is, with russia backing bashar al-assad, it's harder for bashar al-assad to beoverthrown and some pd kind of negotiated solution with the alawites, with bashar al-assad's people is going to be the only possible solution. one thing that you made a point is some are saying they are taking a lead on something. they decided they do not share the goal of regime change. the problem is they seem to target the american backed moderate rebels. who you say we should have been involved with in 2023 and 13. that is -- 2012 and "13. we are arming and training bombing. >> and we have remarkably little leverage against russia in that scenario. there is some hope that russia will be bogged down in this fight, that it's going to be another afghanistan for russia, but there's no guarantee of that. right now the russians are putting just enough forces on the ground. mostly air power, mechanics and specialists to keep bashar al-assad alive. not enough. they understand there's a line they can't cross and are making sure they don't do enough to get the united states involved against them. >> and not creat

turns on bashar al-assad, which they will. will we fight with them to replace bashar al-assad. senator. >> if i'm bashar al-assad, this is a good day for me, because the american government said, without saying it, that they are not going to fight to replace nee. the russians and the iranians and hezbollah, this is a good day for them, their guy has no military credible threat. so, now you tell me what kind of deal we'll get, folks. >> friday, secretary of state john kerry will meet with russian foreign minister sergey lavrov and others. on the table. the future of bashar al-assad, with no consensus that he should stay or go. the gamble for vladimir putin is he can wish a settlement that he can support bashar al-assad or someone else like him in power and do it quickly. >> what makes this a problem is no one knows how to put the border or states back together. possible. >> the u.s. mourns the loss of the first uggs soldiers. josh wheeler. he died in a firefight with i.s.i.l., as they fought to release prisoners, as the u.s. considers increasing the numbers of boots on the groun

it's very much censored on the person of bashar al-assad, if she removes him. if it implots, and with it russian influence in the last remaining bastion of the middle east. despite russia being the stronger party, president bashar al-assad and the regime in damascus nevertheless had means of leverage in the relationship with moscow. >> pleasure talking to you. meanwhile, have a look at the unusual video released in russia, said to show vast areas of destruction in a damascus suburb. have a look. get an idea, it's high quality images, shot from drones flying over the city, giving it a rare insight into the fighting, but highly produced. what you see in the middle of the screen, it reads vgtrk - russia, operating some of the biggest media networks, showing widespread damage, tanks and fighters moving through the suburb. we have not been able to independently verify the video. it's been published on the website of a russian media agency. the suburb no the north-east of the city, the scene of fierce fighting over recent years. the syrian government launched an offe

first, and bashar al-assad -- coordinate with bashar al-assad, get rid of i.s.i.l., and go after bashar al-assad later. >> there are many things, but it can't include bashar al-assad. >> senator mccain said the administration has been outmoored again by russia. are they setting the agenda. >> i don't think at all that's the case. they are responding to their conexperience about the fragility of the bashar al-assad regime. they moved forces in there, and are using the forces purportedly now to allow bashar al-assad to remain in power and brutalize his people. it's not what we want to see, we want an instructive role against i.s.i.l., but it's not the case. >> they are going after the army of conquest, extremist groups, does that, in fact, help i.s.i.l., because they oppose i.s.i.l. >> potentially it could. it remains to be seen what targets they are going after after a period of time. what we want to see is i.s.i.l. degraded and tweeted inside iraq and syria. there is a big, successful coalition to go after the threat. >> the russian deputy for instance said that they are open to helping

bashar al-assad transition out of power. it is unclear whether russia's motives are self-serving or stem over hering concern those fighting in north syria who could pose a serious problem to moscow should they return to russia. to hearing from our esteemed panel of witnesses on the possible outcomes and solutions to the current challenges. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. mr. brooks has no opening statement. how about mr. weber? weber: no, let's go. [laughter] chairman: he's great. witnesses tok the summarize your prepared hopefully, and then we can have a dialogue and have s.estions and answer first, i am going to introduce the witnesses. dr. leon aron is a resident scholar and director of russian studies at the american .nterprise institute he joined the organization that oversees operations of international broadcasting, such as voice of america, and he is a widely published author who earned his phd at columbia university. saradshyan is the director of the u.s. russian initiative to prevent nuclear terrorism. he wo

