bombing assad.. of course the _ on bombing assad. true. of course the differences - on bombing assad. true. of i course the differences between ed miliband and wes streeting will cause some awkward moments in cabinet _ will cause some awkward moments in cabinet when they me and at the time — in cabinet when they me and at the time ed miliband was an opposition and not cabinet and wes streeting was nodding parliament. but i'm sure the earlier— parliament. but i'm sure the earlier division was appointed very— earlier division was appointed very sharp and savage in the labour— very sharp and savage in the labour party over the handling of the — labour party over the handling of the incursion into a rock. it reflected discontent with tony— it reflected discontent with tony blair's stance of the time, _ tony blair's stance of the time, the support he gave to the american government and reflected all of that discontent and it's quiet and it is— discontent and it's quiet and it is still— discontent and it'

a city that the — of the assad family. a city that the rebels _ of the assad family. that the rebels came through, when he first think they did was to open at the central princess and let thousands of people out. some of these people out. some of these people have been pressing for decades and their families did not know whether they were dead or alive —— was to open at the central prison. they are actually stories of mothers and families people basically returning for the dead, could not recognise who these people are. it goes back to the time of it but i'd's —— assad's father. there was a huge fear that people would be disappeared and never heard of again into some dark, syrian dungeon and that would be the end of them. 2011, since the uprising, syrian human rights network say that 100,000 people have been subject to arbitrary arrest and detention so this is arrest and detention so this is a huge and is on an industrial scale and the prison that represented this most severely in terms of the torture, the sexual assault, the mass execution was opened today with the c

this question no one can answer because the assad - answer because the assad regime...give me a sense _ specifics about this. just give me a sense of _ specifics about this. just give me a sense of how— specifics about this. just give me a sense of how you - specifics about this. just give me a sense of how you are i me a sense of how you are feeling having worked with the white helmets trying to help the people of syria during the assad regime, now it has fallen. . �* , assad regime, now it has fallen. . �*, fallen. yeah, it's something i can't describe. _ fallen. yeah, it's something i can't describe. now, - fallen. yeah, it's something i can't describe. now, after . fallen. yeah, it's something i | can't describe. now, after the last decades in power, knowing today there is no bombing, no fear, nothing. but this will not be sending children to schools. now they can look for people who were lost in the last few years. we are doing it right now in the prison and anywhere else. it's time to rebuild, time to know our road, where we will go, what we will see in the future

i after the fall of the assad re . ime? ~ after the fall of the assad regime?k we have seen and witnessed _ regime? i think we have seen and witnessed a _ regime? i think we have seen and witnessed a surge - regime? i think we have seen and witnessed a surge of - regime? i think we have seen and witnessed a surge of joy. and witnessed a surge ofjoy and witnessed a surge ofjoy and happiness among many syrians yesterday. we have seen it for ourselves here in the main square, we have spoken to people, and also if we watch the news across the country and outside the country, it's a really unprecedented moment for syrians, something they have been dreaming of for years, but it has taken 13 years to achieve. it's really something unbelievable for them, after 5a years of the assad dynasty there is no more assad in power. there is hope for a better future, power. there is hope for a betterfuture, despite power. there is hope for a better future, despite concerns over how the islamist rebels are going to lead, if there will be immediate stability and safety. but people

i welcome the fact that assad has gone.rfar, far, far too long. we are talking to regional allies. it is very important now that there is a political settlement, a political way forward, and it is very, very important that we emphasise that civilians and minorities must be protected in this process, but very, very pleased that assad has fallen. joining me live is aaron zelin, a senior fellow at the washington institute for near east policy. very good to have you on the programme. welcome. this is of course very early days but what do you make of what we are seeing in syria since the fall of the regime? i seeing in syria since the fall of the regime?— of the regime? i think that there is a _ of the regime? i think that there is a lot _ of the regime? i think that there is a lot of _ of the regime? i think that there is a lot of questions | there is a lot of questions about the future now, because of course hts, they started the offensive from the north but it was actually the rebels from the south that took over the city of

government and the assad rule. leaders in the region faced the same situation previously, as we can see, as we saw what happened in tunisia, egypt, in sudan, in yemen, in iraq and other countries in the last years. as lyse doucet said in an earlier bulletin, she knew that the assad family are now in uae and assad family are now in uae and assad himself, we heard lots of reports earlier in in see, as we saw what happened in tunisia, egypt, in sudan, in yemen, in iraq and other countries in the last years. as lyse doucet said in an earlier bulletin, she knew that the assad family are now in uae and assad family are now in uae and assad himself, we heard lots of reports earlier in the last day that he might be in russia or he might be in other countries. but we didn't have any confirmation about that. we had reports coming from damascus saying that he is still in damascus, leaving the army there, but as the opposition now enters the capital, we will know for sure within the coming hours if this opposition will go to h

