hashem ahelbarra has covered the latest conflict since its beginning. is that what they're doing effectively the saudi led coalition are trying t to soften up the rebels? >> yes. ultimately have reinforcement from the saudi led moving to those areas building up, they have been pounding mareb for quite some time and the push is now underway. >> what are the chances of them doing that, of retaking sanaa and the northern part of the country given that the houthis are going to put up a determined fight? >> northern yemen is a houthi stronghold, and rebels loyal to the former president ali abdullah saleh is a painful push. mountainous area. extremely difficult to send tanks to capture sanaa. that is exactly why for time being they're relying on air strikes. >> is there any chance this operation will not be needed? that at some point the houthi rebels will be forced to the negotiating table? >> the united nations has been trying, met with president hadi a few days ago, he said i'm not going to go to negotiate a political settlement, i want to tell the united

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. a. >> the head of the u.n.'nuclear watchdog agency says he was given environmental samples during a controversial visit to iran. the iaea must visit the site after the terms of the nuclear deal. recent renovation there had undermined the ability to conduct effective verification. iran denies it's carrying out arms research this. there is cautious optimism from the president. h5n1 says ihassan rouhani speak. >> the distance the disagreements the lack of trust will not go away soon. what's important is which direction are we heading? are we heading torts assemblingg the enmity? >> earlier pope francis integratecelebrated mass, told e faithful to overcome the resistance to change. the pope was instrumental in getting the u.s. and cuba to enter into diplomatic relations. david ariosto has the story. >> reporter: the pope is as far away from havana as you can get, in the city of holgine, a town of beran not all that far from the city. the pope announced 150,000 there in revolution plaza, there have been some roadbloc

yemen's soanl recognized governments she is they, hashem ahelbarra hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. >> nowfrom the u.n. he says diplomatic way deny out is still possible. >> our are belief is this conflict cannot be sofd. as we talk we are going to gif it another try in m urchghtscw a divestment as you just said, are it arrived yet once in muscat, that is the time too are be exefer owners is more are. >> do stay with us here, the greek prime minister alexis tsipras claimed a new mandate afer he has joants ire or our throig bac.a new cyberattack on. blps >> good to have you with us, you're watching al jazeera, these are the headlines. the leader of burkina faso has apologized, the deposit says it would forcibly remove him from capital. >>> what has been considered forcible negotiations, rival governments of libya in morocco. >>> yemen's capital sanaa, air vieks from the saudi led coalition killing at least another 30 people. >>> it's getting really serious for volkswagen. a criminal investigation is being launched in u.s., some veryvwmplets cars werew cars were manipulating emissions testin

. >> saudi led coalition began its exaim against the rebels in march and as hashem ahelbarra reports there is no sighup in all of this violence as all. >> caught in the cross fire. civilians seek safe shelters in the central city of ta'izz where fighting has flared over the last few days. government troops backed by coalition forces are on the offensive in the province of mareb but progress is slow. >> translator: the terrain isn't helpful at all, the houthis have mined most of the fields in this area so we are cautious. yemen's new army hasn't deployed all its units yet. >> reporter: a year after houthi rebels took over the capital saz nah their leaders remains confident. >> we are confident we will ultimately prevail. we will continue to fight until we liberate each and every inch of our country. >> reporter: the houthi leader seems to be willing to compromise. his group has freed three saudi hostages as well as two americans and a bruton with the help of oman. in oplan, a senior houthi official and close aid to former president ali abdullah saleh. oplan is trying to mediate a poli

(f) hashem ahelbarra reports >> as happy birthday hashemahelo sign in let up in the conflict. >> central city of ta'izz where fighting has flared over the last few days. government troops backed by coalition forces are on the offensive in the province of mareb but progress is slow. >> translator: the terrain isn't helpful at all. the houthis have mind most of the fields in this area so we are cautious and yemen's new army hasn't deployed fully. >>> leader remains defiant. >> we are confident we will ultimately prevail. our people have defeated invaders in the past and we will do the same thing again. we will continue the fight until we liberate each and every inch of our country. >> reporter: the houthi leader seeming to willing to compromise. his group has freed three saudi hostages as well as two americans and a briton. a senior heu houthi official and oclose aid to former president ali abdullah saleh. oman is trying to peed 88th a settlement between yemen's warring faction he but a peace deal may be a long way. other houthi stronghold, yemen's internationally recognized government say

