what we believe it doesn't discuss is the fate of bashar al-assad syria's leader. s important, because remember the syrian national coalition, the main opposition group in syria has been boycotting these talks. it sees the removal of bashar al-assad as the main precondition for any kind of negotiations. but the landscape for syria's opposition groups has shifted considerably since the war began nearly five years ago. recently we have seen the rise of islamic state, and this has replaced bashar al-assad as the main boogie man in the region for western governments, so we have detected a noticeable softening in the kind of language that the united states has been using when it talks about bashar al-assad. the other thing that has happened of course is the nuclear deal with iran. when sanctions are lifted against iran this will allow iran to operate more freely as a regional power, supporting its allies one of those allies is bashar al-assad. so what is good for bashar al-assad is of course bad for syria's opposition. >>> greece says it will make its payment of just ove

one of those allies is bashar al-assad. is good for bashar al-assad is bad for the syrian opposition. >> meanwhile, 14 palestinian groups are backing a move to evacuate some people from the camp. it's unclear whether fighters on the ground will work with syrian forces. >>> the u.s. warns iran over its involvement in yemen. in an interview on pbs newshour. the secretary of state john kerry said they will not allow iran to destabilize the region. there are supplies coming from iran. there are a number of flights coming in each week. we traced those, we are aware of support iran has given yemen. iran needs to recognise that the united states is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage you know in overt warfare across the lines. international boundaries in other countries. >>> secretary of state john kerry's comments come as the situation in yemen worsens. two children were killed in strikes on wednesday. the united nations warned of a humanitarian crisis in the country and is urging all par

one of them is bashar al-assad. so of course what is good for bashar al-assad is bad for syria's opposition. rory challands reporting to us there live from moscow. >> still to come on the newshour the presidential election in sudan is days away but the winner is all but assured. well see how the people are faring as bashar al-assad expends its hold on power. outsourcing giant's founder is guilty in one of largest frauds in indian corporate history. we'll be live from new delhi. and tiger woods nonetheless a rounds of golf with his family. robin is here as we count down to the first major of the year. returning to the top story on the war in yemen. we'll take a closer look in the country, saudi arabia of course put together a 10-nation coalition to rescue what it says is the illegitimate government. the separation inguds the gulf nations bahrain, qatar, the u.a.e. and kuwait. you have jordan sudan, egypt and morocco, and the united states is stepping up its logistical role by supplying intelligence and speeding the fl

it doesn't discuss the fate of bashar al-assad, syria's leader. that is important. remember, the syrian national coalition, the main opposition group in syria has been boycotting the talks, seeing the removal of bashar al-assad as a main precondition for any kind of negotiations. but the landscape for syria's oppositon groups shifted since the war began nearly five years ago. recently we have seen the rise of islamic state, and this replaced bashar al-assad as the main bogey man in the region for the western government. we have detected a noticeable softening in the language that the united states uses when it talks about bashar al-assad. the other thing that happened, of course, is the nuclear deal with iran, when sanctions are lifted against iran, this will allow iran to operate more freely as a regional power, supporting its allies, one is bashar al-assad. what is good for bashar al-assad is, of course, bad for syria's opposition. >>> three attacks in egypt's north sinai region killed 13 civilians and four soldiers. a missile landed on a house in another village,

help syrian forces who are loyal to bashar al-assad government to fight off this islamic mill tans. militants. one thing is sure that bashar al-assad is quite stable and he is actually the president who can -- who is ready to my mind to deal with opposition. >> reporter: the man who mediated four days of talks here thinks it's positive that the delegates didn't get into a fist fight. but in syria the real fighting drags on while all around governments are reevaluating who they consider their friends and who they consider their enemies. rory challands, al jazeera moscow. >> at least three people have been killed by a car bomb acknowledge the taliban has claimed responsibility. now thousands of children are born with congenital heart defects every year in ukraine. the problem is four times worse now than before the accident at the chernobyl nuclear accidents. andrew simmons reports. >> clinging on to life. his heart has been stopped a machine takes over. the doctor leads what has been called the chernobyl hard team. most of the problems he sees, relates to the nuclear accident. >> this

