, operating in aleppo city, trying to open the roads, trying to help people to evacuate from aleppo and idlib, ourteams are there to remove ordinance and open the road. sorry to interrupt you. we have limited time with you. we are seeing images of bombed—out buildings. tell us how easy it is to rescue people from these buildings and do you have the resources you need at the moment? to be honest, what is happening is beyond our capacity because now with new areas that we have access to, and the assad regime and russia bombing everywhere, bombing everywhere, notjust in one place, idlib city under attack. every second there is a warning that a neighbourhood in aleppo or idlib will be targeted, and the countryside around aleppo and idlib. the horrible images coming from everywhere. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. they include... a masterchef worker in 2005 who says wallace said sexually explicit things on set. kirsty wark, who says wallace used sexualised language on celebrity masterchef in 2011. two workers on impossible celebrities in 2018 who raised a formal com

as white helmets, we start our programmes in the aleppo city. e trying to recover from the bombings that have been over the last three days helping the city... if the last three days helping the ci . ., , , city... ifi could 'ust “ump in... i i city... ifi could 'ust “ump me i city... ifi couldjust “ump in... i do apologise h city... ifi couldjustjump in... i do apologise for i in... i do apologise for interrupting. this latest offensive has been a real surprise to many. did you think the rebels had this much firepower left? we /* taste the rebels had this much firepower left? we /" we didn't know - firepower left? we /* we didn't know - it _ firepower left? we /* we didn't know - it was _ firepower left? we /* we didn't know - it was overnight - firepower left? we /* we didn't know - it was overnight so, . know — it was overnight so, somehow, we were surprised by the scale of bombing and the first day after the clashes, they were bombing everywhere in they were bombing everywhere in the countryside. all the countryside in idlib — many locations

iran and russia in the fight against the rebels who have now taken control of the second—largest city, alepporied out "a series of air strikes" in support of government troops. it's reported that 12 people were killed when a hospital was hit. another strike inside the north—western city of idlib killed eight civilians and wounded more than 50. warplanes also struck rural parts of idlib and hama, where the group leading the rebel offensive has recently taken control. the surprise offensive by opposition forces, which began on wednesday, marks the most significant fighting in syria's civil war in recent years. applet russia has sent us this update from neighbouring lebanon. update from neighbouring lebanon-— update from neighbouring lebanon. ., q lebanon. -- barbara plett asher has sent this. _ they are alive. rescued from the wreckage moments after the bombs struck. footage posted by the syrian civil defence group, the white helmets, shows the aftermath of an attack on the rebel stronghold of idlib, south—west of aleppo. the regime is fighting back. thousands of people have been displaced, fle

these dramatic developments began in the north of syria, in the second city of aleppo where the dominantgroup hayat tahrir al—sham surged into the city and started to establish an administration there. joining me now is my colleague hugo bachega, who's in aleppo, syria's second largest city. what are your first what are yourfirst impressions, what are your first impressions, you havejust impressions, you have just arrived impressions, you havejust arrived in the city. fix, impressions, you have “ust arrived in the city.�* arrived in the city. a lot of eo - le arrived in the city. a lot of peeple are _ arrived in the city. a lot of people are paying - arrived in the city. a lot of. people are paying attention arrived in the city. a lot of- people are paying attention to what has happened here in aleppo because this was the first major city captured by the rebels in that astonishing offensive earlier this month. i came to aleppo for the first time when i was a student 16 years ago. i remember there were posters and billboards with the face of bashar al—assad in public squares, on the street

it was surprising this offensive was able to take over aleppo city.re starting to see regime forces withdraw from homs in preparation and with expectation this offensive will be there. we are certain to see up people in the south. which was considered the birthplace of the syrian revolution. in regime forces started to withdraw from posts in the northeast. it is very clear the regime is bracing itself for a direct threat to its own security. i think the opposition now they are saying they are going to push into homs, i think we should believe it. they did the same in aleppo. they did the same in hama. it is likely the syrian regime could sk to evacuate from damascus, particularly assad family members and aside himself. there could be a direct challenge to their own political continuity in syria. >> when i was inresting you come i mentioned you were researching illicit traits across the middle east. you have been looking at the way the assad regime has been leveraging drug trafficking. give us an insight into that. >> certainly. so up to this point sin

