overthrow the dictatorship of bashar al-assad. the obama administration has been avoiding this step, but the president made the decision after u.s. intelligence informed him that assad's forces have used nerve gas against the rebels. this war began two years ago. tens of thousands of people are dead and the entire region has been destabilized. major garrett has just come from a briefing at the white house. major? >> reporter: scott, the obama white house has for the first time declared that the syrian regime of bashar al-assad has used chemical weapons to kill opposition fighters. u.s. intelligence communities say the syrian regime of bashar al-assad, as i said, has used a chemical weapon sarin multiple times, it says, in its war against the syrian rebels. now, the estimates are between 100 and 150 people have died. the administration says this "crosses clear red lines." the administration announced it was approving military shipments to the rebels. now, scott, it's important to

elements who fuel based violence in syria they would agree to not thing last and then getting rid of bashar al assad so sooner or later you will have to agree to that demand in order to avoid them even the bigger evil i guess what would be the guardian t that if president assad is forced to leave office and i stress on the workforce if he chooses to leave that's fine but he is forced what would be the go on t.v. for his supporters not to carry arms against the new government mr barak i'm not arguing for processing him to leave office what i'm arguing for is that as a leader as somebody who or obviously loves his country i think here his should really take into consideration whether or not he's wrong is indeed pacifying or dividing in syria and i would argue that maybe it would not be the bass option for him to run in those elections even if he things that the level of support is enormous simply because again the the influence that he has both on domestic and international affairs is highly polarizing but it would be up to him as a president of the republic to assess the situation and choose what is

>> well, it is in our strategic interest to see bashar al-assad go. gonzales madis, who is the head of our central command, said the fall of bashar al-assad would be the greatest blow to iran in the last 25 years. it would cut off their connection with hezbollah. the reason why hezbollah is now all in there, because they know if syria goes they lose their connection with iran, and that would have very serious consequences for them. so we want a syria that can have a very long and difficult path to a democracy and governing themselves without being massacred by bashar al-assad. and that's going to be more and more difficult every day. i admit that. sloos there's jihadists from all over the the middle east pouring in there, and it's going to make it extremely difficult. but compare that to the status quo. the status quo, the nas kerr good gz on, and bashar al-assad stays in power, and the spillover in the region turns it into a regional conflict. there's no good options here. the options were better a year to two years ago than they are now. and every da

wonder whether you think that this vote is likely to take place and most importantly whether bashar al assad is likely to put up his candidacy if or for those elections i think a fair forecast of the syrian future would be to have if nobody having an equal chance to prevent to present themselves or to present their followers who says with a certain project of reconciliation and restructuring in syria and if president assad proves to be popular then i think fairness says that he should leave the country let alone now of course there are no polls that we can really rely on to assess the extent of the public support that bashar assad enjoys in the in the country from my own personal experience in syria i think the the support. quite substantial but regardless of his support domestically he does not enjoy that much support internationally and i wonder whether event if he runs and. if he wins do you think the so-called international community will leave syria long will allow syria to heal its. grasp of the peace building i think that's a very important question and that's a very huge challenge fo

they're determined to oust president bashar al assad from power. >> (translated): we want a democratic system, with a government elected by everyone in syria. this would be a better than the assad family. we are in the town of kansafra. this town is a stronghold of the free syrian army. it was liberated from assad's army more than three months ago. >> narrator: the army of the assad regime has been pushed back across the valley to the other side of the orontes river. ahmad's village is well within range of their artillery. shells and mortars are routinely fired into this village. >> (translated): god willing, bashar al-assad's army can't get in here. we run things here now. >> narrator: doctors and nurses and ordered to report immediately to the local hospital. ahmad is already there, using his phone to film casualties. >> (translated): i ran to the area to see who was injured, to see how i could help. these people's lives are over. this is what god had written for them. i just despaired, and thought it was time that arab countries felt our suffering. >> narrator: ahmad and the people

the bashar al-assad regime using chemical weapons. more than 90,000 have died since the uprising began and now besides providing military ailed the white house says press has not made a decision about enforcing a no-fly zone over syria. some think more needs to be done. >> the president has stated in a red line has been crossed. i would observe that red lines are meaningless unless they are backed pie action. the underlying bill reflects a sense of congress that any red line should be backed with substantive measures. martha: doug mckelway joins us live from the white house. doug, the timing on all of this. when did the administration decide that yes, indeed, syria had crossed over that red line? >> that's a key question, martha. you know, france and britain had already come to that conclusion weeks ago and it has led many to criticize the administration for wasting valuable time. last night at a conference call with reporters, ben rose explained the administration's decision making saying in effect that new developments on the ground

