elections. let's see if that happens. obviously, the islamist nature of this group, the fact there are other factions vying for power, the conflict hanging over syria between syrian kurds and turkiye and what that could mean for a potential resurgence of isis. huge social economic collapse and humanitarian crisis the country is facing. these are already immense challenges and the country will need all the help it can get. it will need western powers to lean in and press hts towards a

positive transition but also offer positive incentives in terms of economic conditions and desperately needed sanctions relief and creating a pathway that can incorporate the kurds. sumi: when bashar al-assad was taken out of syria, it was from a base. that was the regime's power base. it is home of the muslim sect. it makes up only 10% of the population, but provided much of assad's political and military leadership. there has been fears of bloody reprisals. our senior correspondent quentin sommerville has a special report on how this divided community is dealing with a new reality. quentin: latakia has been reclaimed. this notorious jailhouse, their entire city, all of syria belongs to the people now. it is a flag of a free syria

that now flies here in the very heartland of the former regime. sunni, shia, christian, they came together to celebrate with a message of unity. the assad regime warns there will be massacres here in latakia if they ever lost power. instead, there are celebrations, even among its core support, people suffered. while there is a lot of joy today, for some, there is fear, a worry that there may be a reckoning and that they will have to pay for the support of the old regime. some from latakia's minority are too scared to leave their homes. they were serious ruling class, but now no more -- syria's ruling class, but now no more. she hated the assads, but now

fears for her community. >> the conservative islamic ideology takes hold here, i don't think so. not me, my friends, the people i know. no, we will all leave the country. we are muslims who pray and fast during ramadan, but we don't like being pressured. my mother never pressured me to take the veil. we practice our faith freely. quentin: this is who rules latakia and much of syria now. the sunni ranks. a little over a week ago, they were enemies of the state. now, they are the law of the land. in a city of regime loyalists, every callout is a show of force. still, they are greeted as liberators and these young fighters are now the city's

police force. they are headed to deal with an assault in this neighborhood. weapons had been drawn. they move fast if i the suspect who they believe is still armed. as they set up a cordon, they identify a man and accused him of links to the former regime. [indistinct yelling] across syria, scores are being settled. after years of oppression on the streets, there's a thirst for vengeance. it is a situation that could easily spiral out of control. the man they are resting is accused of being a government informant or regime informant. there was screaming from the rooftop that is exactly what it was. him and a number of other men

are being taken into custody. hts are not the only guns in town. the next call is to this neighborhood. other rebel groups are here, and for them, those with least of the former regime are easy prey. you've stolen this house. today, you are a thief. this has not been coordinated with any faction, so we will act accordingly. this woman you see here, she says in last few days, she has been evicted from her apartment by a rival rebel commander. so, hts are here to sorted out. >> the things you took out of this house, return them all and the house, ok? i don't want anything missing. if the house, does that mean you need to raid it and destroy it?

there are specialized entities that handle this. you cannot just act on your own. quentin: the owner gets back inside to retrieve some belongings. >> they came and broke down the door and took my house. quentin: this cctv footage shows the moment of the break-in. armed rebels arrive and smash their way into the property. the group's commander moved his family inside. they have now been evicted, but she feared for her life. do althey feel safe here? >> no, never. no. >> i will leave the moment i get the chance. i need my daughters to survive. this house was built brick by brick with help from my family, and it seems that some people in the neighborhood noticed how nice it was and became envious. i did to this.

my husband was a high-ranking officer in the regime, which made things even worse. i don't feel secure. i will leave when my daughter -- with my daughters when i get the chance. quentin: latakia's outskirts, some other residents are also adjusting to the new reality on the ground here. russia is drawing down its forces. their allies stated that at this airbase, some of those who reached a military campaign against syrians are leaving. hundreds of russian vehicles have been congregating here and heading into that airbase right there. russian troops still on patrol. moving around. we can see them with their weapons. they are watching us. cautiously, we asked if this is a permanent withdrawal. are you leaving? are you leaving syria?

>> no. quentin: no? you are here to stay? >> no, no. quentin: that was pretty definitive. he says he is not leaving. >> no comment. quentin: no comment. so, that was fairly definitive. but as you can see, this is a closed off area. it is all sealed. the public not allowed in. there are no people. it is probably wise if we move out now. here in the former regime's heartland, a new order is taking hold. but, this has been a long journey and it won't be gone overnight. quentin sommerville, bbc news. sumi: moving on to some other news now.