they are moving forces in there and are us them, purportedly to alu bashar al-assad to remain in bour and potentially to brutalize their own people. it's not what we want to see. we want them to have a constructive role. >> they are going after al-qaeda linked nusra and other groups. doesn't that help i.s.i.l., because they oppose i.s.i.l. >> it could. >> it remains to be seen what targets they are going after. we want to see i.s.i.l. degraded and tweeted inside iraq and syria, there's a coalition designed to go after the threat. if russia plays a constructive role, it's a conversation we are willing to have. >> admiral john kirkry. >> a grocery store chain that specialises in organic food says it will stop selling products made using prison workers. certain its are supplied to a correctional programme meant to give inmates the opportunity to learn job skills. prisonerserb earn up to a maximum of $0.74 a day. the company is phasing out the its. >> still ahead, an example of bipartisanship in washington. lawmakers getting behind a push to reform the way the u.s. punishes criminals. plu

saudi arabia's foreign minister says the involvement of bashar al-assad's allies reveal whether they are committed to peace. >> the view of the partners in this was that we past the intentions of the iranians and the russians about their seriousness in arriving at a political solution in syria, which we all prefer. >> well, let's talk to mohammed jamjoom who is in vienna. you couldn't get more opposing sides if you tried sitting at the same table. how will this work. what are they expecting? >> i think that everybody is wondering how this will work. today we are expecting more bilateral meetings taking place. we are told that the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has arrived in austria and should be here at the location, the imperial hotel within the next half hour. the saudis, i'm told, will arrive later this evening. ministry of foreign ayres said that that delegation will arrive later. we are not sure about the russians and the turks. the talks setting the stage for what will happen tomorrow. tomorrow is the key day. not only do you have a newly invigorated process of trying to m

bashar al-assad would lose, they would win. the challenges between russia and the west have been bashar al-assad must go. russia can't effect bashar al-assad going, russia is not in power to make him leave. with a direct military intervention, russia is in a better position to determine the fate of syria, and it changes things a bit. russia is not all personally attached. that's clear. russia believes that the syrian army and the syrian - whoever leaves it, is the way forward. that is the core of their position. but in the long term, yes, russia is now in a place where it could affect regime changes. it could agree to a transition away from bashar al-assad, and force them to do it. before, frankly, it couldn't. >> various syrian rebel groups are forming an alliance after six days of strikes. various groups labelled russian actions in syria as an act of occupation. they are calling on regional states to support a united front against russian and iranian forces fighting on behalf of the bashar al-assad regime >>> the syrian oppos

bashar al-assad is evil, isis, you want to bomb both sides which is a ridiculous kind of thing to do but we have to analyze what has happened so far. we put a lot of arms into the syrian civil war and in doing so, saudi arabia put 600 tons of weapons in 2013, we pushed back bashar al-assad, but there has been a vacuum and isis grew in that space. i was one of the leading voices in 2013 saying to the president even though bashar al-assad is evil dictator, evil person in charge of syria, and didn't want to bomb hidden because my fear was isis would be in charge of all of syria. isn't any solution. >> we talk about this on the

what did vladimir putin and bashar al-assad talk about.ccording to the kremlin, the kremlin spokesperson, they spoke about the usual things, the russian air campaign and the syrian army operation that has been going on. the russian air campaign has been going on since september 30th. the president thanked vladimir putin for the russian support. the kremlin says that the talks were in what they call a limited and an expanded format. what that means, it wasn't just vladimir putin and bashar al-assad having a chat. for some of the discussion, the senior russian leadership team was there to. the ministry of defense, and the foreign ministry involved in that, and they touch on topics, including bilateral relations. that is all quite vague language. the big question is this, did vladimir putin say anything to bashar al-assad about the transfer of power. the only clue that the kremlin is giving is that vladimir putin told bashar al-assad that is he prepared for the political process, and that a political settlement in syria is possible. with worl

to have bashar al-assad transition out of power. it is unclear whether russia's motives are self-serving or stem from growing concern over her those fighting in north syria who could pose a serious problem to moscow should they return to russia. i look forward to hearing from our esteemed panel of witnesses on the possible outcomes and solutions to the current challenges. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. mr. brooks has no opening statement. how about mr. weber? mr. weber: no, let's go. [laughter] chairman: he's great. so, i will ask the witnesses to summarize your prepared statements, and then hopefully, we can have a dialogue and have questions and answers. first, i am going to introduce the witnesses. dr. leon aron is a resident scholar and director of russian studies at the american enterprise institute. he joined the organization that oversees operations of international broadcasting, such as voice of america, and he is a widely published author who earned his phd at columbia university. simon saradshyan is the director of