countries are saying that this would have somehow helped to ratchet up pressure against president bashar al assad some western powers lucy accusing russia at this point of hampering peace efforts on the whole argument about russia supplying assad with weapons how does moscow justify this let's a complex issue russia's plan to ship as three hundred anti-aircraft systems to syria caused a stir this week after president bashar al assad in an interview said that russia will be honoring its defense contracts further complicating things that the israeli elements the israelis have said that they are strongly opposed to this that they are prepared to use force if those weapons are delivered but we have to keep in mind these are contracts were signed roughly a year before the syrian civil war broke out in twenty eleven russians are not prepared to console the contracts although the deputy foreign minister has said that this is seen as a stabilizing factor that will deter quote what he called some hotheads from considering to send in foreign forces to intervene in the syrian conflict i do these are russian

the most powerful opposition group is essentially al qaeda. >> rose: right. >> we don't like bashar al-assad. the president is -- i think genuinely bothered morally by this problem but, you know, in this situation there's something that's actually worse than bashar al-assad which is the possibility that you -- we will see a safe haven created for an al qaeda affiliate. not in the remote regions of afghanistan-- which is bad enough, as we know from 9/11-- but very close to israel and jordan and the mediterranean. so, you know, they are flummox bid this one. >> rose: would be that be a possibility today if there had been intervention earlier? >> my understanding is that the president feels no. there are a lot of people like john mccain and people like john mccain that say absolutely yes. if we had stepped in two years ago and tried to shape the opposition into something other than what it's become then there's a stronger likelihood that al qaeda could have been kept at bay. but, you know, what's done is done and we're here at this situation right now. there's another point which is that, you k

y también las reacciones ante la situación que estados unidos dará armas a quienes combaten a bashar al-assadesidente está en contacto con miembros de los dos partidos. >>> tenemos las caras de quienes se beneficiarían por la reforma. >>> uno lo vive. >>> se vale espiar en celulares y computadoras para que no haya otros ataques terrrts. >>> somos libres. >>> no, el que no la debe, no la teme. >>> de verdad ha bajado el crimen con enrique peña nieto en méxico. >>> hay mucha corrupción. >>> y tenemos >>> líderes de todo el mundo reaccioanron ante el anuncio que los estados unidos proveerá armas a los rebeldes sirios, rusia dice que no está convencido que el gobierno de bashar al-assad use armas químicas, el presidente barack obama conversará el tema con el g8 en irlanda. >>> es que la ubicación de siria, genera intereses de otrods países, como turquía, rusia, para más información conéctese al sitio univisionnoticias.com con la información. >>> a continuación teresa rodríguez con el adelanto de aquí y ahora a las 7, 6 centro el próximo domingo. >>> masacre de una familia y el único sobreviviente

that the people have been -- have been killed by the use of chemical weapons at the hands of bashar al assadieve it, so until he can cross over to believe that there is that problem that exists with bashar al assad, i think the president is up against a rock and a hard place. >> i'm not sure he's a man who wants to be convinced. thomas, thanks so much. >> absolutely. >> just ahead on essigns, the real story about all the ring talk, plus a blockbuster blowout this weekend as "man of steel" proves to be made of teflon. we'll be right back. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ [ indistinct shouting ] [ male announcer ] time and sales data. split-second stats. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ it's so close to the options floor... [ indistinct shouting, bell dinging ] ...you'll bust your brain box. ♪ all on thinkorswim from td ameritrade. ♪ otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don

. >>> with the white house confirming president bashar al assad's use of chemical weapons in syria it is now clear assad has crossed the so-called red line. president obama warned him to avoid. u.s. officials say president obama has authorized sending military support to syrian rebels. this as the u.n. estimates upwards of 93,000 people have been killed in the two-year civil war. but an nbc news/"wall street journal" poll finds just 15% of americans favor u.s. military action. 24% believe the u.s. should not take any action at all. some u.s. officials say steps need to be made to prevent the proliferation of chemical weapons. >> my goal is to make sure they're not used against us or israel, our allies throughout the world. >> all this comes amid growing public pressure on the white house to do more from john mccain on the right to bill clinton on the left, nbc's chuck todd has the latest. >> reporter: for months, president obama has said bashar al assad's use of chemical weapons against his own people would be a red line and would lead to a change of u.s. policy. the white house confi

white house officials say forces loyal to president bashar al assad used the weapons on a small scale. they say the chemicals used include the nerve agent sarin. they estimate that 100 to 150 people are likely to have been killed. they say they'll share their information with their allies and with analysts at the united nations. white house officials say president obama will consider whether to provide more support to syrian opposition forces including military assistance. >>> the crisis in syria will be one of the main items on the agenda next week at the g-8 summit. japanese government officials say prime minister shinzo abe will announce aid for syrians displaced by the civil war.