assad has been toppled."e last few minutes, reuters has ported sources in the kremlin saying that the deposed bashar al—assad and his family are in moscow. there are also reports that assad has arrived with his family members, that is according to the russian state news agencies, citing unnamed sources. they say that russia has granted assad political asylum out of humanitarian consideration. also, just to let you know there are apparently talks being requested on syria by a roster with the un security council consultations going on. a partner could take place on december the 9th. reports that russia is a question consultations on syria at the un security council. —— is requesting. concerns from russia about the future security of the military bases, they have two in syria. and about the safety of their personnel, the military, who are in syria still, of course. our correspondent barbara plett—usher has reached damascus. this is an extraordinary moment. a seismic change in syria's balance of power. the strong

that assad's from a power base. the outside nations. russia and iran have just lost another lie in bashar al—assad. they will be looking to salvage their interest in the new uncharted syria. frank gardner there with analysis. one of the most striking images to emerge today was the arrival at the city masque of the rebel leader. this is the moment he arrived at the building, surrounded by cheering supporters. he prayed and also made a speech. 0ur correspondent was inside the mask. so little of his report which was filed earlier and arabic and translated. here's my a0 saw. arabic and translated. here's my 40 sava— arabic and translated. here's m 40 saw. . ., . , . my 40 saw. the leader of hayat tahnr my 40 saw. the leader of hayat tahrir al-sham _ my 40 saw. the leader of hayat tahrir al-sham in _ my 40 saw. the leader of hayat tahrir al-sham in damascus. i tahrir al—sham in damascus. hours after taking control of the syrian capital. we found out he is touring the historical landmarks and a short while ago he was in t

the political voice for assad. and protected him in the international community for all these years. now, all that investment has essentially appeared to gone down the drain. we don't know if there are any meetings between the rebels and the turkish authorities and the russians and the iranians. we don't know how this is going to end up, and we don't really know what the what the, the, the, the pathway by the rebels is going to be. they, they talk a good game, right now. they're talking about being more inclusive. jolani who is apparently the head of this rebel group, who was a member of al qaeda, who then broke away created age, um tass or whatever it is the the group that they're with now, um, we don't know where they're going. we also don't know whether isis will be reengaged, but we certainly do know that the united states doesn't want to get involved. we've heard a tweet from president-elect trump, but presumably they will use their ability because they are you know, they are also stationed in syria. how long

the baathist party as as assad and his father, hafez al assad. this is an absolutely monumental moment in the history of syria and potentially for the region too. and it cannot be understated. he here was a dynastic dynasty of brutal dictators that were still alive. i mean, still on the fringes just across the border from turkey, on the fringes of europe. if you will. this was still going on. and existed, and now the lid has been taken off of that. the opportunities obviously are huge. the pitfalls are massive. the chances of misunderstood misunderstanding and miscalculation by potential friends, potential enemies in the region and around the world again is huge. but the trajectory that we've heard so far laid out by the rebel leadership and other politicians who i've spoken to um, is one that aspires to a smooth and calm transition. and i think the curfew is the first step towards that so much further to go, though wolf interesting. >> indeed. the dramatic developments unfolding in syria right now, historic as i keep saying as well. nic robertso

assad is gone. he has fled his country, his protector russia, russia, russia led by vladimir putin, not interested in protecting him any longer. these are the words, of course, of donald trump there was no reason for russia to be there in the first place. they lost all interest in syria because of ukraine, where close to 600,000 russian soldiers lay wounded or dead in a war that should never have started and could go on forever. russia and iran are in a weakened state right now. he posts one because of ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of israel. and its fighting success likewise, zelenskyy and ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness again. the words of donald trump here, posting on truth social he says they had ridiculously lost 400,000 soldiers and many more civilians. there should be an immediate ceasefire and negotiations should begin too many lives are being so needlessly wasted, too many families destroyed, and if it keeps going it can turn into something much bigger

the money of it's kept assad in power. and when he says that what gulani is doing is speaking to the leaders in the region who will help continue to keep him in power. so he's talked to the people that have brought him to a place of power and is talking regionally to those who he hopes can help keep him in power wolf and this new group this this group, it's not necessarily a new group, but a clearly a very powerful group right now hayat tahrir al sham is in charge. >> they've taken over for bashar al-assad's regime. nic robertson reporting for us. thank you very, very much. we're also learning new details right now on where the former syrian dictator, bashar al assad has fled. an official source in russia tells cnn assad and his family have arrived in moscow and have been granted asylum in russia. cnn's fred pleitgen is in moscow for us. fred what more are you learning about assad's arrival in in russia yeah it seems that this happened throughout the course today. >> russia, of course, by far one of the biggest backers of