to use military force for diplomatic gains whereby bashar al-assad could negotiate a political settlement from a position of strength. >> the u.s. secretary of state john kerry has been speaking to us at al jazeera, and told us that russia's attacks on opposition fighters antagonises other nations in the region. >> the president is consider all the options available right now. we made it clear to the russians, do not attack the legitimate opposition. they have said they understand that. what we are looking for is not a military victory. we are looking for the political resolution that we always look for in the context of geneva, and so they don't have to fear that we are somehow building up a takeover military. what we are trying to do is have a legitimate transition now to save syria, and to have a unified secular whole syria going forwards. if the russians insist on fighting against them there could be serious consequence, the most serious being other nations supporting those people will have no choice but to double down and russia, itself, will become a target of those people. that's w

bashar al-assad's visit is believed to be his first trip abroad since syria's war broke out in 2011. the topic for discussion was the war in syria, and russia's military involvement. rory challands is live in moscow. what are the plans now, rory? >> well, that's a very good question. what we know is that vladimir putin and president bashar al-assad met on tuesday in moscow to talk about the syrian operations, to talk about the russian bombing campaign, and how that is backing up the syrian army on the ground as they push against the group's that they have been fighting against for so long. groups that some in the west see as friendly groups, moderate groups, groups that are trying to get rid of bashar al-assad and that the west has been supporting. what we don't know is whether they discussed the big question - is there going to be a transfer of power away from president bashar al-assad? the closest we can get to an answer to that is by listen to what the two presidents themselves have said recently. let's listen in. >> we assume that the long-term solution may be reached on the basi

is backing the rebels, and russia is backing the government of bashar al-assad.n that aversion is one of the reasons that the united states has not been more involved now, and ruled out ground troops, and insisted from the beginning that all of its efforts in syria were directed against isil not the government of bashar al-assad. the u.s. has said many times it's not at war with bashar al-assad even as the administration has consistently said he has to go at some point for peace to come to syria. so rather than make an impetus for ground troops, i think this takes that option completely off of the table, because the united states is not going toing want to get in a shooting war with russian forces in syria. it's just that would -- you know, that would be an outcome that would be even less desirable, and that's the problem when you have these -- if you have russian forces bombing on the ground, if you had u.s. troops on the ground, what happens if russia either intentionally or accidentally bombed u.s. troops on the grown. you know, the -- the problems that would

in the overall, people are taken putin's invitation to bashar al assad for the first time to moscow, greeting him there just as everyone is saying he should step down, even be tried at the hague for being a car criminal. moscow receives assad as a legitimate leader of syria. now, is that a sign of russian support for syria or as others argue, and i argue that now russia owns assad. russia is not iran. russia is not saudi arabia. russia is a global power, and russia steps into a place like syria, it's not going to be taken lightly by bashar al assad. i think to a large degree, assad is not going to be able to decide for his regime anymore. i think russia will wait in a major way on the syrian regime. >> as a side issue here, i'm interested to see how the dynamic might be changed in the united nations security council. it has been paralyzed by vetoes with russia. now seeing everyone sitting around the tail discussing issues in a sensible way, will we see action from the u.n. >> i'm always guided by an old proverb, when elephants fight, the garbage gets crushed. when elephants play, the

trying to prop up the regime of al assad. >> that's right. ey own the actions of the assad regime. and people question whether or not they have -- whether targeting isis. be clear what they've done. 19 of the air strikes that they have done, 17 targeted areas that were held by rebels as well, syrian rebels some of which we have trained. 17 of the 19 targeted areas that had rebels also fighting isis. only two of them targeted isis-only areas. >> talk about north korea. a lot of us concerned about what could potentially happen october 10 thr, a few days from now. give the time change, october 9 h. here in the united states, 70th anniversary of the founding of the so-called workers party in north korea. on a day like that they do something expositive, potentially launch some missile. what are you hearing? >> exactly what we're hearing. look at arc of foreign policy of administration, the administration's policy of strategic patience has been a strategic fall ire. a few days away from a rocket launch, they'll say they're launching a satellite, bot

some are softening their approach on bashar al assad.e seeing the framework for a real political breakthrough? >> there's definitely been a softening of tone toward bashar al assad and what role he might play in the future of syria, particularly from the the western countries represented here. we'd heard indications of this from statements that have been coming from the u.s. over the course of the past week. just today, french foreign minister spoke to the press earlier, and he was saying that it wasn't clear what role, if any, the syrian president bashar al assad will have in the future of syria. that's a big change. it's subtle, but in diplomatic speak a big change from where many of the western countries involved were in the past when several countries demanded outright that there was no role for bashar al assad when it came to the transition in syria. with rewards to iran, they've not specified where they are yet when it comes to bashar al assad. clearly they have a huge role to play in syria, and they want to make sure that bashar a