many families had to flee aleppo when the government recaptured rebel—controlled parts of the city. said they came back to aleppo for the first time after ten years and they said they couldn't really believe that bashar al—assad had fallen, so it is obviously a historic moment for the country but it's about those personal stories of families and people who are now being allowed to go back to their homes and are very hopeful for the future. with turkey, are the borders open? some families are coming back, but turkey wants to keep tight control over the traffic there. exactly. president erdogan has announced a new crossing will be reopened. that will be near the city of k. that will be near the city of latakia. a lot of people believe the offensive by the rebels would not have been possible without the blessing of president erdogan. 6 million people had to flee syria and become refugees because of the war here. more than 3 million of them are in turkey. for a very long time turkey had put pressure on president assad to try to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict here to allow th

of its soldiers have been killed by rebel forces who have captured the country's second largest city, aleppo. it's the largest offensive against the syrian government in years and has led it to withdraw its troops from the city. the islamist rebels have since made further advances the islamist rebels have since ma a furtheradvances the islamist rebels have since ma a series r advances the islamist rebels have since ma a series of dvances the islamist rebels have since ma a series of russian following a series of russian air strikes. the escalation comes as syrian forces withdrew their troops from the city. that retreat in response to a surprise offensive launched by rebel fractions five days ago. this is the most serious challenge yet to president bashar al—assad in years. it was a carefully planned attack. the rebels stormed back into aleppo for the first time since assad's army forced them out of the height of the army in 2011. this time, meeting almost no resistance. translation: i am the son of— resistance. translation: i am the son of aleppo. _ resistance. translation: i am the son of a

now they're back, and injust ten days have taken the whole of syria's second largest city of aleppo. and now their sights are on homs. success there, could see the main road from the capital damascus to the syrian coast, cut, dividing stronghold of president assad. his lightning loss of territory, due to his backers, including russia, iran and hezbollah, currently fighting in other conflicts. with all the latest from the turkey—syrian border, here's hugo bachega. syrian rebels on their way to homs, their offensive has been swift and astonishing. here, they celebrate as they capture another town without facing any resistance. they also had no opposition in hama, chanting, god is greatest, crowds gathered. to welcome the fighters. they also seized this army base, symbolic as the military struggles to counter their progress. the civil war in syria started in 2011 when president bashar al—assad crushed protests against his regime. homs, a rebel stronghold, was under siege for three years in opposition fighters only left under a deal brokered by the un in 2015 when government forces reclai

smouldering buildings in syria's second—largest city aleppo tells of an unpredictable new chapter. s now reeling from a fresh wave of destruction, following a series of russian air strikes. the escalation comes as syrian forces withdrew their troops from the city. that retreat in response to a surprise offensive launched by rebel fractions five days ago. this is the most serious challenge yet to president bashar al—assad in years. it was a carefully planned attack. the rebels stormed back into aleppo for the first time since assad's army forced them out at the height of the war in 2011. this time, meeting almost no resistance. translation: i am the son of aleppo. i i returned to my city and my land and my home by the will of god, and we will not give up a single inch of the lands of syria. the rebel group hayat tahrir al—sham or hts, is listed as a terrorist organisation by the us and others. it controls most of the northwestern province of idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold after more than a decade of civil war. that war began in 2011, triggered by pro—democracy protes

, whether we are talking about targeting civilians in residential areas and urgent lube or even aleppo cityg rebel expected the regime sooner or later to target civilians as reaction, and a response that we have been unfortunately seeing for years. we are talking about a devastated healthcare system, and overwhelmed number of hospitals, whether in idlib or aleppo. families had to flee have been redrawn and no one knows what comes next. for more, i spoke to wafa mustafa, senior communications and advocacy lead at the ngo the syria campaign. thank you very much for being with us on bbc news.- thank you very much for being with us on bbc news. today we heard risk _ with us on bbc news. today we heard risk -- — with us on bbc news. today we heard risk -- reports _ with us on bbc news. today we heard risk -- reports of- heard risk —— reports of multiple airstrikes across syria reportedly targeting rebel is. what are you seeing in terms of that immediate impact on civilians? let me start by saying _ impact on civilians? let me start by saying these - impact on civilians? let me start by saying th