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. >>> now there have been more clashes at the al-aqsa mosque compound in occupied east jerusalem. israeli military fired stun grenades. more to come for you after break including tens of thousands of people are without power in taiwan as a powerful typhoon batters the island. >>> and a spectacular lunar event that is amazing sky-watchers across the worlds. >> what do you want american's to understand? >> there's so much injustice. >> workers are being injured constantly. i just had a horrible nightmare. my company's entire network went down, and i was home in bed, unaware. but that would never happen. comcast business monitors my company's network 24 hours a day and calls and e-mails me if something, like this scary storm, takes it offline. so i can rest easy. what. you don't have a desk bed? don't be left in the dark. get proactive alerts 24/7. comcast business. built for business. stories >> welcome back to al jazeera. a recap of the top stories for you now. working with russia to find a resolution to the conflict in syria. >>> new way to deal with islam

hashem ahelbarra has more. >> military jets strike positions in the capital sa florida. coalition forces led by saudi arabia says they are targeting ammunition depots on the outskirts of the city. the fighting has escalated across the country. in the central city of ta'izz, informs loyal to exiled president ali abdullah saleh, try to retake areas they recently lost. houthis backed by troops loyal to deposed president ali abdullah saleh insist they have the upper hand. >> no side has been affected. the only side that has lost over the last six months has been the people of yemen, the 25 million people who are now suffering, and ongoing very fierce humanitarian crisis. >> reporter: these are coalition reenforcements on their way to the province of mareb. that's where most of yemen's oil and gas installations are located. fighter jets are also targeting houthi military bases, rocket launches and troop gatherings. offensive to retake control of sanaa. the capital was captured by the houthis a year ago who later spread their military and political influence. the u.n. is plann

hashem ahelbarra reports. >> this part of aleppo has been under rebel control for four years. but it's far from safe. government troops shell the area constantly. barrel bombs have destroyed entire neighborhoods. life on the ground is tough. this woman lost her house during an airstrike. she now lives in a community building. each day she walks four miles to a charity that delivers food aid and water to the needy. there are shortages everywhere. but this music tutor wants his students not to lose hope. here he's making sure that the school girls are ready for the end-of-year party. >> many have left, barrel bombs destroy everything. but i was in a building that collapsed after it was hit by a missile, but i'm lucky i'm still alive. >> this was a neighborhood bustling with activity. many have left. come cross to turkey. others went to remote villages. there are also those who were forced to leave when isil captured some rebel-held areas. >> isil and assad are the same thing. they have destroyed the country. the atrocities committed by isil have forced people to go, but i'm stay

the latest from hashem ahelbarra. he is with me in the studio. do you think that is what will happen, we'll see a push by the coalition for the capital san a. >> exactly, they have been sending reinforcements to the east of the country. where you have the presence the presence of saudis, and others there. and the yemeni. the build up is for one goal, to take over the capital. >> the coalition is concerned for the population. it would prefer to reach a settlement purely settling. the houthis will not go through a fight. >> they'll put up fires resistance. it's a stronghold. driving from east. it will be delicate in the area. they were loyal to the houthis, the troops, and there are significant presence. they - coalition forces understand that there's going to be air strikes. but the prop is it will not make a significant impact. the problem is the rising death toll. >> can a negotiated settlement be reached now, with the houthis as entrenched as they are, the coalition is determined as it is, you have the yemeni government back in the country, in

but as hashem ahelbarra reports, disputes are keeping people away. >> reporter: they call it the jewelhara. it was a cross roads for desert travelers. this is what remains of those days. the historic red hughed adobe mineral and red palaces. a local band performances its dance. in normal times the city would be bustling with tourists. but now it faces tough times. local artifacts such as leather work and jewelry are sold worldwide. but amid growing violence, kidnappings, the tourists have left and business is bad. >> translator: we used to sell items for a thousand dollars. now we can't even sell them for a hundred dollars. we need to find clients who can buy our goods. >> reporter: this man was forced out of school when he was six years old. his father wanted him to work in the tourist industry. he became the family breadwinner, >> translator: i haven't met a single tourest in the last six years. my dream is to see it back to the days when it was packed with foreigners. >> reporter: this hotel used to be fully booked for most of the year. now it's owner faces bankruptcy, and the only