to advance. >> reporter: the war involves many armed groups trying to remove bashar al-assad from power. it's complicated by the i.s.i.l. offensive. further reports of some cooperation between i.s.i.l. and some groups. i.s.i.l. wants control of syria, and the removal of bashar al-assad. a school was destroyed by an i.s.i.l. suicide bomber. it's believed the attacker was targetting a syrian opposition base close by. more than 15 civilians and opposition fighters were killed reportedly, in the attack. >> translation: i.s.i.l. don't have the ability to send fighters that's why they send car bombs. the aim is to kill off fighters. >> reporter: over 200,000 people have been killed and millions of others forced to flee from their homes, since the war in syria started four years ago. the fighting between i.s.i.l. and syria's opposition groups makes a prospect of this conflict ending soon seem more remote >>> conditions at the yarmouk refugee camp in syria are getting worse by the day after i.s.i.l., known as d.a.e.s.h. assaulted the camp. u.s. secretary ban ki-moon spoke about the situation to

this russian analyst thinks it's all playing very well for bashar al-assad and very badly for syria'sn. >> iran could help syrian forces who are loyal to the bashar al-assad government to fight off these islamic militants. bashar al-assad is quite stable and he actually the president who can -- who is ready in my mind to deal with the opposition. >> reporter: the man who mediated four days of talks here think it's positive that the delegates didn't get into a fistfight. but in syria, the very real fighting drags on while all around governments are reevaluating who they consider their friends and who they consider their enemies. >>> the most powerful gun lobby in the united states is having its annual get together and some serious republican presidential hopefuls will be there, alongside more than 70,000 people expected to attend the convention. 550 vendors will be selling guns and access ryes. as we go to tom akerman in nashville, there are many republicans expected to at ten. do you have to be in favor of gun ownership to be a republican president, then? tom? tom? can you hear me? >>

syrian forces who are loyal to the bashar al-assad government to fight off the islamic militants. ne thing is for sure bashar al-assad is quite stable, and he is the president who can--who is ready to deal with opposition. >> the man who immediate nateer four days of talks here thinks it's positivel delegates did not get in a a fist fight. but in syria the very real fighting drags on while all around governments are reevaluating who they consider their friends and who they consider their enemies. rory challands al jazeera. >> pair race has struck a deal for fighter let's go narendra modi is more than just a special guest here. he is a man france wants no, needs, in fact to keep on side. india is one of the world's fastest growing economies. it is a friend to france. good friend, well, it has just agreed to buy 36 fighter planes. but a disappointment for as much at a considering france wanted them to take 120. but they will talk more. >> keeping in mind the critical operational necessity for fighter jets in india i spoke to the president about buying as soon as possible after approp

try to pull bashar al-assad down. saudi arabia's worried about growing iranian influence across the middle east, not least among the shia minority. iran provides support for hamas, which fought big destructive rallies against israel, and supports hezbollah, which wreaked havoc against targets in lebanon. there are bizarre juxtapositions in nations, alliance in the middle east. saudis team up to oppose the islamic state, and the u.s. scrambles for regional allies in the taffing of task of expelling them. iran tries to work out a deal with americans to get sanctions lifted. opponents with the framework fault the american president for not pushing iran harder in the other areas. for his part, the president explained to tom freedman of the "new york times", all the other loose ends have a better shot at being tied up now. >> part of what i have told my team is we have to distinguish between the idea logically driven offensive iran and the defensive iran that it feels vulnerable. and sometimes may be reacting because they

it's the closest nil has come to damascus, controlled by forces loyal to president bashar al-assad. stefanie dekker is live in beirut. let's start with what is happening in the camp at the moment. why is this happening? >> the fighting is ongoing, it's a fluid situation. in the hands of i.s.i.l. it comes after the palestinian group accused i.s.i.l. they kidnapped some i.s.i.l. fighters and it's a situation we find now. fighting is fierce we are hearing, i.s.i.l. outnumbers other fighters. we spoke to a source saying that fighters from al-nusra - the al qaeda-affiliated point basically allowed the i.s.i.l. fighters to come into the camp. and didn't do anything. they are accusing them of being complicit. we need to remind ourselves that the civilian plight in yarmouk is one of huge concerns, it's probably one of the worst places to be in the war. they are fully dependent on aid, and some has been trickling in no aid is coming in because of the fighting. that's of extreme concern. >> what do you think this suggests about bashar al-assad's grip on power and where the fighting is now, fo