advise the bbc, and i'm happy to co—ordinate it, is talk to the bishop of all catholic christians in aleppo citydent elect in the united states, and he caused because he wanted an update about was happening in syria, and i said this is what is happening, iran is losing, the run outs, rush out, assad outs, he said it is great and the president is worried about the christians, so we put them in touch with multiple christians in aleppo, including the bishop, the highest ranking bishop in all of syria representing the vatican, and the bishop told him his biggest concern was russia and assad bombing cities, and the biggest things about the rubber slaughtering babies and minorities is scaring the communities, it's amazing that services are being provided. amazing that services are being rovided. �* ., amazing that services are being rovided. �* . u, ., provided. after a decade of difficulties _ provided. after a decade of difficulties and _ provided. after a decade of difficulties and what - provided. after a decade of difficulties and what we - provided. after a decade of i difficulties and what we s

but in just 10 days they have taken control of syria's second largest city aleppo. jor city, hama, fell yesterday, and now they have reached homs. they also have their sights on the capital damascus — a stronghold of syrian president bashar al—assad and government forces. the government's loss of territory comes as backers russia, iran, and hezbollah, find themselves stretched in other conflicts. with all the latest from the turkey—syrian border, here's hugo bachega. syrian rebels on their way to homs, their offensive has been swift and astonishing. here, they celebrate as they capture another town without facing any resistance. they also had no opposition in hama, chanting, god is greatest, crowds gathered. to welcome the fighters. they also seized this army base, symbolic as the military struggles to counter their progress. the civil war in syria started in 2011 when president bashar al—assad crushed protests against his regime. homs, a rebel stronghold, was under siege for three years in opposition fighters only left under a deal brokered by the un in 2015 when go

we see the opposition go to these cities like aleppo, like hama, like homs, cities like aleppo, likeng. we didn't hear russia started striking some of the opposition strongholds when the fighting started. but when the opposition took the momentum and started to take a city by city, i think we heard reports that some of the russian ships that some of the russian ships that are in tartus left and redeployed somewhere else, and some of their air defences somewhere else that are responsible for 300 as 400s. they were deployed somewhere else. so i'm not 100% sure if russia is really willing to defend the assad government militarily. but from what we can see there is definitely the political momentum. they are participating in thejoe hart talks. they are participating, they are talking all the time with iran and turkey —— doha. and they are willing that the situation in syria will not descend into chaos and they will find a situation in syria where there is some compromise, some peaceful solution somehow. because now in syria you can see that the syrian territories are now split between ma

syria's president is preparing a counter—attack on the rebel forces that captured the city of aleppo.: this week, we're taking a look back at some of our amazing adventures with al. spencer: now, how would you like to meet one - of the most popular and highest earning instagram models? well, you can't — because she doesn't exist.

we are talking about civilians in aleppo, the city of aleppo, in 2016, lisbon was heavily bombed by theut, you know, doctors, for example who had been for years talking about the devastated health care system. they have been talking about the lack of... they been talking about lack of medicines. they are talking about how they cannot deal with the unending number of victims every single day. there is a huge urgent need for emergency response, whether by the un or by medical agencies. this is another moment to save the failure of the international community in the past years is show them that the lack of real action is leading towards suffering and fear. people in aleppo don't know where it's coming from.— aleppo don't know where it's coming from. talk to us more about the _ coming from. talk to us more about the rebels _ coming from. talk to us more about the rebels advancing i coming from. talk to us more | about the rebels advancing and did it also feel a level of uncertainty about what kind of rule that could bring? we uncertainty about what kind of rule that could bring?- rule that

aleppo — syria's second city — was seized in a surprise attack last week.remy bowen. the syrian regime is striking back. in the last two days, the un humanitarian office says more than 50 air strikes hit idlib, the province that is the powerhouse of the rebels.