assad has fled .ackers, iran and russia, abandoned him, and it has not been a bloodless coup but it has been far less violent than perhaps we might have feared. >> what should we take from syria's prime minister saint he is ready to hand over the opposition. he is saying he wants a peaceful transition of power. >> cynically, he would say that because he is now in a corner, and his hold on power as well has also gone but he has remained in the country. he said he will go to his office today and he has reached out with that all of branch to the rebels and so i think how he is handled will be key in setting the tone for what comes next. you know, if he is dragged out of office physically and unceremoniously then you know, that could be an indicator that there will be a ruthlessness to the takeover of power, but if his offer for a peaceful transition is taken up and the rebels can find some orderly way to do it, then i think that will set the tone for what comes next. >> okay. for now, thank you. let's go

you know, the system of dungeons that the assad and suppression that the assad has put together now, this regime for over 50 years. i'm talking to people on the ground sources in damascus, and they tell me that even 24 hours on, they're still trying to free prisoners who've been in the dungeons for decades. from the second and third tier of underground jails under assad's infamous saydnaya prison and there's an appeal for expertise to try and unlock these people who are literally buried underground. and they can't seem to to get them out the pictures are harrowing of five year old children and their moms being brought out of these prisons but it's also a moment that is akin to the fall of the berlin wall in terms of its geo geopolitical impact in the middle east. syria sits right there in the heart of the region south of turkey north of israel, a significant impact on iran's standing in the region particularly in terms of the lifeline the logistical support line to hezbollah's, to iran's proxy hezbollah in lebanon. and i had senior u.s. officials who were visiting here with us in doh

it's really something unbelievable for them, after 5a years of the assad dynasty there is no more assad, despite concerns over how the islamist rebels are going to lead, if there will be immediate stability and safety. but people are still seizing the moment to enjoy this great victory as they see it. we have seen yesterday people being released from the prisons who had been held for a very long time under that assad regime. but there are reports today that there are still people in those underground cells. what do we know about that? imprisonment and torture of people inside prison, even to death, has been one of the assad tactics, assad the father and the son. there are plenty of prisons across the country and in damascus, many detention centres have layers underground. the most notorious is saydnaya, outside the city to the south. it lies on a hilltop and many people know for a fact there are many hidden prisons there, many prisons built underground, for layers and layers. people broke into prisons yesterday with the rebels, thousands of families are there and are still there waiting

in assad, determined to keep— heavily in assad, determined to keep him — heavily in assad, determinedep him in_ heavily in assad, determined to keep him in power, _ heavily in assad, determined to keep him in power, but- heavily in assad, determined to keep him in power, but in- heavily in assad, determined to keep him in power, but in the l keep him in power, but in the end_ keep him in power, but in the end it— keep him in power, but in the end it wasn't _ keep him in power, but in the end it wasn't enough. - but what to do about hts when they are a prescribed terrorist organisation? in syria, assad is gone, decades of dictatorship are over. we look at what syria's opposition rebels will do now. also on the programme... rachel reeves says it is time for a reset with relations between eu the uk. and google shows off its quantam computer chip which takes five minutes to solve a problem today's fastest computer would take 10 septillion years to crack. we'll — hopefully — explain all. thanks forjoining us. we begin in syria — where the latest reports say the prime minister has agreed to

i welcome the fact that assad has gone. to regional allies. it�*s very important now that there is a political settlement, a political way forward, and it�*s very important that we emphasise that civilians and minorities must be protected in the process. but very pleased that assad has fallen. joining me live is ibrahim al—assil, senior fellow at the middle east institute. good to with us. thank you for havin: good to with us. thank you for having me- — good to with us. thank you for having me. before _ good to with us. thank you for having me. before he - good to with us. thank you for having me. before he gets - good to with us. thank you for having me. before he gets all| having me. before he gets all of this, i _ having me. before he gets all of this, i want _ having me. before he gets all of this, i want to _ having me. before he gets all of this, i want to touch - having me. before he gets all of this, i want to touch on - of this, i want to touch on what we have seen in the past 24 what we have seen in the past 2a ho

the fall of the assad regime. in a statement from russia's foreign ministry of course, there have been questions about bashar al assad's whereabouts. according to this statement, assad, quote decided to leave the presidential post and left the country giving instructions to transfer power peacefully. close quote the statement said. and they also added, quote, that russia did not participate in these negotiations. close quote now, beyond where? beyond the the assertion from the russian foreign ministry that assad is not in syria any longer. it is not clear where he is of course, we know that the leader of this this rebel group hts, is now, of course looking for assad. they've they've seized control of damascus. that ended the presidential leadership. this 50 year reign of the assad family, this militant leader of hts says that assad has left the capital. we now know from the russians that he has left the country we're being told syrian security forces are still looking for him, questioning the prime minister questi