president pieten is on the side of bashar al assad. he's been helping bashar al assad with arms shipments and he's been quite critical of what the west has done with opposition. in fact yesterday, putin had a one-on-one with british prime minister david cameron. that didn't go so well. he seemed to lecture the allies on what they planned to do with syria. that is going to be the question is there consensus, veronica, between the u.s., the brits, the french and what to do next on the syrian opposition. >>> let's get you to another stories making news this morning. a man described as a moderate conservative claimed victory over the weekend in iran's election. hassan rouhani took over half a vote to succeed mahmoud ahmadinejad. the 64-year-old campaigning on personal rights, gender equality and artistic freedom. >>> the obama administration is expected to put a washington lawyer in charge of shutting down the u.s. prison at guantanamo bay. officials say cliff sloan also a confidante to secretary of state john kerry will be a new diplomatic

7,000 hezbollah fighters, iranian trained hezbollah fighters from lebanon fighting on the side of bashar al-assad already. ful these are the most experienced -- among the most experienced fighters in the middle east, terrorists, militant, however you want to describe them. >> rose: so hezbollah against al nusra? >> you've got the makings of a -- it's become a shi'a/sunni war. i mean, people -- people keep talking about, oh, we're heading into a period when we're going to have a shi'a/sunni war in five or six different places. we already have it. >> rose: on the shi'a side you have iran and hezbollah-- both shi'a-- supporting the syrians.

the white house says it has conclusive evidence that syrian president bashar al assad's regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government. the white house says that syria's use of these weapons crosses what president barack obama has called a red line, triggering greater american involvement in the crisis. in a statement tonight, staffer ben rhodes says, quote, following on the credible evidence that the regime has used chemical weapons against the syrian people, the president has augmented the provision of nonlethal assistance to the opposition and also authorized the expansion of our assistance. going on to say that the united states and the international community have a number of other legal, financial, diplomatic and military responses available. on a conference call between reporters, the nic staffers said the assistance would include military support. but he said the administration has not made any decision to pursue a u.s. military operation itself. kristen, what are we going to do for the rebels? >> well, it's still not completely cl

reporter: scott, the obama white house has for the first time declared that the syrian regime of bashar al-assad has used chemical weapons to kill opposition fighters. u.s. intelligence communities say the syrian regime of bashar al-assad, as i said, has used a chemical weapon sarin multiple times, it says, in its war against the syrian rebels. now, the estimates are between 100 and 150 people have died. the administration says this "crosses clear red lines." the administration announced it was approving military shipments to the rebels. now, scott, it's important to point out the administration has not described the quantity or the quality of the military support it will provide or when it will arrive but it will say that this support is designed to help the rebels defend against "a repressive regime." one other note, no decision has been made about whether to attempt to impose a no-fly zone. that option, though, remains on the table. >> pelley: and no word on exactly what kind of weapons. major, thank you very much. this military support comes at the moment that the rebels have lost a key town

gobierno de siria aumentó su intensiva en la rebelde ciudad e alepo, en 2 años el regimen de bashar al-assad derrote a las fuerzas rebeldes, entonces, esto pone al presidente barack obama en un difícil dilema, si tiene que es o no en otra guerra en medio oriente, la organización decidió enviar armas a grupos rebeldes pero no dice que si serán armas más potentes que rifles y granadas. >>>e stas armas no creo que cambien el grupo de poder. >>> vamos a dar armas a los rebeldes, pero no tenemos una política que mejore la situación. >>> porque esta lucha no es una primavera arabe. >>>pporque lo que quieren los rebeldes es liberarse de bashar al-assad. >>> el conflicto es regional y de poderes. >>> quién apoya a siria, ir los chiítas del libano y también los rusos, entonces, quién tiene la única base naval en el mar mediterráneo está en siria, es un juego de gran política. >>> él añade que irán está apostando a todo en siria, por eso suministra a hezbollah. >>>e s un país completamente mezclado. >>> esto es una batalla de facciones que puede destruir la región. >>> un área con turquía, irak, jorda

have the syrian opposition have credibility with the syrians on the ground meanwhile president bashar al assad in an interview this week said only a referendum would decide whether he should leave power further complicating things is the decision by the european union which agreed not to renew a weapons and bargo in syria the u.k. and france really led this push to dismantle the cargo which prevailed despite opposition from other european union member states those two countries are saying that this would have somehow helped to ratchet up pressure against president bashar al assad some western powers lucy accusing russia at this point of hampering peace efforts over the whole argument about russia supplying assad with weapons how does moscow justify this let's a complex issue russia's plan to ship as three hundred anti-aircraft systems to syria cause a stir this week after president bashar al assad in an. interview said that russia will be honoring its defense contracts further complicating things that the israeli elements the israelis have said that they are strongly opposed to this that they