syria's president is preparing a counter—attack on the rebel forces that captured the city of aleppo.sia — an ally of bashar al—assad — has carried out fresh air strikes near the city. now on bbc news. angela merkel: the woman who ran europe. during her 16 years at the head of the german government, angela merkel was often viewed as the most powerful woman in the world. leading notjust her country but to a large extent the whole of the european union, through the financial crisis, the covid pandemic and the migrant crisis of 2015. she famously allowed in more than1 million asylum seekers and other migrants here to germany and it's a legacy she now finds herself defending. she won plaudits from then us president obama. i was happy to become your friend as i watched you draw on your humour, wise pragmatism and an unrelenting moral compass. but angela merkel�*s time in office is blighted by controversy. critics accuse her of being too soft on vladimir putin, too slow to help ukraine. angela merkel had a huge impact on europe. now, three years since retiring from politics, she's published

and then just ten days have taken then just ten days have taken the whole of the second largest city of aleppo fell to the rebels. and now their sights are on homs. success there could see the main road from the capital damascus to the syrian coast, cut, dividing the stronghold of president assad. his lightning loss of territory is due to his backers, including russia, iran and hezbollah, currently fighting in other conflicts. our correspondent barbara plett usher is on the lebanon—syria border and explained how significant it would be if the rebels took homs. well, judging from what's happened so far, catherine, it seems that it is likely they have taken two big cities in the north, aleppo and hama. but there with very little resistance. and so we have to wait and see if the syrian forces, the syrian armed forces, together with their russian and iranian allies, are going to put up more of a fight over homs, because it is quite a strategic gain if the rebels could take it. we are on the road to homs, on the lebanon side of the border, and just spoke a little while ago to a young man who came b

aleppo — syria's second city — was seized by rebel fighters in a surprise attack last week.yrian regime is striking back. in the last two days, the un humanitarian office says more than 50 air strikes hit idlib, the province that is the powerhouse of the rebels. the hospital in idlib city was among several healthcare facilities targeted. the un says at least 44 civilians have been killed in airstrikes.

now they're back, and in just 10 days have taken the whole of syria's second largest city of aleppo. fell yesterday, and now their sights are on homs. 0ur correspondent barbara plett usher is on the lebanon—syria border and explained how significant it would be if the rebels took homs. well, judging from what's happened so far, catherine, it seems that it is likely they have taken two big cities in the north, aleppo and hama. but there with very little resistance. and so we have to wait and see if the syrian forces, the syrian armed forces, together with their russian and iranian allies, are going to put up more of a fight over homs because it is quite a strategic gain if the rebels could take it. we are on the road to homs, on the lebanon side of the border, and just spoke a little while ago to a young man who came by this morning and asked him what it was like there. he said it was quiet. there were soldiers in the streets, no sign of rebels yet, although he could, he heard the sound of air strikes earlier, which we understand was the syrian and russian forces targeting rebels in th

of its soldiers have been killed by rebel forces who have captured the country's second largest city, aleppo in years and has led it to withdraw its troops from the city. the islamist rebels have since made further advances

his biggest crisis in years as rebel groups take control of much of the country's second largest city, aleppos are on their fourth day of a lightning offensive through several towns and villages. they are now sweeping south towards syria's fourth biggest city, hama, on the road to the capital, damascus. rebels celebrated in the streets of aleppo. they reportedly met little resistance, though the army says dozens of its soldiers have been killed or injured. president assad — who hasn't been seen in public since the offensive began — has promised to defeat the opposition fighters, describing them as terrorists. he said he would do so with help from his allies, which include russia, iran, and his brother. the london—based syrian observatory for human rights says more than 300 people, including at least 20 civilians, have been killed since wednesday. our correspondent, barbara plett usher, is monitoring developments from neighbouring lebanon. a stunning victory for the rebels. even they overcome with its swiftness and success. just three days after launching a surprise offensive from their strong

aleppo was the first major city to be captured by the rebels in their lightning offensive.homes over a decade ago as the assad regime crushed opposition forces there during the civil war. now, some have already come back. our middle east correspondent hugo bachega reports from aleppo. they're too young to understand what's happening to their country. but they know things have changed. for the first time in their lives, they're home. their family escaped in 2012, when east aleppo was under rebel control. forces loyal to the assad regime crushed the opposition and, four years later, reclaimed it. it meant they could not come back. they were forced to stay in rebel areas in syria, until now. translation: i'm very happy. no—one can take away my happiness. we're here, sleeping, eating and drinking. we can't believe that we came back. may god protect those who took the country back. aleppo was the first major city to be captured by the astonishing rebel offensive led by the islamist group hayat tahrir al—sham. what happens here could be an indication of what's to come for the res