he said that assad is gone.er was trying to talk about the war between ukraine and russia. he said that zelenskyy, the ukrainian president who he met with just yesterday jessica, is someone who wants to end the conflict and that war quickly and that right now russia is in a weakened state, really leading him to believe that it's time for vladimir putin, the russian president, to come to the table. donald trump wrote as well um that he knows putin very well and so, again, we're kind of seeing some of the contours of this. i think it's very early in. donald trump, of course, is still just president elect. but of course, this is going to potentially complicate plans that they have once he is in office. >> yeah. and separately elena, i did want to ask you too, about some comments that president trump made earlier today when he was interviewed by nbc news. what kind of stood out to you there there was a couple of things. >> a lot of major points, actually. he really dug into policy for the first time since he was ele

as long as assad was — see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there _ see the assad gym fall?ssad was there and iran - see the assad gym fall? as long as assad was there and iran and j as assad was there and iran and russia was there, there is not democracy, but syrians were able to free themselves without outside support, which is important because regional countries cannot force us to do anything, what we want un resolution 2254 to be implemented as by the syrian people are not sergey lavrov. thank you for being with us first or. —— mouaz moustafa. health officials in gaza say israeli strikes killed at least 34 people on saturday. the israeli raids hit a house in gaza city. four women are among those killed. israel has not commented on any of the strikes. it comes as qatari officials say there is momentum for a possible ceasefire deal between israel and hamas. qatar's prime minister says the country is engaging with president—elect donald trump's incoming administration. sources tell the reuters news agency mr trump's middle east envoy travelled to qatar this week to facilit

president assad has fled the country, and the capital has fallen. political prisoners have been freed from the country's notorious jails. this appears to show prisoners leaving the saydnaya military prison. rebel commanders have warned people not to harm them. syria's prime minister has stayed in damascus, and has offered the rebels a peaceful transition of power. transition . >> translator: this country can be a normal country, a country that builds good relations with its neighbors and with the world. that entry into any regional alliances, we will lead any new leadership chosen by the syrian people and we're ready to cooperate with any new leadership and facilitate what they need so that there government departments can be transferred smoothly and systematically in a way that preserves the state's facilities. >> reporter: rebels only reached the outskirts of damascus yesterday afternoon. this happened a few miles from the center of the syrian capital. a statue of hafez al assad, syria's last leader, was pulled down. the rebels sense that victory

they are rooting for assad and the rule of the assad family, which now goes back more than half a century to be ended. and that may be what we're seeing play out just last night people in the american intelligence community were saying to me they thought it would be 5 or 6 days before we knew what would happen to damascus. it may turn out that that was a much longer time period than reality. it kind of reminds you of the fall of kabul. >> yeah, it is. it is unbelievable to watch and cedric, to that end you know, american officials saying they thought it would be days. and now hearing from david also my colleague oren liebermann, saying the same thing that now they're thinking, you know, it could be that, that that is actually too long of a time frame. how how is this happening? we're getting these reports that the military defenses of the assad regime have just totally fallen apart yeah it's really remarkable, jessica. >> and as david was saying, this is one of those moments where you see these dominoes, in essence, fall very rapidly. and, you know, he's right to kind of make the analogy

the political voice for assad. and protected him in the international community for all these years. now, all that investment has essentially appeared to gone down the drain. we don't know if there are any meetings between the rebels and the turkish authorities and the russians and the iranians. we don't know how this is going to end up, and we don't really know what the what the, the, the, the pathway by the rebels is going to be. they, they talk a good game, right now. they're talking about being more inclusive. jolani who is apparently the head of this rebel group, who was a member of al qaeda, who then broke away created age, um tass or whatever it is the the group that they're with now, um, we don't know where they're going. we also don't know whether isis will be reengaged but we certainly do know that the united states doesn't want to get involved we've heard a tweet from president elect trump, but presumably they will use their ability because they are you know, they are also stationed in syria. how long th

an old client, assad's father hafez al-assad, was a client, if you will, during the soviet union of the soviets you know, that's where a lot of their military equipment was purchased from. so those alliances were sort of old alliances but they were what shored up assad. but what he saw arrayed against him were islamist groups were western interests in terms of the united states backing kurdish groups and of course, a plethora of other smaller, uh regional groups. but what his leader was able to do significantly, what gilani was able to do significantly, was over the past number of years while their grouping had been cornered in the northwest of syria, was rekindled relationships with smaller rebel factional commanders and bring them back on board under an umbrella and get some significant training. it appears to become a cohesive effective force able to make the lightning moves that they've been able to across the whole country. remember, this is when you're moving a military around a massive battle zone. you need communications, you need effective command structures. you need an obedie