hashem ahelbarra reports. [ explosion ] >> reporter: military jets strike houthi positions in yemen'sitol sana'a. coalition forces lead by saudi arabia, say they are targeting am mission depots on the outskirts of the city. the fighting has escalated across the country. in the central city of ta'izz, forcing loyal to exiled president hadi hold their ground. despite a surprise attack by houthi fighters to retake areas recently lost. houthis backed by troops loyal to deposed president saleh, insist they still have the upper hand. >> you cannot solve a crisis by war, that has been proved over the last six month when no side has been affecting, the only side that have lost in the last six months have been the people. the 25 million who are suffering and are in a fierce humanitarian crisis. >> reporter: these are coalition reinforcements on their way to the proindividual of ma'rib. that's where most of yemen's oil and gas installations are located. fighter jets are also targeting houthi military base. rocket launchers and troop gatherings. a coalition build up is planning an offensive to r

hashem ahelbarra reported extensively, joining us in the studio. the air strikes, we have seen them intensify, there's a lot of speculation this is the head of coalition boots on the ground in the yemeni capital. is it likely. >> it is. a year ago we were there. it was the end of an era, the beginning of a new one. the coalition was trying to reverse that. and recapture sanaa to undermine the houthis, and it's a new era where the ally is back in power as the recognised government. this is a situation why if you look at the map, you see the saudi-led coalition is massing thousands of troops in the eastern parts of the capital. particularly as they are pushing south. they would like to possess stifling embargo on sanaa, so that the houthis would have an option to surrender or move off. >> it's a different battle to the one that we saw in the south, where they managed to retake aiden quickly. >> sanaa is not going to move easily. >> at all. because of the mountains. you have mountains everywhere. if you are to set fighter troops and tanks to retake sa

earlier, hashem ahelbarra flew in to the airport where aid is still arriving. >> millions suffer overhe last few months because of the ongoing fighting. the aid that is being unloaded now is part of the assistance provided by neighboring countries, but the international community is concerned. it says that we need to see a political settlement any time soon. the problem is that the president abd rabbuh mansur hadi and his government insists they'll only join political talks if the houthis surrender, hand over their weapons and pull out of their area of control. demands which have been rejected so far by the houthis. the situation remains delicate and they're more politically divide than ever. hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera, aden. >> what will president hadi seek to do on his brief return to aden? >> i think its more about what this trip is about. which is to present a pr move if you will to show yemen and yemeni that is he's still in charge. that he's able to come back to the country. that the government is heading towards victory. in reality the real issue is vice president. he has bee

hashem ahelbarra reports. >> this part of aleppo has been under rebel control for four years. but it's far from safe. government troops shell the area constantly. barrel bombs shell the area continuously. she now lives in a community building. each day she walks four miles to a charity that delivers food aid and water to the needy. there are shortages everywhere. but anas, a school principal and music teacher wants his students not to lose hope. here, he's making sure that the school school girls are ready fofor end of year party. >> barrel bombs destroy everything. i was in a building that collapsed after it was hit by a missile but i'm lucky i'm still alive. >> this was a neighborhood bustling with activity. many have left. some cross to turkey. others went to remote villages. there are also those who are forced to leave when i.s.i.l. captured some rebel held areas. >> daesh has destroyed the country. forced people to go. i am staying. there's no way to go, i was born here. >> aleppo remains divided. the government has mass troops in districts it controls. the rebels have ma

. >>> and now we can cross to al jazeera hashem ahelbarra, from doha. the focus is really on the saudi authorities to make sure that everything goes smoothly and there hasn't been any accidents at hajj or any major ones for about a decade. there was a history of, before, of stampedes and fire. how much pressure do you think there is going to be on the saudi authorities to make sure everything goes smoothly and do you think they have the capacity to do that? >> reporter: well, it will definitely raise questions about the safety standards, at the grand mosque. you've been talking about the last decade when the saudis were having problems with the stampedes particularly during the symbolic stoning of the devil. saudi arabia managed to build massive bridges there and expand the roads, and ever since, never had any problems. but this new problem particularly at the grand mosque, and the kaba, serious in the sense that i was there two years ago to cover the story of hajj for al jazeera, a massive construction site. you can see the cranes above wherever you go