a decision has already been taken in tehran to furnish us are all aside's forces with -- bashar al-assad's forces. there are revolutionary guards inside syria. there have been intelligence officers, but not an actual contingent. assad will need all the help he can get. his forces attempt to push rebels from a northern city of aleppo. reports suggest that his troops are now trying to encircle antigovernment forces to cut off their supply lines. >> the syrian opposition chief of staff says he needs the weapons the u.s. government has promised now. he will likely only be given small arms and munitions to distribute. it will be enough to help his fighters hold their lines, but nothing more. >> turkey's prime minister has defended his treatment of antigovernment protesters. he spoke to tens of thousands of his supporters. he said it was his duty to evict activists from the square. antigovernment protesters have continued to fight with police in istanbul and ankara. the governor of istanbul has banned people from gathering at the square. that is been the main base for protesters over the last tw

finally, could i say that unless we take out bashar al assad's air assets and establish a safe zone, it is not going to change the favorable conditions on the battlefield for bashar al assad. >> and let me ask you frankly, are the rebels losing right now? >> absolutely. no doubt about it. i received a phone call from general edgeris a few nights ago that portrayed the situation, and that it is dire, and obviously, it has fallen and next is aleppo, and they are using assets to fly in men and equipment and surround the city and the bloodletting and the massacre goes on much to our shame. >> is this enough to turn the tide the weapons going in now? >> it will not. we have to establish a safe zone and move the patriot missile batteries close, and take out with the cruise missiles the air assets and the logistics on the ground and establish that safe zone. and then we can change the equation on the ground, not before. >> well, the safe zone, senator, does not appear to be happening, and the white house makes clear they don't and certainly not seeking a no-fly zone, so then why do this limi

troops loyal to president bashar al assad have been regaining ground. the lebanese militant group, hezbollah, has helped them. but its involvement is bringing the war across the border. nhk world's sho beppu shows us. >> reporter: hermel is a hezbollah stronghold. portraits of the militant group's leader, hasan asala, adorn the streets. in some areas, his image is side by side with that of syrian president bashar al assad. lesser-known people are also honored here. this man's relative was a hezbollah militant who died fighting in syria. >> translator: i am proud of my cousin. he died as a martyr. >> reporter: this narrow waterway and the outskirts of hermel divides lebanon and syria. armed, hezbollah fighters cross the border freely. many went to the syrian town of qusair in may and june to support assad's troops. they helped them push out anti-government forces. by aiding assad, hezbollah is trying to ensure its own survival. for years, its shiite allies in iran sent money and military support through syria. hezbollah supporters favor intervention in t

if bashar al assad goes, it the greatest blow to iran in the next 25 years.ceed in keeping him, that will be a great victory to iran. no, we don't want boots on the ground, and, yes, we should be able to establish a no-fly zone relatively easily. if we can't, we are wasting hundreds of billions of dollars of american taxpayers' money on defense. >> there are certainly complications of arming the rebels. we've seen that in the past with other conflicts. can you speak to that and perhaps what some of your concerns are. and also in a way how the u.s. can make sure that arms don't fall into the wrong hands, considering, you know, all of the rebels aren't necessarily i guess the good guys. and you look at a conflict like this and it gets very complicated, it not as clear as those are the good guys and those are the bad guys. >> it was a lot less complicated a couple of years ago and it was a lot less complicated a year ago when every member of the national security recommended the president give arms to the rebels and he turned that down. there are no good options

fundamentally because of chemical weapons but i do believe unstated is the clear momentum that bashar al-assad and his forces have gained in recent months. jenna: they are winning essentially. >> they can see, there is an end in sight now and it favors bashar al-assad. jenna: is it too late then? >> no i don't believe it's too late at all. if all we do is arm the rebels, even with antitank and antiaircraft weapons that in and of itself now would not be decisive. two years it probably could have been. what we must do if wii want to tur turn around is we have to shut down his air power which is what he uses to have hrefrpl oveleverage over the rebels. we have the capacity to do that. jenna: that means we intervene directly. >> that is direct military intervention which i'm confident the white house has been discussing. whether they are going to do that or not has not been announced, but clearly that is a major option and i think they are moving much closer to it than what they have in the past. jenna: already there's been comparisons made -- it's not even been 24 hours since this announcement, c