and now assad is gone. what does it mean for russia yeah. >> i mean, there's, you know kind of the property part of it, the bases, the air base and the naval base. but i think when you get into prestige and influence in the middle east, i think that's where it really hurts because, you know, let's go back to 2015, when russia came in and launched a major air campaign to basically rescue assad's regime. and they did it for a number of years. but now russia because one of the main reasons it's distracted with the war by the war in ukraine and it was not able to stop these rebels from coming in and just taking over and that's really significant and then you have to look at the allies of russia as well. certainly iran. iran is looking much weaker too. so it's, you know, does russia still have the influence that it had in the middle east? and can it do two things at once? you know could it, could it have contained this uprising or not it certainly didn't. and it looks bad for russia. >> yeah. it's notable that s

but assad refused.carried out a comprehensive sanction program against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the syrian people. second, we maintained our military presence in syria. our counter-isis to counter the support of local partners as well on the ground, their partners. never seize an inch of territory, taking out leaders of isis, ensuring isis can never establish a safe haven there again. third, we supported israel's freedom of action against iranian networks in syria and against actors aligned with iran to transport lethal aid to lebanon. when necessary, ordered the use of military force against iranian networks to protect u.s. forces. our approach has shifted the balance of power in the middle east. this combination of support for our partners, sanctions and diplomacy and targeted military force necessary, we now see new opportunities opening up for the people of syria and for the entire region. looking ahead, the united states will do the following -- first, we'll support syri

at long last the assad regime has fallen _ at long last the assad regime has fallen.led and tortured thousands of syrians, it's a moment— tortured thousands of syrians, it's a moment of historic opportunity for a moment of historic opportunity for a long _ a moment of historic opportunity for a long suffering people of syria. to build _ a long suffering people of syria. to build a _ a long suffering people of syria. to build a better future for their pride — build a better future for their pride country. it is also in moments of risk_ pride country. it is also in moments of risk and — pride country. it is also in moments of risk and uncertainty as we all turned — of risk and uncertainty as we all turned to— of risk and uncertainty as we all turned to the question of what comes next _ the pentagon says us warplanes struck more than 75 islamic state targets in syria on sunday.for more on the view here in washington, i spoke to our state department correspondent, tom bateman. president biden spoke earlier today, calling this moment both an opportunity but a risk, what mo

so with the assad regime _ but has failed. so with the assad regime out, - but has failed. has failed. so with the | assad regime out, who are but has failed. so with the - assad regime out, who are the a55ad regime out, who are the rebels now in control of syria, and what does their victory mean for the country? our security correspondent frank gardner explains. everything now depends on hts, that's the main rebel group that has ousted a55ad, because this could go either way. a successful transition to a democracy of sorts, or a descent into chao5. democracy of sorts, or a descent into chaos. the words of their leader here are encouraging. he says he wants a government for all syrian5 so is there really was going to happen? hts, the main rebel group, does have a murky pa5t. until 2016 it was linked to al-qaeda and it is still a prescribed terrorist group by many governments. the dark red on this map shows how they burst out of a north—west stronghold to come south. that's the dotted line, and take damascus. the orange and yellow areas are the smaller rebel group5, yellow a

how likely is it that president _ assad. how likely is it that president assad _ assad.nt assad could - assad. how likely is it that - president assad could backtrack from this? could put the situation back to where it was just two weeks ago? because it happened so immensely fast, hasn't it? it happened so immensely fast, hasn't it? ,, hasn't it? it is shocking, the swift and — hasn't it? it is shocking, the swift and the _ hasn't it? it is shocking, the swift and the stunning - hasn't it? it is shocking, the i swift and the stunning advance of the opposition. both the islamist opposition and the nationalist syrian army opposition. and it is really alarming how the syrian army units have been crushed. what it tells you is that the state capacity, the syrian state capacity, the syrian state capacity, has been gutted. it has been degraded by years of poverty, corruption, sanctions, attacks by israel and of course syria's allies are nowhere to be seen. just before i came on air at one of your guests was saying that has been our word and iran will provide support. it is nons

and assad got complacent.o much faith in his allies in the iranians, in the russians in hezbollah, hezbollah was absolutely damaged by the israelis. the iranians have just constantly been keeping just losses in the region. and every single way the russians have their own quagmire in ukraine so all of assad's allies are facing huge, you know, major problems to their own security. so none of them were able to actually step in and help him so what that did was put extra pressure on the syrian army, an army which is based on conscription and assad in the last two years issued a number of different rules which actually, um, made sure that many of the conscripts were new. so assad was sending new fighters to the front lines against groups such as h uh hts hayat tahrir al sham, which were seasoned, experienced fighters, and they were just getting smashed in aleppo. and that's what triggered this collapse that's really interesting insight. >> so as you know, assad was ousted by this coalition of rebel groups some of t