reporter: you are absolutely right martin, he with haven't seen the entirety of the interviewed that bashar al-assade. we are not hearing much of a surprise. in the sound bite that you just aired a couple of minutes a ago al-assad is laying blame on the terrorism that's going on in syria at the doorstep of scandinavian crypts, as we know there are a large number of fighters that have joined the ranks of isis, these past several months that have come from nordic countries countries and so he's saying that. later in the interview he goes onto praise sweden because sweden has accepted more syrian refugees than any other european country. in fact, at this time there is at least 40,000 syrians now resideing in sweden. that's just the number of registered refugees. it's expected the number is higher and will only grow exponentially in 2015. let's tail take a listen to what he said more on that front. >> this is a good thing to do to give people refuge. but if you ask the syrian people who have fled from syria what do you want, they don't want to flee syria because of the war. they want to end that war. th

correspondent in beirut. >> reporter: we haven't yet seen the entirety of this interview that bashar al-assadth a swedish newspaper. but what we are hearing so far really isn't much of a surprise now. in that sound bite that you just aired a couple of minutes ago al-assad is essentially laying a lot of blame on the terrorism going on in syria at the doorstep of scandinavian countries. as we know there are a large number of fighters that have joined the ranks of isis, these past several months have that have come from nordic countries and so he's saying that. but actually, a little bit later in the interview he goes onto praise sweden because sweden has accepted more syrian refugees than any other european country. in fact, just at this time, there is at least 40,000 syrians that are now residing in sweden. that's just the number of registered syrian refugees. it's expected that number is a lot higher and will only grow exponentially in 2015. let's take a listen to more of what he assed that particular front. >> it's a good thing to do to give people refuge, but if you ask the syrian people wh

about syria, and we believed that i often had the opportunity of saying though that it is not mr bashar al-assad who could be the future of his country. it could be d.a.e.s.h. or i.s. so the solution which we must work toward which is a government of unity, withmm of the regime without mr bashar al-assad and, on the other hand the opposition - each agreeing on the integrity of syria, and the respect - the rites of each of the parties. i know that saudi arabia is working in this area and efforts have been coordinated in the hope that we'll be able to obtain a result for this country for syria, which is suffering heavily. we have talked about iraq where we wish that the government of mr abadi develops as he has committed, so that each iraqi citizen is involved because, of course there's a fight going on within the coalition against d.a.e.s.h. and france is involved. if you want to get rid of d.a.e.s.h., it has to be the population itself which mobilizes itself and it will only mobilize itself if there is a feeling that the government - the institutions - are included and it's in this direction tha

this is militants storming the streets of a refugee camp just miles from president bashar al assad's palace in damascus. ateek atika shubert is "outfront." >> reporter: this video is proof, isis says that they are just miles from the presidential palace of bashar al assad. this is the closest isis has gotten to threatening the seat of assad's power by striking at one of the most vulnerable populations in damascus the palestinian refugee camp. now, reports from palestinian leaders that isis is staking its claim by beheading rival rebel commanders inside the camp. the u.n. is calling the situation, quote, beyond inhumane. >> when we think of a situation that was already unparable in many terms, in human terms when i visited three weeks ago, the situation now has only deteriorated further and so it is really very much a test for the entire international system to see whether this situation can be addressed in human terms and in political terms. >> reporter: they have already been starved by assad's forces and bombarded by the regime's rockets. a year ago, this was the scene when aid work