what do you make of the comments made by the syria president bashar al-assad. at this time, why now, and how will they be received by countries like the united states, saudi arabia, who are adamant na bashar al-assad plays no political process going forward in the country? this comes after sergey lavrov commented about the syrians being or having to be prepared for the possibility of elections, so this is just aligned with russian position, and, of course, i had met with the u.s., turkey and saudi arabia. to discuss the possibilities, and we see a softer stance from the other side with regards to bashar al-assad playing a role in the transition, towards an election. that all kind of falls together and comes together in a picture. it's ambiguous. no one set timetables or said anything. it's promises that can be reneged upon at any moment. >> when moscow, as you are saying, says this as well. is this a shift in the russian position, when they are encouraging bashar al-assad to hold parliamentary elections. >> i mean, yes, obviously the russians hinted at that. ag

today bashar al-assad is back in damascus after meeting with vladimir putin in moscow.was assad's first trip abroad since the civil war began more than four years ago. putin has been one of asued's strongest allies, and russian air strikes are helping government forces retake key areas. >> reporter: this was a trademark putin piece of political theater. yes, things are now starting to make sense as i was leaving work yesterday. the traffic in central moscow was at an absolute stand still, many of the main thoroughfares were blocked off by police, and as i cycled over the river a presidential helicopter flew very low down the river just over my head. now it seems very likely from what we know now that it was president bashar al-assad who was in that helicopter. so what do these two men talk about? well, we know they discussed the obvious things, the russian air campaign in syria, and how this is supporting bashar al-assad's ground offensive. but the big question remains. how much did vladimir putin push president assad on a transfer of power for him to leave power? now t

while russia and iran continue to support the regime of syrian president bashar al-assad.past four years, every other attempt to form a political solution to the syrian crisis has ended in relative failure. raising the stakes at a time when it seems expectations are relatively low. >> i believe it is already a relevant compromise, a relevant commitment to all of the sides to be here tonight and tomorrow to come together to accept to sit together this is already very relevant starting point. only one week ago it was very difficult to anticipate. >> reporter: the mood, one of extremely guarded optimism. the fact that the regional arch rival saudi arabia and iran will actually be sitting across a negotiating table from each other on friday is, indeed, a very big development. but what results that may yield is for now anybody's guess. mohamed jamjoon, al jazeera, vienna. >>> the key players of that negotiating table include the united states, russia, turkey, saudi arabia and as mohamed explained there, crucially iran. but also as important is who is not there. no one is repres

bashar al-assad must be removed by force, and called for safe holds. a position that turkey supports. iranian special forces are fighting with the syrian military. >> large parts of the syria and the economy have been destroyed. hundreds of thousands have been killed, millions wounded and displaced in a conflict in its fifth year. optimism about the talks, including iran. as all agree, continuing to fight is not the solution for syria. >> the view of partners was na we should test the intentions of iranians and russians about the seriousness arriving at a political solution. >> what iran spends on syria, it has not changed. we have said that the solution of the conflict lies in political solution. the mother is crying, don't worry. millions of others hope there's an end to the bloodshed. >> these are some of the huge challenges outlined there. what hope if any, of finding common ground with these talks? >> it's a very important question. time and time again for the past four years, when there has been talks of this nature, it has not made difference on

this war ends through a political settlement and ultimately bashar al assad's exiting of the scene. unless you have something along those lines, this conflict will not end. >> the u.s. has been clear that assad does have to go. i guess the question is how quickly he might have to go. there have been plans floating around for some sort of transitional government whereby perhaps bashar al assad could stay as a symbolic figure head for some time until a proper government takes over. is there any way do you think that the u.s. might soften its attitude towards assad staying for a little time? >> now, i think that it's important here to distinguish between the syrian government and bashar al assad and his close associates. if you look at previous efforts at peace negotiations, they're all predicated on a process of mutual consent between the government and the moderate opposition. i think that's still the only sound way to get a lasting sustainable political solution to this conflict and if you just look at the facts on the ground, the opposition is never going to accept bashar al assad,

assad. moreover, we have also made we would have grave concerns should russia strike areas where isil and al qaeda affiliated targets are are not operating. strikes of that kind would question russia's real or ntions fighting isil protecting the assad regime. we have informed russia that we are prepared to hold these talks a early as cobanie, where east of the uefraties river. at the same time, we have mounted a comprehensive campaign to cut financing, curb recruitment and expose the lie that is aisle is perpetrating. today as we speak south of kirkuk kurdish peshmerga are heroically liberating villages from isil under the cover of coalition air strikes. we continue to admire the courage and resilience that has been demonstrating by the years of struggle. let me remind this council that coalition air operations are grounded in well established military procedures firmly based in international law and the request of neighboring states for collective self-defense under article 51. that foundation has not chake i thinked and we will continue our mission with the full sanction of international l