bashar al assad's family fled _ anymore. bashar al assad's family fled to _ anymore.ed to moscow. - anymore. bashar al assad's i family fled to moscow. russia called a security council meeting today that will take place later. what can we expect? place later. what can we “peel?— place later. what can we exect? ~ , . ., ~ ., expect? we expect talking that all forces in _ expect? we expect talking that all forces in syria _ expect? we expect talking that all forces in syria and _ expect? we expect talking that all forces in syria and other - all forces in syria and other militant groups will advance to be stronghold. between turkiye and assyria a main players in this area and to find a political solution. and talk about the resolution in which drew a map, a about the resolution in which drewa map, a roadmapforthe peace where there is negotiation, transitions, elections, supervised, as it is fair the election will be and written by the syrian people and open for all sectors and all groups from inside syria and outside assyria. the hope is a resolution is reality so it wa

you were a former prisoner under the assad regime.ion after all this time? it�*s absolutely heartbreaking, seeing people who have been jailed not only for 12 or 13 years, some actually have been there for a0 years, including lebanese, palestinians, jordanians, not only syrians. i think i was lucky enough, my imprisonment didn�*t last long, even though the treatment, the torture that i have been through was definitely, will definitely last for a lifetime. but just seeing that people are able to meet with their families, that many people who did not even know the regime had fallen, just seeing at that moment of freedom is just heartbreaking. but what is also heartbreaking as the tens of thousands of families who are just so desperate, waiting to know whether their relatives are dead or alive. right now as we are speaking, virtually thousands of people are in prison trying to find any trace of their loved ones who have been jailed in that prison for over ten years. i�*m worried actually and heartbroken that many of those families will ev

to posters of assad. rebels say senior assad regime officials are preparing to defect in the capital as well. we're also seeing reports of syrian soldiers fleeing the country and going to iraq and the white house says it's closely monitoring these fast moving developments and staying in touch with regional partners. a lot of developments at this hour that we are continuing to monitor. i want to bring in paula hancocks in abu dhabi. paula, what can you tell us? what is the latest that we are seeing again in this very fast moving situation right now well, omar, it is extremely fast. >> the events that we're seeing unfold at this point in fact, just a matter of hours ago there were text messages going out from the the bashar bashar al-assad's regime's military telling people that they would create calm and stability, that they were in control. and now we see, just a few hours later, a very different situation so events have unfolded very quickly. syrian rebels saying that they are in control of damascus that

and they are very against bashar al assad.that is also going to be a little bit of an awkward relationship to figure out. so that is what the u.s. is going to be focused on. also, let's not forget that you have austin tice, an american freelance journalist, former marine who has been imprisoned in syria. the biden government said up until very recently that they believe with high confidence that the syrian government continues to hold him. and so maybe there is an opportunity here, given that the syrian government is collapsing. maybe there is an opportunity to get him freed and get him home. so they are going to focus on that, as well. so it will be very interesting to see what happened with that. that is what the u.s. is going to be mainly focused on. >> hagar, thank you for jumping in on this breaking news coverage coming out of syria. we will continue to watch what is happening in syria. i'm richard louis in new york at 30 rockefeller center. coverage continues right now for you with our partners at sky news. >> desperate

bashar al—assad.nd us defence secretary lloyd austin reaffirms america's ironclad commitment to the asia pacific region, on a visit to tokyo. welcome to newsday. i'm steve lai. some breaking news to bring you now, out of seoul. south korean police have raided the presidential office of president yoon suk yeol. police officials say president yoon is the subject of a criminal investigation on insurrection charges, but he has not been arrested or questioned by authorities. the president and his allies are currently facing insurrection charges, after his botched attempt to impose martial law last week. there have been other develpments in the last few hours — a justice ministry official told south korea's parliament this morning that former defence minister kim yong—hyun attempted to take his own life while in detention. kim had publicly taken responsibility for carrying out martial law. let's get more from our correspondent, laura bicker. you have been in south korea covering the story. get us up to spee

the process but very pleased that assad has fallen.— assad has fallen.he rebel u-rou assad has fallen. the rebel grow) hds _ assad has fallen. the rebel grow) hds is _ assad has fallen. the rebel group hds is designated i assad has fallen. the rebel group hds is designated a | group hds is designated a terrorist group, will your government to deal with the syrian regime's we do need a political solution for this, thatis political solution for this, that is what we are talking about, it's a good thing assad is gone it's a very good thing for syrian people, we must also ensure as we go through civilians are protected. minorities are protected, this is through a political process, that's what we are talking to allies about in the region at the moment.— allies about in the region at the moment. �* , ., , . the moment. are you expecting any communication _ the moment. are you expecting any communication with - the moment. are you expecting any communication with the - any communication with the regime, or have you had any? our engagement is with our allies, m