syria's president is preparing a counter—attack on the rebel forces that captured the city of aleppo.el: the woman who ran europe. during her 16 years at the head of the german government, angela merkel was often viewed as the most powerful woman in the world. leading notjust her country but to a large extent the whole of the european union, through the financial crisis, the covid pandemic and the migrant crisis of 2015. she famously allowed in more than1 million asylum seekers and other migrants here to germany and it's a legacy she now finds herself defending.

the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise, a devastating blow to the regime. the rebels continue their advance, but here the city signs that daily life goes on as before. and for those driven out by previous battles, a chance to return. translation: | returned to| aleppo after it was liberated, after we were driven out. i came back to experience thisjoy, to witness its greatness, its old neighbourhoods cleaned up after being desecrated by the assad regime and the collaborators. it isn't clear if the insurgents can hold on to the territory captured, but they have exposed the weakness of bashar al—assad's rule and his dependence on foreign powers to prop it up. russia and iran are trying to bring the situation back under control, but consumed by their own conflicts. the front lines of syria's civil war have been redrawn and nobody knows what comes next. barbara plett usher, bbc news. ijust want i just want to bring you ijust want to bring you some breaking news that we are getting from theo leggett who is our business correspondence. the chief executive of global automotive group has stepped down with immediate ef

a priceless moment this comes after rebels seized aleppo days ago. >> they are now vowing to push further south to homs the next major city on the road to the capital, damascus. cnn's jomana karadsheh is the first western journalist to report from aleppo since the rebels took over. she spoke to some displaced syrians who are now returning to their hometown for the first time in years, despite fears that the battle isn't over we are in aleppo's old city here by its historic, iconic citadel, and it's really surreal being in syria's second city just days after that lightning offensive by rebel forces, where they managed to capture this city in a matter of days. >> and you look around here and it seems like business as usual ahmed never left aleppo, and she says their homes were destroyed. her children are in turkey and she hasn't seen them in years. >> and she's hoping now that the city has changed hands, that this means that she could see her children again when idlib abdul was in idlib. >> he's been there since the start of the war, and this is his first time back to a city he says. >> they trust the rebels who are now ret

in 2016, after five years of fighting, civilian soldiers recaptured aleppo, syria's second largest city week, a patchwork of opposition groups. the two fresh backed syrian national army took aleppo back in days. on friday morning, we filmed as opposition fighters opened fire on aleppo's outskirts. by 10:00 p.m. that night, fighters and civilians celebrated inside aleppo after governmental forces melted away. this war forced half the country to flee their homes, and now some of the opposition reunited with family they had been separated from for nearly a decade. by day, rebels tore down the tormenter. they are united in their hatred for the authoritarian leader who long ago chose to starve and suffocate rather than serve his people. they unfurled the flag of "free syria." an attorney returned to his hometown in aleppo for the first time in eight years. >> was a good time to return and get rid of the militias. -- now is a good time to return and get rid of the militias. our aspiration is to be a nation of respect, with foundations, and of its citizens. nick: opposition fighters reached al

forces, where they managed to capture this city in a matter of days. >> and you look around here and it seems like business as usual. >> ahmed never left aleppo and she says their homes were destroyed. >> her children are in turkey and she hasn't seen them in years. and she's hoping now that the city has changed hands, that this means that she could see her children again. when abdul was in idlib, he's been there since the start of the war, and this is his first time back to a city he says they trust the rebels who are now returning them to their cities and he says he's not afraid. syrians have gone through so much and they're resilient. just in the last few days, people have painted over this with the colors of the free syria flag and this is something you see around the city, where people are trying to remove any signs of the assad regime. this is the bassel roundabout named after the deceased brother of the syrian president, bashar al-assad. and one of the first things that people did when rebel forces took over the city of aleppo was toppled. the statue of bassel, a symbol of the assad regime. this is an area where there were fierce battl