hundreds are feared dead after the worst cyclone to hit the indian ocean islands in nearly a century. around 300,000 people live on the french territory, many of them in shantytowns made with flimsy structures for the cyclone brought high winds and devastation before making landfall in mozambique. president macron plans to visit the island where efforts to find survivors and restore basic services continue. two people are dead and six others introductory school shooting in the u.s. state of wisconsin. the victims are a teacher and a teenage student. police say the shooter is also debt. the shooting happened at a private christian academy in the state capital, madison. police said the suspect was a juvenile who they believe was a student at the school. president biden called the shooting up shocking and unconscionable. he offered prayers for the victims and their families and called for congress to enact stricter gun control legislation. u.s. school shootings have

increased dramatically over the past six years. this year, there have been 322 school shootings in the u.s., according to the k-12 school shooting database website. that is the second-highest year on record, topped only by last year's total of 349 school shootings. an alleged chinese spy with links to britain's prince andrew has been named as 50-year-old chinese national. he was banned from the u.k. and officials allege he forged an unusual degree of trust with prince andrew, developing relationships with politicians to be leveraged by china. he released a statement claiming he had done nothing wrong and the widespread description of him as a spy was entirely untrue. china dismissed the spying allegations as baseless. because additional court in south korea started dropper sittings to prepare for president yoon's impeachment trial. 180 days to decide whether to

uphold the impeachment which would trigger an election or reinstate mr. yoon. mp's voted to impeach yoon on saturday over his failed attempt to impose martial law. that sparked protests across the country. following his impeachment, the ruling party leader stepped down , apologizing for everyone who had to suffer and fear of martial law. let's talk about this more with california congressman ami bera. congressman, great to see you again. president yoon has not responded to the summons. after the impeachment over the weekend, he said i will not give up, i will do my best for our country. he does not appear to be backing down. what do you think of that? rep. bera: sumi, thanks for having me on. i think we are watching korean democracy take place. the constitution has held. the general assembly had their

vote, the national assembly, and now it is going to the court. i think the process will play out. yes, president yoon is pushing back a little bit but he will get a fair trial and we will see if either is impeached fully or gets his powers back. it seems like it will be impeachment. sumi: president yoon pointed to his achievements, a security partnership with the u.s. and japan. he also said the opposition gave him no choice because they obstructed his every move. what do you think about the u.s. relationship under president yoon? rep. bera: the u.s. relationship has been really strong. the trilateral relationship between the u.s., korea and japan, those are all things that are fundamental not just to our interests but also to geopolitical and regional stability. regardless of who the president is, i have talked to korean legislators in these last few days.

we want to keep that intact. if president yoon is removed from office, we are still going to work together as congress and national assembly members to preserve a strong u.s. relationship. sumi: you are not concerned that continued uncertainty that perhaps instability politically in south korea could impact that relationship? rep. bera: you know, we have seen ups and downs in the relationship. we have seen different presidents in the united states as well as korea. we've always had a very strong, productive relationship over the last 75 years. i think that will continue. i think it is a board and for us as numbers of congress to our counterparts in the national assembly and have that dialogue and have it open regardless of where the president of korea is. i think it will stay intact. sumi: as you are on the house foreign affairs committee, want to talk about priorities. there will be a new chairman,

congressman brian mast. there has been reporting that we could see some of the bipartisanship that this committee has seen over the last few years changed dramatically. we know that congressman mast has made controversial statements on the middle east and ukraine. do you think bipartisanship could become more difficult and if i can ask a second question, what priorities do you think the committee will have? rep. bera: i'm going to give incoming chairman brian mast the opportunity to show his leadership. see what his parties are. you talk about preserving the u.s.-korea and trilateral relationship, that is incredibly fundamental. obviously, there are tensions with china, we will see what the incoming president goes if he does pursue tariffs. we have to keep lines of communication and dialogue open with china. the prior story on what's

happening in the middle east with syria, you saw how the conflict in gaza, how does that all resolve itself. this a lot going on in the world at all three of those are equally important priorities. sumi: one quick last question because you sit on the intelligence committee. a lot of confusion swirling around the possible sightings of numerous drones. we saw president-elect trump saying the biden administration knows what going on and is not telling people. do you think that is the case? rep. bera: i don't think that's the case. i think we will get briefed on the intelligence committee tomorrow. i do think everyone is trying to gather the information that is necessary. i think we are taking it very seriously but i do think we should be as transparent as possible with the public because of the lack of transparency, other theories, conspiracy theories will fill the void. as we get information, i would urge the administration but also ask members of congress we can share we should share. sumi: thank you as always for

joining us on bbc news. great to speak with you. rep. bera: thanks. be well. sumi: that is our program at this hour but remember, you can always get more on the days news on our website, bbc.com/news. you will find more on our syria coverage, as well as more on the prince andrew story from the u.k. plus to see what we are working on anytime, check us out on your favorite social media site. for all of us here on the world news america team, thank you for watching and stay tuned to bbc news. ♪ 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,

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wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ ♪ amna: good evening. geoff: on the news hour tonight multiple people are killed in a mass shooting at a christian school in wisconsin adding yet another community to the list of those embroiled by gun violence. amna: we are in a