assad has been toppled'.up hayat tahrir al—sham, who have their roots in al-qaeda, have been trying to rebrand themselves as a nationalist force. they say they've freed what they called hundreds of unjustly detained prisoners held injails in syria. within the past few minutes the russian foreign ministry said president assad stepped down and left syria as a result of negotiations with "other participants in the armed conflict" but that russia was not involved in those negotiations and did not know where he is now. in the past hour fighters have seized control of the presidential palace in damascus. many of the hundreds of thousands of refugees who fled syria for lebanon during the long— running civil war are now attempting to return. crowds have been gathering at border crossings. analysts say the country is now at a crossroads over whether rebel leader, abu mohammad al—jolani, will opt for a path to democracy. our correspondent ba ra ba ra plett—usher has managed to reach the centre of damascys and sent this

that was disaffected assad regime officers that it been disbanded. some of it moved into the syrian national army. those were turkish backed. largely arab and sometimes turkey and rebels, turkish government to use a proxy or auxiliary. these turkish backed forces have been used not just in syria but in of the place of work president erdogan of turkey as a foreign policy interest as well. there is what is left of the iran backed militia infrastructure which up until recently had been concentrated in the east and moving to be in the west with the assad regime and lebanese hezbollah. i want to cram in as much of the alphabet soup as we could before we get to hst, and all eyes are on the individual who led the charge. and then there is the u.s. force presence which is about 900ish located at the garrison where they have a large zone. the trump administration sought to pull out these troops and in the end it did not happen and all eyes will be on the incoming trump administration as the syrian civil war continues into a political phase. what role will the

a massive defeat for assad's backers, russia and iran. president biden today calling it a fundamental act of justice. the world bracing for what's to come. the rebels who toppled assad previously linked to al qaeda. president-elect trump saying he wants the u.s. to stay out, arguing it's not our fight, and what it could mean for the roughly 900 troops inside syria, some carrying out air strikes on isis positions today. james longman from the middle east and martha raddatz on the road ahead. >>> also tonight, a new look at the suspect wanted in the shooting death of unitedhealthcare executive brian thompson. the search expanding far beyond new york city. divers scouring a lake in central park looking for the murder weapon and what police found inside a backpack possibly linked to the shooter. >> president-elect trump says he intends to pardon many of the january 6th defendants on day one and he wants to investigate members of the congressional committee that held hearings on the riots, calling out two members by name. >> chaos at a holiday

at long last the assad — in moscow. at long last the assad regime has fallen.lly hundreds of thousands of innocent syrians, the fall of innocent syrians, the fall of this— of innocent syrians, the fall of this regime is a fundamental act of— of this regime is a fundamental act ofjustice. it's a moment of historic_ act ofjustice. it's a moment of historic opportunity for the long—suffering people of syria to build — long—suffering people of syria to build a better future for the proud country. it's also a moment_ the proud country. it's also a moment of risk and uncertainty. as we _ moment of risk and uncertainty. as we ali— moment of risk and uncertainty. as we all turned to the question of what comes next, the united states will work with— the united states will work with our— the united states will work with our partners and stakeholders in syria. to help them — stakeholders in syria. to help them see _ stakeholders in syria. to help them see as an opportunity to manage — them see as an opportunity to manage the risks. for years, the main _ manage the risks.

but assad refused. so we carried out a comprehensive sanction program against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the syrian people. second, we maintained our military presence in syria, our counter racist to counter the support of local partners as well on the ground. third, partners never see an inch of territory taking out leaders of isis, ensuring that isis can never establish a safe haven there again. third, we supported israel's freedom of action against iranian networks in syria and against actors aligned with iran, transporting lethal aid to lebanon and when necessary, ordered the use of military force against iranian networks to protect u.s. forces. our approach shifted the balance of power in the middle east. this combination of support from our partners sanctions, diplomacy and targeted military force when necessary. we now see new opportunities opening up for the people of syria and for the entire region. looking ahead, the united states will do the following first of suppor

assad's fall from power. reporter after decades of savage horrific rule over in a matter of days thousands of syrians celebrated in the streets of damascus after rebel forces advanced on the capital early sunday morning declaring it free of president bashar al-assad we announced to you from the syrian news channel the victory of the great syrian revolution, after 13 years of patience and sacrifice, we won the bet and toppled the criminal assad regime. >> facing crumbling resistance from regime forces, rebels launched a stunning lightning offensive. russia undermining its long term ally by announcing he had fled the country and was granted asylum in moscow. hours of jubilation followed as civilians and rebels entered the presidential palace, looting furniture with children running about. a sign of how every day the suffering he inflicted had been. some even touring the presidential kitchen in a land where starvation was once a weapon what would you like? one woman says while filming. ah, people are hungry. tak