syrian president bashar al-assad was in moscow for surprise visit.esident vladimir putin for military support. western nations accuseed of using to attack antiassad forces . draftkings and fandual. fantasy sports amount to games and skills and not illegal gambling. fox business network a parent company 21st century fox has

it's not an action or choice focused on bashar al-assad. it's focus exclusively on d.a.e.s.h. >>> joining us is the executive director at the iranian-american council. let's talk about this. this is the fifth year of the war, millions displaced. hundreds of thousands killed. now with the talks, iran has been brought to the table. why so long for that development. it's reached a point where the parties involved in the war, regional countries, united states and russia came to the conclusion that without the involvement of iran as a backer of the government, there cannot be a political solution. unfortunately it's taken five years to come to the conclusion. there has been previous attempts to have iran be part of the negotiations. every juncture has been opposition from saudi arabia, israel and washington. >> what leverage does iran have. >> a great deal. if you look at the landscape and who is supporting the government. it is iran and russia. iran providing the underground advisory to the syrian military, it has an historical link going into

unlike the russians, who have been invited in by bashar al-assad.bly going to hear that bashar al-assad is the good guy, and the rest of the world, aside from the russians has it all wrong. and there may be a call as there was last year for some kind of security council resolution on terrorism. jonathan. >> syria has been the topic all week, john. give us an idea what some of the other major players have been saying? >> reporter: syria has totally dominated the general assembly. we saw major portions of all of the key speeches devoted to that issue from president obama, to president putin, to president ah dhani of iran. and i think the take away is for the last 18 months there has been no serious talking about what to do about the syrian situation. two things changed that, one was russians moving their planes and troops, and protecting bashar al-assad and his regime, and the other was the refugee crisis what was in part prompted by syria. >> thank you john. >>> we'll bring you continuing coverage of the u.n. general assembly including the syrian add

the biggest su stumbling block n the table is the fate of bashar al-assad.le different parties have softened their stance a little. the u.s. and arab wants assad to go while russia and iran want him to stay. u.s. officials are hopeful an agreement can be reached on a transition that will see assad step aside. just this week he issued a statement saying he would not consider any political initiatives until after, quote, irradicating terrorism. let's talk now to know ham he had jamjoon he joins us live from the austrian capital vienna. a busy day there, what's on the sketch foul vienna? >> reporter: sami, we are expecting shortly a statement from french foreign minister, that should be happening we are told within the next half happen our, then in about 90 minutes, two hours from now, there should be the plenary session started at the hotel imperial behind us where the diplomats will be talking throughout the day. i must just add what you mentioned a few moments ago really under scores how different things are here versus the reality on the ground in syria. th

forced to intervene in syria only to save the crumbling regime of russia's long-time ally bashar al-assad>> reject russia's theory that everybody opposed to assad is a terrorist. >> mr. obama rejected critics who accuse him of leading a leadership vacuum in syria for putin to exploit. >> i didn't see the 60-nation coalition that we have start lining up behind him. iran and assad makeup mr. putin's coalition at the moment. the rest of the world makes up ours. >> the president conceded his program to train and equip the moderate syrian opposition had not worked, but he vowed to continue to seek out syria to pick up the pieces when and if assad is forced out, and dismissed calls for an u.s.-military ex-canalation in syria. >> and we will find ourselves either doing just a little bit and not making a difference and losing credibility that way or drawing--finding ourselves drawn in deeper and deeper into a situation that we can't sustain. >> and paul, talks continue about how to insure that russian and american coalition warplanes don't end up shooting at each other over syria, but despite it

russians and bashar al-assad?harlie: you are saying we have to do what ever is necessary including boots on the ground -- senator mccain: i'm not talking about 100,000. i'm talking about some boots on the ground. when you look at libya, what happened -- charlie: we supported going into libya to overthrow gadhafi, and now you have a failed state. a failed state with isis making gains. what are the lessons of that? senator mccain: the first step is the changing government. we still have 30,000 troops, but the important thing is you have to help them build the nation. we walked away. we completely walked away from libya. and joe lieberman and lindsey graham and i wrote a piece right after it and said, you've got to help them secure weapons caching. got to do things to help these countries make the transition. if you walk away from any country that has been governed by nothing by a dictator -- look korea after the armistice in south korea. i called up leon panetta and i said, leon, send a hospital ship. they have 20,0