as hashem ahelbarra reports there has been no letup in the violence. >> reporter: caught in the cross fire. civilians seek safe shelters in the central city of ta'izz where fighting has flared over the last few days. government troops backed by coalition forces are on the offensive in the province of mareb but progress is slow. >> translator: the terrain isn't helpful at all. the houthis have mind most of the fields had this area so we are cautious. yemen's new army hasn't deployed all of its units yet. >> reporter: a year after houthis took over sanaa their leader remains defiant. >> translator: we are confident we will ultimately prevail, we have repelled in the past and will continue in the future and we will continual the fight until we liberate each and every inch. >> freeing hostages, with the help of oman. oman, a senior houthi official and ari fazuka a close aid to former president ali abdullah saleh, trying to mediate a political settlement between yemen's warring factions but a peace deal may be a long way. the saudi-led coalition is pounding areas in albada, another houthi

hashem ahelbarra has the story. >> now they are rehearsing for a farewell party. the aim is to raise awareness of the plight of thousands of africans who have been forced by conflicts and tough conditions to seek a better life in europe. frank arrived five years ago. his fight for legal rights paid offs. he is now a legal resident here. his next move is to find a decent job. >> translator: migrants should have access to health care. be able to find work and take their kids to school. above all be treated equally and with respect by the moroccan officials. >> some live in caves and in the forest spending the day hiding from the police. they try to climb fences, to get into the city of sirte which is connected to the land by water but is part of europe. >> i am here for one purpose: to get to europe. we live in the forest. each morning we go out looking for something to eat. we have nothing. life here is tough. >> reporter: with that a group of refugees in the northern city of tan years tangiers, this is a volunteer, she teaches young migrants english a experience s

as hashem ahelbarra reports. >> he is at the height of his political career. was the leader of a small opposition party a few years ago. now it's one of the country's most popular and well run. >> we run an efficient government, the local councils we lead are the best. we're honest with the people. we told them about the problems we face. we asked them to help us. this is why the results were good go but for those the vote has been a disaster. the leader of the independence. he lost his seat and his party was dealt a humiliating defeat. he said that the votes were rigged. accusations dismissed by the pgd. >> the city is widely known for rigging votes. we're victims, and we know that. >> the main rivals may have no other options but to reinvent themselves in order to win the trust of the general electorate. >> it has what i call a symbolic capital. they have for the time being they're an alternative, and in the sense a number of the leaders are seen as close to the population and popular classes. >> they'll team up with allies to solve morocco's pressing proble

hashem ahelbarra, al jazeera. >>> russia says it will continue to send weapons and aid to syria to helpght the isil. peter sharp is in moscow and sent us this. >> reporter: sergei lavrov, the foreign minister is making really this case for -- for giving these arms -- this heavy arm's shipment to syria, solely to fight the threat from isil. his spokesman said the threat is evidence and the only force capable of stopping that threat on the ground is -- is syria. he is saying that air strikes alone won't be enough, and this is why this -- this hardware, this military hardware is going in that direction, but it does really beg the question, how is russia going to ensure that those weapons are being used against isil and not being used in this four and a half year civil car -- war that has cost the lives of 200,000 people. lavrov is also saying that the pentagon has suspended its cooperation -- operational corroboration with russia at the moment, and the kremlin and the foreign ministry especially are asking that that be renewed, because at the moment there are u.s. and russian forces operat

and as hashem ahelbarra discovered in tan jeer, it's always seen as a test for the ruling party. >> reporterung and hoping to win the support of the poor and the disenfranchised. a win will increase his chances to run the region, morocco's capitol. this is his biggest political battle. >> people should care about these elections, because it's first of all a matter of youth future. this city, for instance, is full of youth, unemployed, they face many difficulties, so if they want to change their daily lives, they need to vote. >> reporter: but winning the heart and minds of moroccans won't be easy. their main rival the ruling conservative justice and development party says it has for years championed the cause of those sidelined by the political elite. the party's leader is morocco's prime minister. his popularity has been on the rise over the last few years. >> translator: since we came to power four years ago, we have been leading a coalition that has made improvements in different sectors. >> reporter: the pgd faces liberal, leftist, and nationalist parties, all campaigning to win regional