one of the greatest genocides committed in recent history by bashar al assad. he was to be go. the president of the united states himself who said it's not a matter of whether, but when bashar al assad is going to leave. dempsey, the chairman and joint chiefs of staff panetta both said it's inevitable that bashar al assad will go. so we watched while the iranians came in with 5,000 hezbollah, tons and tons of equipment, training. the iranian revolutionary guard. >> if you said to me it's all water under a very bloody bridge and you're quite right. you mentioned at the outset, particularly sharp criticisms of senator paul that he is the worst of that bunch running for president right now on these issues. so if he were your republican nominee up against hillary clinton, who would you vote for? >> i would support the nominee of my party. i am a loyal republican. i would hope that good sense would prevail here. because the realities of the world today does not allow for the isolationist policies. we've already seen what happens from quote, leading from behind leading from far behin

thousands living in lebanon say bashar al-assad's words mean nothing to them.ohammed reports. >> reporter: today we have spoken to all of the refugees here who say that they are not marking syrian national day in any way whatsoever. there is not any sense of any kind of pride in syrian national day. what we have encountered here are people who's lives have been devastated who have children here who are just trying to get the most basic fundamental medical care. if you look behind us there is a line there. those are mothers and their children. many children born since they have been here trying to get vaccinations so that they don't get sick. now you have a huge refugee community here in lebanon. in fact one quarter of this tiny country's population is comprised of syrian refugees because of the political situation here you can't have official encampment that's why you have makeshift camps like this. and in that interview that bashar al-assad gave said with the swedish newspaper, he talked about how sweden was one of the few european countries that has really op

opposition. >> iran could help syrian force who is are loyal to bashar al-assad government to fight off this islamic militants. one thing is sure, that bashar al-assad and quite stable, and actually he is the president who is ready to deal with opposition. >> the man who mediated four days of talks here thinks it's positive the delegates did not get into a fist fight. but in syria the very real fighting drags on while all around governments are reevaluates who they consider their friends and who they consider their enemies. rory challands al jazeera, moscow. >> still ahead. >> i'm reporting on what could be the legacy on the world's worst nuclear disaster of chernobyl. open-heart surgery on babies. >>> and we'll tell you why nigeria's governors are so influential. >>> and the wrong road of success, we'll tell you who is the winner of the longest road race in the world. >> the peninsula, in arabic, is aljazeera. our logo represents courage. fiercely independent quality reporting. >> to take as much aid as possible... >> and standing up for the voiceless. when you see this symbol respe

. >> syrian president bashar al assad has given an interview to a swedish t.v. network. friday is syrian national day. while meant to be a time of unity, the country remains bitterly divided with no end to the civil war. he said terrorism is a global issue and not a regional problem. >> as long as you have terrorism growing, sweden cannot be safe. known as the back yard of europe, there have been eight i don't say and full of terrorists europe cannot be safe. >> what are syrian refugees saying about these comments by bashar al assad? >> today we've seen to all the refugees here who say they're not marking syrian national day in any way whatsoever. there's not any sense of any kind of pride in syria national day. what we've encountered are people who's lives have been devastated who of children here just trying to get the most basic fundamental medical care. in fact, you look just behind us behind my left shoulder is a line there mothers and their children many born since they've been here, trying to get immunized so they don't get sick. you have a huge refugee community

he was a well known critic of president bashar al assad. the father of six was found shot dead in a car. his community described him as a peaceful man. >> greece has paid a $501 million loan installment to the international monetary fund as per bailout agreement. on wednesday the greek prime minister less as i say tsipras signed a deal of economic cooperation with russia. barnaby phillips is live for us in athens. they got their first payment out of the way but there is much more hardship for greece to come isn't there? >> yes. it does appear that the greek government is living an increasingly hand to mouth existence, scraping money together when it needs it to repay to the i.m.f., to repay interest to the central bank and to pay pensions and salaries here at home. the outlook is not clear. there is still serious agreement between greece and the european union and grease's various creditors. until those are resolved, greece will not get its hands on $7 billion worth of money it is excited to under the existing old bailout agreement. >> has