bashar al-assad is not going to be there forever, and iran knows that. the same thing that happens here, we have eight years of presidency for each and every individual candidate. if you don't want to prove to the international community that you are series, and a way out of the crisis in syria, and will present bashar al-assad to a step down. why not. if this is going to save, you know, more lives, iran is more than willing to make that compromise. >>> and in another shift in policy the united states says it will step up its campaign against i.s.i.l. in syria and iraq. the u.s. defense secretary ashton carter means it will be supported by action on the ground. rosalind jordan says more. >> the military is rolling out a new version of counter-i.s.i.l. category. they call it the three refuse. syrian rebels retaking raqqa. iraqi swooping in on ramadi. u.s. forces getting involved. >> raids, signalling that we won't hold back supporting partners in opportunistic attacks against i.s.i.l. >> reporter: ash carter's statement comes after a raid where u.s. speci

a day after elections were called, bashar al-assad met with lawmakers in damascus, and declared that he is willing to take part in new poll, if the syrian people supported the idea. in capital after capital talks turned again to transition. even though at times it has sounded as though diplomacy is as deadlocked as ever. in cairo, saudi foreign minister declared bashar al-assad has no role to play in syria's future. >> translation: the stance on syria is similar to saudi arabia. we wish to see a transition taking place in syria, and both the countries, civil and military, institution preserved and see the syrian people determining their own fate in the future. >> reporter: syria's opposition is not opposed to compromise, provided it is not bashar al-assad that they need to compromise with. >> the problem is dialogue. he is now a war criminal, or at least alleged war criminal, because of the destruction that he has brought to the country. i don't think a foreign power would have made as much destruction as he has done in syria. there's no possibility for syrians to consult with the on

interested in preserving the assad regime. >> reporter: the white house says syrian president bashar al-assad's red carpet welcome in moscow ends the fiction that russian intervention is about anything other than keeping assad in power. the pentagon continues to insist moscow is lying not only about who it's bombing, insisting only a fraction of the strikes target i.s.i.l, but also exaggerating the number and effectiveness of the strikes. russia says it's conducted hundreds of air strikes since it began bombing three weeks ago. the u.s. says it's more like 140. meanwhile the pentagon says it's putting more pressure on the i.s.i.l. stronghold of raqqa in northern syria by air dropping 50 tons of munitions to a loose coalition nearby. about 5,000 fighters all told, 50 leaders who were pulled out briefly to get a short course in how to use the ammo. robert gates told a senate committee the old u.s. plan of taking fighters out of syria for training was never going to work. instead gates testified the u.s. should find motivated tribes or ethnic groups around ar and arm. >> they may not fight in iraq

missiles seeking out targets of forces loyal to bashar al-assad, free syrian army call them bashar al-assad tamers, as they drive rebels gains in the north-west. posted online, it purports to show weapons smashing into russian made tanks on the ground in syria. it's beginning to feel like a cold war era proxy war, two great powers facing off, without facing each other in combat. >> vladimir putin began a proxy war with the united states. when russian aircraft struck, moderate forces trained by the central intelligence agency. this was no accident. targets were provided by the syrian regime, they were accurate. >> reporter: retired army general making his point to congress. not everyone agrees. >> weapons, quite frankly, may have impact in the near term, but in terms of being the basis of a proxy war between russia and the united states, i believe that pretty far overthrown. >> these so-called bashar al-assad tamers are reported to have been delivered to opposition forces as part of a 2-year covert operation to stablilize. president obama told 60 minutes that plans to train opposition fighte

russians are trying to support bashar al-assad. and all the enemies are rallying behind the opposition to bashar al-assad. >> because of that support, a gulf nation official says russia has created a frankenstein, inspiring more fighters to head to syria. that's what happened when the russians invaded afghanistan. that led to the soviet invasion, it lead to the demise of the soviet union. this could be the same kind of thing when sending military into syria, they draw a lot of opposition and fighting. >> the missiles landing in iran, is the risk growing. planes colliding, missile landing, that would pressure n.a.t.o. to confront russia. >> accidents happen, weapons malfunction, we saw this in ukraine, when the russian backed separatists struck down an airliner. many europeans. this can happen in syria or as we have seen in the countries between the caspian, and the parent targets in syria. >> do you think this will prolong the war. russia says it's attacking i.s.i.l. and now is launching a coordinated ground and air offensive again