bashar assad, as you said, to him? bashar assad, as you said. has— to him?s fled _ to him? bashar assad, as you said, has fled syria. _ to him? bashar assad, as you said, has fled syria. he - to him? bashar assad, as you said, has fled syria. he took. to him? bashar assad, as youj said, has fled syria. he took a huge sum of money from this country and smuggled it abroad. we want those protecting him to return him so he can be prosecuted in the syrian courts. ., ., ., ., courts. you have a situation where you _ courts. you have a situation where you have _ courts. you have a situation where you have foreign - courts. you have a situation - where you have foreign soldiers in this country, you have israelis taking territory, more occupied territory, you have the turks up north, you have americans in the country, do you want them all to get out? how are you going to deal with that? �* , ., ., how are you going to deal with that? �*, ., ., , ., that? it's vital for us to preserve _ that? it's vital for us to preserve the _ that? it's vital for us to preserve the

assad fled to russia.e wants to see a political process, political solution to determine any future, how syria is governed. indeed, during that level of engagement, to look at the promisesrom the rebel groups to respect the different religions, ethnic backgrounds of some of the people in syria, would indeed happen in practice. in order to do that, for the u.k. to engage, they cannot engage directly with an organization that it regards as a terrorist organization, in the jargon, prescribed organization. in order to do so, if hts is now the leading force in syria, they would have to reach a decision to take them off the list of prescribed organizations to have that kind of level of engagement. they seem to be doing this and one step removed from what other allies in the region, who they themselves may be getting in touch with hts. if the british government wants to get involved, this is the change that has to be made, which is why there is some suggestion it may happen swiftly. however, there is another feel

bashar al—assad.out a facebook post from a small militia swearing vengeance. so is this such a threat that you want to take your family out to lebanon? you're worried about your lives? translation: yes, sure. the kids, my wife, i'm afraid for them. that's why i'm taking them out to lebanon. violence consumed iraq and libya after their dictators. their fear is the same for syria. it's notjust about the legacy of the war. it's about the legacy of more than half a century of dictatorship. these are people, and there are thousands more coming down the road, who don't feel safe in the new syria. and going in the opposite direction are all those who just want to get home. the duty free shop, once a favourite of those the regime had made rich, has been looted and destroyed. islamist anger at a decadent regime. we drove on to damascus. the rebels took syria as assad's army faded away but the country's still under fire. to stop islamist rebels taking over syria's abandoned military infrastructure, across the c

bashar al-assad fled the presidential palace. that residence, a symbol of his gruesome gruesome dictatorship, has been burned and ransacked. >> at this moment, assad and his family are in moscow after being granted asylum in russia. >> that's according to a source. and the entire world now waits to see what happens in syria. president biden declaring the u.s. will engage with syrian groups to establish a transition. u.s. central command meanwhile, saying u.s. planes have struck over 75 isis targets in syria today. that is part of an ongoing mission which has hundreds of u.s. troops deployed in that region. cnn's chief international security correspondent, nick paton walsh, has more on assad's fall from power decades of savage, horrific rule over in a matter of days thousands of syrians celebrated in the streets of damascus after rebel forces advanced on the capital early sunday morning, declaring it free of president bashar al assad. >> we announced to you from the syrian news channel the victory of the great syrian revolution. a

it's all assad's fault.ad the opportunity, at least since 2016, when the war in syria went quiet to achieve national unity, to really work towards keeping the country in a positive and forward moving direction. and according to the turkish government, he absolutely failed they said that when they got sort of an inkling and even over the past, you know period, the turkish president had tried to reach out to assad and they had no response whatsoever. they claim that they saw are syria, quote, unquote and the regime decaying and collapsing. they said that even without a practically without a bullet fired, this rebel group led by al-jolani took aleppo and then all the other cities. and now finally damascus. but the turks are talking. you know, in terms of what the international community would, i think, you know, like to hear. and that is they want a government of national unity. they want a proper transition. they want territorial integrity for syria. and they want, as i said, you know, diversity and national u

president assad's men have fled.ndoned military vehicles, empty army posts. this was the area where protests against president assad first took hold 1a years ago and the regime cracked down really hard here. now that regime has fled and groups of opposition fighters have taken up positions on this road imposing a new control. now to some of the images coming out of syria's sednaaya military prison north of damsacus. amnesty international previously described it as notorious for the use of torture and excessive force . large crowds have been gathering outside the prison, in which thousands of opponents of the ousted assad regime have been detained. rescuers from the white helmets civil defence group joined the search of the complex — where some inmates are alleged to have been held in underground cells. here's bbc arabic�*s special correspondent feras kilani with more. this is how bashar al—assad left the syrians, thousands of them here in saydnaya prison, one of the worst in the middle east, notjust in syria, are loo

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