now even the city of aleppo, which is syria's second-largest city. the gains continued on sunday, according to the syrian human rights organization, they also managed to take control of the international airport in aleppo and also the city's military academy, two very strategic targets, of course. in the meantime, government troops, therare loyal to bashar bashar al assad, they tried to repel the troops and carried out airstrikes on the territories conquered by the rebels, including in aleppo, which reportedly led to several dozens of civilians. at least according to the war monitor, those airstrikes are also carried out by russian fighter jets, meaning that once again, syria has, as it's done since the beginning since the civil war broke in 2011 has asked russia for help in trying to take back control of its territory. now russia seems to be concerned to the point that dmitry peskov urged the government to take back control quickly and restore order, frances. >> claudio lavanga for us, thank you. >>> new this morning, a, an update to a story we first

different provinces, especially in the north and northwest of the country and now including the city of aleppo, which is syria's second largest city. well, now their gains continued on sunday, at least according to this syrian human rights organization, which is an independent war monitor. they also, the rebels also took control of the international airport over aleppo sunday and also of the military academy, two very strategic targets, of course, and now they are believed to be in control of most of the city if not all of the city. in the meantime, the government troops that are loyal to president bashar al assad have been trying to repel the rebels by rushing through reenforcements or launching airstrikes on the territories that have been conquered by the rebels, including the city of aleppo where reportedly dozens of civilians have been killed. now some of those airstrikes, at least according to the war monitor, have been carried out by russian fighter jets. so once again, as it has happened since the start of the civil war in 2011, 2011, syria has asked russia for help in taking control of

amounts of territory, especially in the north and northeast, northwest of syria, including the city of aleppo, which is syria's second-largest city. now they advanced through the city and continued through sunday, according to the syrian human rights organization, which is an independent war monitor, saying that they took control also of the international airport in aleppo and also the military academy. of course two very strategic targets there. now, in the meantime, the government troops who are loyal to the president of syria, bashar al assad, have been trying to repel the rebels by rushing through reenforcements on the frontline and launching several airstrikes on the territory controlled by the rebels now, including the city of aleppo, reportedly killing dozens of civilians. now, according to the war monitor, now the, some of those airstrikes were carried out by russian fighter jets. so once again, syria has asked russia for help in trying to get back control of this territory as it's been doing since the civil war broke out in 2011, but russia also seems to be worried about the quick, t

fighting came to a head in 2016 during the months long deadly and destructive battle for the city of aleppomately won by assad following a prolonged siege of the city, which included the use of chemical weapons and russian air strikes, and which destroyed most of that ancient and beautiful city. now russia's defense ministry says it is again carrying out air strikes in support of syria's military. joining me from jerusalem is hala gorani. we have you on double duty. this one has caught a lot of people by surprise. what is going on in syria and why is it happening now? >> reporter: right. this was a lightning attack by these rebel factions. you described them very well, ali. there is one faction in particular that really led this charge. it's hts, this was a militant group that was an al qaeda offshoot that then broke its link with al qaeda and has been in control of large portions of the territory in idlib province. essentially what's going on is hezbollah has weakened because as our viewers well know, israel has taken out its entire leadership practically. iran is on the back foot and russ

but then came this major offensive by the rebels, who headed first for aleppo, syria's second city, a more and more territory from the assad regime, weakened because the support it had been able to rely on was no longer there. now he's gone, leaving a country deeply scarred by his brutal rule. caroline hawley, bbc news. that's taking the regional reaction. with me now isjiyar gol from the bbc persian service we have these live pictures coming in showing massive celebrations in the country, we know that they are about 3.6 million syrians who are refugees million syrians who are

now they're back, and injust ten days have taken the whole of syria's second largest city of aleppo. city, hama, fell, and now their sights are on homs — syria's third city. fighting is intense, with the syrian military carrying out air strikes to push the rebels back. uk will monitor said that those air strikes near the city of homs have killed 21 civilians. his lightning loss of territory, is due to his backers, including russia, iran and hezbollah, currently fighting in other conflicts. with me is our middle east correspondent sebastian usher. several lines in terms of what is happening around homs, several lines in terms of what is happening around horns, and also a move towards the capital from the south. the also a move towards the capital from the south.— from the south. the real impetus _ from the south. the real impetus of— from the south. the real impetus of this - from the south. the real impetus of this came - from the south. the real i impetus of this came from from the south. the real - impetus of this came from this group of hts coming from idlib province where it has b

rebel groups seized aleppo, syria's second city, in a surprise attack last week.back. in the last two days, the un humanitarian office says more than 50 air strikes hit idlib, the province that is the powerhouse of the rebels. the hospital in idlib city was among several healthcare facilities targeted.