iran and bashar al-assad make up vladimir putin's coalition at the moment. the rest of the world make ours. the top-line message i want everyone to understand is we are going to continue to go after i.s.i.l., we are going to continue to reach out to a moderate opposition. we rejected russia's theory that everybody opposed to bashar al-assad is a terrorist. we think it's self-defeating. it will get them into a quagmire. it will be used as a further recruitment tool for foreign fighters. we are joined by a syrian academic writer and analyst at the doha institute. strong language from president obama, who said russia's strategy in syria is a recipe for das is is -- disaster. we have heard this before. what can they do realistically about russia's bombing campaign. >> i think they won't do anything about it, except for condemnation, and make strong verbal language against that. this is what they understood. here, where vladimir putin act with impunity and in ukraine they imposed tough sanctions. here, in syria, it's a bit different, and the americans have from t

putin and al assad met seek relit. they were distant and wary of one another. even as putin is trying to prop up assad with air strikes. the u.s. perspective on this is that putin rolled out the red carpet for bashar al assad. man who has attacked his own civilians. doesn't sound like there were bear hugs in that room. >> yeah, well that's apparently what you're hearing pip can tell you that the message that was hent to be sent by this was very different. that this is -- an ally of the kremlin. and that this was a president who, despite the fact that he's criticizing the west and washington in particular, for carrying out attacks using chemical weapons, russia stands squarely behind him. i think that's the message that the kremlin wants to put across. if there are negotiations in the future about syria, then assad is the kremlin's man. that dep low mattic support the being shadowed by military support on the the ground with the russian air strikes now in their third week, striking hard at opposition fighters inside syria, including islamic state and other nonisi

first trip abroad of bashar al-assad in four years. to moscow. and joe biden will not run for the white house. plus. >> the artists responding to the world refugee crisis. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is set to meet with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in a few hours in berlin. they will be discussing the rising violence in israel and the owbd palestinia occupied pan territory. barnaby phillips has the story about. >> he's already met angela merkel, the german chancellor. angela merkel said she would push hard for a two state solution. benjamin netanyahu accusing palestinians of terror attacks and accusing the palestinian leadership of insightment and lies. perhaps the john kerry meeting on thursday morning offers some grounds for diplomatic movement forward because john kerry is later expected to fly to the middle east and meet with mahmoud abbas. but we are not seeing any tangible signs of progress yet. >> meanwhile the u.n. he secretary-general ban ki-moon is urging both sides to pull back from what he calls a dangerous esca

there's no question of bashar al-assad remaining in power as part of a peace process. most of the people fighting are patriots. these are the ones that hand over syrians. the problem is dialogue, to begin with, he is now a war criminal, or at least an alleged war criminal, because of the destruction to the contrary. i don't think a foreign power will make as. destruction. there's no possibility for syrians to consult with the kids and destroy the citizens. he's not a serious person. listen to the pronounce s and spechers. he is liver and always manufacturer. he tried to oversmart others. he's not into reckon stillation. this is time for transition, change. the one who had all the protests. meanwhile saudi arabia says some progress has been made on talks during the crisis in syria. speaking in cairo after secretary of state john kerry met his egyptian counterpart he reiterated that bashar al-assad should have no future role. >> egypt's stance on syria is similar to saudi arabia. we wish to see a transition on syria. both the countries in the institutions preserve, and a

whereby president assad could negotiate a political settlement from a position of strength. al jazeera, beirut. >> well, the questions mount over who moscow is targeting with its airstrikes in syria. president putin has been discussing the crisis in ukraine. they've been joined by leaders of in paris by the government of ukraine. the civisince the minsk agreement has been the most progress because it has been respected. today we were able to create further progress. >> neave barker has been following the latest in paris. >> this was the first contact between vladimir putin and western powers since russia began it's bombardment of targets within syria. but at the end of the day, the normandy four decided to focus on the ukraine peace process and the implementation of the minsk accord. it wassagely signed in belarus earlier in the year but largely fell by the way side amid heightened fighting between the separatists and ukrainian army. now, though, as the french and german leaders have suggested, all sides are willing to put some of these 13 points the minsk a cord agreement into

the strikes coupled with bashar al-assad forces adding chaos to a grim sig. in moscow. >>> isis surging in afghanistan a. top u.s. commander says the situation could mean changes for american troop levels there. how long will they now stay? we are live in kabul. >>> with the clock ticking, joe biden apparently on the verge of his big decision a. family meeting planned in delaware this weekend. will it help sway him to jump into the 2016 race? we have brand-new information, moments away. welcome back to "early start." i'm christine romans. >> about 29 minutes past the hour. breaking overnight, russia launching new airstrikes in syria, hitting targets in the western part of that countries. this appears to be a coordinated assault in conjunction with force loyal to bashar al-assad a. human rights group said the clashes are the heaviest in the last month. the comes after nato incurred a second incursion into turkish airspace, turkey, a nato member, has long ties to russia, is warning it risks quote losing a friend. secretary of state john kerry now apparently ent