in march, 2011, protests against president bashar al-assad have been met with violence. jordan, lebanon, and turkey have almost 4 million refugees in their countries. the conflict also led to the rise of isis. almost half of the country is in the hands of isis or other groups fighting the regime. the war has also become a proxy battlefield for regional actors. john kerry suggested what others have suggested. there has to be a political solution. he included negotiations with syria. i spoke to bashar al-assad last week for “60 minutes.” here is the full conversation. charlie rose: thank you for allowing us to come here. we asked for this interview because your country has been at war for four years. it is a humanitarian crisis. perhaps the worst on the planet. 10 million have left their homes. life expectancy is down. 50% of your country is occupied by hostile forces. it has become a battleground for outside forces. what is next? we have seen, since i last visited, they rise of isis. hezbollah. we have seen the united states becoming increasingly concerned about isis, so

not happy about the support that turkey has given to the opposition groups that are fighting bashar al-assad in syria. how much is that hampering relations? we have to stop talking about the past. we know that the war and aggression didn't work. we know that terrorism destroyed the security of the region. mr recep tayyip erdogan is here for another reason. he'll meet ayatollah khamenei. he is delivering a message. one of demands is for iran to talk to the houthis, to sit at the negotiating tables and sort out the crisis through dialogue. then it is asking the iranian government and leadership to ask the houthis to retreat from the cities it captured. and hand over the heavy weaponry that they have confiscated from the key military sites, and, at the end of the day, the saudi king ask the houthis to recognise the legitimacy of president abd-rabbu mansour hadi accept him and let him return to power. so the stakes are high. the delegate is not here just to mend relations between the two countries, it is going to help sort out the ongoing humanitarian crisis in yemen. make no mistake, iran will

has come to the capital damascus which is informs loyal to bashar al-assad. >>> in tikrit, hundreds of homes have been burnt in the last two days. shia parliamentary military fighters are also looting in the city. the iraqi army took control ever tikrit earlier this week. iraq's prime minister has ordered his forces to arrest and prosecute any looters. >>> final details of a nuclear deal with iran will be hammered out. ahead of the final deal in june, president obama faces opposition in the white house. patty culhane explains. >> the reception could not have been more different. jubilant celebrations in iran as these people ultimately hope for a final agreement. for u.s. secretary of state john kerry a more subdued welcome. he didn't find people celebrating in streets but instead hundreds of angry members of congress. >> only alist of very dangerous concessions that's going to put u.s. on the path -- are iran on the path to a nuclear weapon. >> proved a big selling point for iran's president hassan rouhani. >> according to the framework all sanctions including financial, banking and ec

iran supports the houthi rebels and bashar al-assad in syria, turkey neither. bernard smith reports on the public side of the meeting, focus on shared interest. >> reporter: all smiles as turkey's president calls on his iranian counterpart. recep tayyip erdogan accused iran of trying to dominate the region with involvement in yemen, syria and iraq. on this visit he chose to focus on strong economic ties between the two countries. agreements from signed and it was left to the iranian president to talk about yemen. >> translation: both parties are of the same view, that this ability, conflict should come to an end in this region. both think we should end the conflict in yemen, and there should be a ceasefire. the attacks from neighbouring countries should come to an end, and we should have the situation where we can provide humanitarian support. >> reporter: before flying to iran, recep tayyip erdogan met the interior minister. turkey suggested that it may offer support to saudi arabia as it carries out its military campaign against the houthis in yemen. the turk

in control of yarmouk in terms of their presence in the capital, damascus, which is president bashar al-assad's seat of power. >> this is the objective. ya mook is not strategically by itself. when you haveies there they are in damascus. it's only 1.5km in area. it has 15-16,000 civilians. the attack which the government tries to do it's very high. >> the expectation is that the syrian government will respond to this because of the proximity to damascus and from president bashar al-assad's own palace in the capital city. they are bound to conduct air strikes to flush out the fighters. >> i don't think they would. i'm not military but i don't think they'll be able to use the same force as on other cities. the camp is congested. densely populated. a shot there will gill a number of people. they'll keep them getting food and supplies. the siege on the camp... >> what does it mean for the refugees? >> this is a human disaster. for the last two years they suffered dying of hunger and now they'll suffer more there's no water, electricity, supplies medicine. the hospital doctors left the camp, it's no