soldiers, with the help of russian airstrikes and iranian-backed militias, recaptured aleppo, syria's second largest cityrk of opposition groups, the islamist hay'at tahrir al-sham, designated by the u.s. as terrorists, and the turkish-backed syrian national army took aleppo back in days. on friday morning, we filmed his opposition fighters open fire on aleppo's outskirts. by 10:00 p.m. that night, fighters and civilians celebrated inside aleppo after government forces melted away. this war had forced half the country to flee their homes, and now some of the opposition reunited with family they'd been separated from for nearly a decade. by day, rebels tore down their tormentor. regardless of their group, they're united in their hatred for the authoritarian leader who long ago chose to starve, slaughter and suffocate, rather than serve his people. and they unfurled the flag of free syria. samer al-qarbi is an attorney who returned to his hometown, aleppo, for the first time in eight years. >> now is a good opportunity to return and build this country and get rid of the militias. our aspiration is to be a

now they're back, and injust ten days have taken the whole of syria's second—largest city, aleppo. d now their sights are on homs. success there could see the main road from the capital, damascus, to the syrian coast cut — the stronghold of president assad. he's seen this lightning loss of territory because backers like russia, iran and hezbollah are currently fighting other conflicts. with all the latest from the turkey—syrian border, here's hugo bachega. the rebels�* advance has been swift and astonishing. yesterday, they captured hama almost unopposed. there were celebrations as they entered the city. "i can't describe my joy," this man says. "we wish that every honourable syrian can experience these happy moments." the rebels said they wouldn't stop there, and they didn't. gunfire. today, they continued to make progress towards homs. they still haven't taken the city, as the military tries to slow their progress. the civil war in syria started in 2011, when president bashar al—assad crushed protests against his regime. a rebel stronghold, homs was under siege for three years. an

syria's president is preparing a counter—attack on the rebel forces that captured the city of aleppo.trikes near the city. the georgian pm denies suspending talks on eu accession, as mass protests against his government continue. irakli kobakhidze said the president must leave office when her term ends this month. she's restated her refusal to accept the legitimacy of the government. masterchef presenter gregg wallace responds to complaints about his behaviour on the bbc show. hello and welcome. watching bbc news. counting has resumed in ireland's parliamentary election. during the first day of counting, 36 of the 17a seats in the dail or lower house were decided. the first preference votes have so far given the fina gael so far given the fine gael party of the prime minister simon harris 10 seats, with his fianna fail coalition partners and the main opposition sinn fein eight seats each.

. >> rosemary in aleppo city itself. but also they seem to have consolidated their control over the entirety of idlib province, which is to the west. and southwest of aleppo as well as basically taking a large chunk of the m5 highway which is the main highway north south highway that links aleppo with damascus. now, what we saw was by, for instance, saturday evening, they had advanced within about 20km of the central syrian city of hama. but it does appear that what we're seeing now is a a sort of regrouping and consolidation of regime forces who seem to have been able to blunt that advance toward the city of hama and those airstrikes on idlib and hama and aleppo provinces by the russians and the syrian regime do seem to indicate that they are trying to, in some way inflict enough damage and pain on the opposition that it will slow the advance somewhat. and what we are seeing is that president bashar al-assad has reappeared in damascus. he's he met with abbas araqchi, who's the iranian foreign minister who was in damascus