does al assad have a future as syria's leader? for that matter, does syria have a future as a country. the chess pieces are in motion. the u.s. is leading an anti-assad and antiisil coalition. russia is jus weighing in for assad. and the next move, not quite united nations. it's tin side story. >>> we must recognize that there cannot be after so much blood shed a return to the prewar status quo. >> update on citizens of syria and so should not be involved in choosing the leadership of another country. it's syria's business. >>> welcome back to inside story. i'm ray suarez. noted quite united nations this time on the program. even as the u.n. talks about peace, freedom, and security, they seem to be in seriously short supply around the world. syrian targets are attracting the attention of a long list of national air forces while people -- and the national security network are still with me in washington. jim, when the smoke clears, is al assad still in charge? >> putin seems to think so and if i had to choose, sadly, between he and

bashar al-assad met with vladimir putin on tuesday. assad thanked putin for his military support in what is felt to be his first trip abroad since the war broke out in 2011. rory challands reports from moscow. >> bashar al-assad who hasn't left syria since his country's uprising began four years ago visiting moscow unannounced. >> the terrorism that is spreading today would, without your decisions and actions, have spread to even more territories and states not just in our region but to other regions, too. >> russia's air strikes in syria have allowed president assad's army to go on the offensive after months of set backs. they've also according to the syrian ofte observatory for humn rights have killed plain citizens. political solution to the war it's now militarily involved in. >> we assume that the long term solution may be reached on the basis of the latest military developments and political process with participation from all political, ethnic and religious groups. >> reporter: the west insists that assad should step down soon. b

for russia these are all enemies of president bashar al-assad and bashar al-assad is russia's ally. and russia is in syria for moment to shore up bashar al-assad's assets to protect him, essentially. so it's going after any of these groups that it sees as oparticular threat to bashar al-assad, whoever they may be. not just going after i.s.i.l, that's what irritated moscow so much. >> thank you rory. >>> regional states to forge an alliance against russian and iran in the country. including the free syrian army, zeina khodr reports. >> the syrians army says this is part of the military campaign to recapture the region. syrian military forces say the air strikes are weakening forces before a ground strike begins. i.s.i.l. is not flent this press part of the country. changing the balance of power on the ground. >> translator: we are the free syrian army, the closest syrian base is 60 cloments from here. >> the allegiance has been used. by syrian and russian governments ojustify their attacks. >> nusra is all over syria not just homs. the group has good relations with other brigades an

the syrian dictator bashar al assad side by side in moscow with the russian president vladimir putin,assad slipped out of his war-ravaged country to thank putin for the badly needed military support he's been receiving. support that putin claims is targeting isis even as russian bombs fall largely on rebels. many of them supported by the united states trying to oust assad. our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto is working this story for us. assad's trip, jim, to moscow certainly caught a lot of us, all of us fair to say, by surprise given by the fact he's been holed up for years. >> u.s. officials saying they were not surprised by the trip in fact it make sense in how much assad depends on russia for its survival, there's also certainly a propaganda element showing russia's influence in the region. and the key demonstration really of both of those things that assad would leave his country to meet putin on his turf right in the middle of what is by all accounts a critical time in the civil war there. it's believed to be the first time he's left syria since the civil war

government ignored news about its own citizens joining and funding forces battling the regime of bashar al-assad. one of the groups was al nusra, the al nusra front, the syrian branch of al qaeda. using social media, one cleric boffeded a campaign stating that those could earn money for the following: officially saudi arabia says government officials and religious scholars have condemned terrorist acts, and the underlying mind-sets to support terrorism. but early on in the syrian conflict. experts agree that private saudi money was used to fund the islamic state or i.s.i.l. >> there is support for i.s.i.l. among saudi arabia, and it's likely it's been funded in the past and it's probable that the citizens try to send money to i.s.i.l. >> in 2014, i.s.i.l. forces made lightening past gains in syria and iraq. iraq borders saudi arabia in the north. bringing a brutal estate that reflects no boundaries home to the sued yeas, and saudi arabia is leading an air campaign against shia rebels, known as the houthis who seized power from the sunni dominated government backed by the saudis. the threat to sa