>>> let's bring in al jazeera correspondent, hashem ahelbarra who has reported extensively from yemen if saudi arabia and the coalition didn't do it, who did? >> the saudis have always maintained the same position saying they are not hitting civilians, saying houthis are to blame because they are using some civilian areas to target their own rivals. but we know from eyewitnesses who were saying they were attending a wedding when they heard a fighter flying over the area, then there was a massive explosion that killed more than 135 people, mostly women and children, and it's only saudi arabia that has the military capabilities to -- to fly flighter jets on those areas, because the houthis don't have such capabilities. >> they don't have an air force or the fact that the coalition has air superiority. >> most of the fighter jets were destroyed at the early stage of the air strike that were launched about six months ago. they are left now with ballistic missiles and anti-aircraft batteries, but as far as the air is concerned, it's mostly saudi-lead coalition. >> who would the coalition h

hashem ahelbarra has the story. >> fighting has flared in ta'izz over the past few days. government troops backed by coalition forces are on the offensive in the province of mareb but progress is slow. >> translator: the terrain isn't helpful at all. the houthis have mined most of the fields had this area so we are cautious. and yemen's new army hasn't deployed all its units yet. >> reporter: a year after houthi rebels took over sanaa their leader remains defiant. >> we are confident we will ultimately prevail. our people have defeated invaders in the past and we dwoil the same thing again. do the same thing again. >> the houthi leader seems to be willing to compromise. his group has freed three saudi hostages as well as two americans and a briton with the help of oman. in oman a senior houthi officials and a close aid to former president ali abdullah saleh. trying to mediate a political settlement between yemen's warring factions but a peace deal may be a long way. the saudi-led coalition is pounding areas in albeida another houthi stronghold. yemen's internationally rec

. -- hashem ahelbarra reports. >> reporter: the seaport city of aden is under government control. entire areas were destroyed during the fighting with houthis and government troops. most of the fighters are members of a movement. a group of armed southerners who want the south to breakaway from the north. >> we are at the palace, which the houthis kept taking over. they are the ones that ousted the rebels from the palace, and god willing security and stability, they will return to adin. >> the president faces the task of uniting yemen's factions. but his authority has been weakened. he depends on coalition troops for securing aden and the south. abd-rabbu mansour hadi's government has so far rejected calls for talks with his rivals, insisting the houthis must surrender. >> translation: this militia group have to understand now. they have to cooperate full why with the united nations reservation 226 and violence, and to recognise that there is no solution in yemen, unless we go back to where we started before the 21st of september last year >>> taking you live to the united nations

. >> hashem ahelbarra, many thanks, on yemen >>> the head of the u.n. nuclear watchdog, the international atollic energy agency arrived in trairn. the visit -- tehran. the visit is part of an agreement between u.n. and iran to work closely. iran signed an agreement to curb nuclear programs in exchange for easing of sanctions >>> human rights watch says shia said are out of control, causing wide-spread destruction in the city of tikrit. they broke the laws of war. the shia militias played a role in driving i.s.i.l. out of tikrit. >> syrian rebels trained by the u.s. have reportedly entered aleppo province from the border. the activists said 75 fighters cost a convoy of cards under air protection. it's a week after the u.s. admitted five of its trained levels were fighting in syria. washington's programme to develop a moderate force to fight i.s.i.l. has been fraught with problems. dozens of fighters have been kidnapped or killed in attacks since july. opposition rebels agreed to a truce in four contested areas. rival sides will stop attacks and in idlib,

that so many of you are also descendants of immigrants. [ cheers and applause ] >> let's go to hashem ahelbarrashington, d.c. for the latest on nope's visit. tell us more about the subjects the pope covered. >> i think a lot of attention is being paid to those comments on migration, specifically that the pope didn't make any distinction in migration. often we hear in the media a narrative of the worthy and unworthy migrants. for him he talked about the world and the u.s. welcoming those who are not just victims of what he called the worst refugee crisis since the second word war, and he reminded congress that many of their ancestors traveled to the u.s. for a better life as well. that was part of the pope's usual attacks on abortion, and a woman's right to choose, and he was quite outspoken on some of tremendous traditional social issues that the vatican tends to talk about. very outspoken on marriage. he said he feared for the family. the family today is threatened like never before a clear reference to his opposition to same-sex marriage. beyond that the familiar themes about racial, economic