it's been a week since rebels swept through aleppo, and cnn's jomana karadsheh was among the first western journalists to enter the cityer it was taken from the assad regime and got reaction from the people there we are in aleppo's old city here by its historic, iconic citadel, and it's really surreal being in syria's second city just days after that lightning offensive by rebel forces, where they managed to capture this city in a matter of days. >> and you look around here and it seems like business as usual mohammed never left aleppo, and she says their homes were destroyed. her children are in turkey and she hasn't seen them in years. and she's hoping now that the city has changed hands, that this means that she could see her children again. when abdul was in idlib, he's been there since the start of the war, and this is his first time back to the city he says they trust the rebels who are now returning them to their cities. and he says he's not afraid. syrians have gone through so much and they're resilient just in the last few days, people have painted over this with the colors of the free syria flag. and this is

while some people have welcomed this offensive, it's mostly people who were expelled from the city of aleppo, rebels who had to leave on buses. and they're saying we left the city on buses and we've returned on tags. so those people have embraced the offensive. but who was worried about it is actually minorities. aleppo is a city that is home to many minorities. the biggest of them is the kurds. there's half a 1000000 kurds in a level more or less that's an estimate and about $30000.00 christians. so they are extremely worried. kurdish fighters were deployed to a level now they're thinking of withdrawing, but there's a lot of miss trust as these rebel groups. you know, i did mention there's a lot of extra miss militants on the ground and especially minorities are worried. but there's no safe way to evacuated at the moment and that complex mix of a but behind this offensive it is, does that have something to do with the timing? why this is taking so long to actually take place right now? yeah, so the conflict has been going on for more than 13 years now. and the reason that the rebels have be

in aleppo, it was the city was controlled only by one armed group, hayat tahrir al-sham hts. in damascus, the situation was different, but gradually over the last 2 to 3 days, hts has been trying to assert control over the city. they've been trying now to protect the the public buildings after they were looted and they are offering some vision of power transition. that's still very ambiguous. and syria's can't really tell what's going on. >> natasha, the leader of hts in public statements, has seeming he seems to be trying to strike a moderate tone at least relatively. he's claiming that he's opposed to the brutal tactics used by other jihadi groups to get today they issued general amnesty for soldiers in the syrian military who had been conscripted, forced into service. what do you make of that move, and how long do you think this appearance of moderation can last thank you so much for having me, jake. >> it's a it's a great question and i think a lot remains to be seen. but what we do know is that jilani is doing and saying the

first, the rebels seized syria's second city, aleppo, before advancing south to take hama.ing homs would cut the main road leading from the capital, damascus, to the syrian coast, a stronghold of the embattled president bashar al—assad. his forces say they've been bombing rebel positions from war planes. 0ur middle east correspondent hugo bachega sent this update from the turkish—syrian border. it's an astonishing offensive by these rebels. last week they captured aleppo, yesterday hama and now they are on their way to homs which is the country's third largest city, strategic city in central syria. it connects the capital damascus to the north of the country and also to the coast, the heartland of president assad, so very significant developments happening. reports suggest they are getting closer to homs suggest they are getting closer to horns and also reports indicating that government troops may have pulled out from central parts of the city, so again, astonishing advance by the rebels. this is an offensive that is being led by islamist—led rebels by a group known as hts

aleppo took everyone by surprise. the rebels continue theiradvance, but the city is coming to terms with a new normal. riven off by previous battles to return. i returned to aleppo after it was liberated. i came back to experience thisjoy. its old neighbourhoods cleaned up. other residents are wary. they are afraid of counter strikes and of what rebel rule might mean. the front lines of syria's civil war have been drawn. no one knows what comes next. let's speak to our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab. bring us up to date with the situation. bring us up to date with the situation-— bring us up to date with the situation. , . , , situation. they have been sent development _ situation. they have been sent development on _ situation. they have been sent development on the _ situation. they have been sent development on the ground i situation. they have been sent development on the ground on different fronts. the rebels of taking control over northern aleppo. nearto taking control over northern aleppo. near to where the kurds are operating. the kurds are trying to defend their own interest. it is simil

islamist rebels seize control of the country's second largest city aleppo, and are now sweeping south more questions about its handling of allegations against the masterchef presenter, gregg wallace, after emails show it was warned about him in 2017. the most intense escalation of syria's civil war in years. islamist rebels seize control of the country's second largest city aleppo, and are now sweeping south.