and other groups led by bashar al-assad is left to see. adding misery to people's lives in yarmouk. for over two years they have lived under siege without access to food water or medicine arms to palestinian groups to fight against i.s.i.l. the violence seems likely to only increase. tries to call a friend trapped in yarmouk but can't get through. >> translator: i hope the palestinian leadership stands by us. we built yarmouk. when our grandparents came as refugees there was nothing. every building, every stone tells a story from our lives. >> reporter: lives forever scarred by syria's long running fast changing conflict. imtiaz tyab, al jazeera al jazeera yarmouk. in syria west bank. >> gunshot wounds to his chest he was the former imam at a mosque in west london, outspoken critic of bashar al-assad. but his relevance do not believe it was a motive for his killing. a british counterterrorism group is investigating. >>> upheld the life sentence of a german general who had a role in the the srebrenica gem side. massacre of some 8,000 muslim men in eastern bons bosnia. u.n. judges did

latakia province the strong hold of bashar al-assad and his family is next door. it's made up of five groups including al nusra front. some were fighting each other. it is different from islamic state of iraq and levant or i.s.i.l. and holds another province that is raqqa in the north-east. the free syrian army groups hold areas along syria's southern border with jordan. joining us from beirut is a senior analyst with the international crisis group. good to have you with us. who is the army of victory or conquest of the which groups are we talking about here? as you mentioned, it's a range, dominated by islamist groups opposing the regime or i.s.i.s. it reflect the rebels in the north. the most important groups in the alliance is a salah fate group with no links, it's not a trans transnational group, it's an islamist group. with you have another al qaeda affiliate. many fighters probably are not tied idea logically to that. and you have a nan extremist group, which we could approximate similar to the muslim brotherhood in ideology. these are the droppingest groups

it's the latest sign that forces loyal to bashar al-assad are losing control of this part of syria.rebel groups fighting here have joined together to make up what they are l ka -- calling the army of conquest. they are taking control of the second largest military base in idlib province. they sent suicide bombers into the camp on tracks. >> translator: the last suicide attacker has just left and will deal them a heavy blow. >> reporter: as the fighters took control of the camp -- [ explosion ] >> reporter: -- there were air strikes from government jets. the rebels have already taken much of the province including the main city of idlib. fighting continues for control of the region's largest military post an air force base and a number of towns. >> translator: we are now engaging in intense fighting with the regime's forces at the military post. >> reporter: the latest advance by opposition groups puts them within a few kilometers of the province that is a strong hold of president bashar al-assad and his family. it's a significant step by opposition groups trying to push forces loyal

it is a clear act of defines by the bashar al-assad government. action seems unlikely. russia would block condemnation of the syrian government in the security council, and the obama administration remains reluctant to take military action. >>> syrian government forces stepped up attacks in aleppo and idlib killing 40 civilians, and 20 children. there has been over 100 strikes in the area in the last few hours. >>> iraq's prime minister welcomed iran's assistance in the fight against i.s.i.l. haider al-abadi warned them to respect their sovereignty. the comments made on the third day of a visit to washington. they are working on taking tikrit from i.s.i.l. >>> representatives from libya's two rival governments resumed un-brokered talks in morocco, and followed an air strike hitting an airport ner tripoli. the united nations is pushing for a unity government to end the unrest in libya, that is four years after the ousting of former leader muammar gaddafi >>> a chinese court sentenced a female journalist to 7 years in prison. gao was accused of leaking state secret to for

has come to the capital damascus which is controlled by forces loyal to president bashar al-assad. >>> stefanie dekker joins us live from beirut, why this offensive to take i.s.i.l. now it now? >> i think timing does have to do with what happened earlier before april 1st when that palestinian group you mentioned accused i.s.i.l. of killing one of its leaders. it then kidnapped a few i.s.i.l. fighters and then this whole battle started. as you mentioned yarmouk is very close to the syrian capital seven to ten kilometers from damascus. perhaps they've seen it as a weak point. we know sleeper cells of i.s.i.l. has been in that area certainly to the south of it throughout for the last year or so. so i think also giving them a launching point for damascus will be crucial. we've talked to people from damascus, who visit here because that road does stay open. they are so fearful at the moment they don't want to to back. it is causing concern at the capital to have i.s.i.l. so close. we know i.s.i.l. has taken a majorities of the camp but it's a fluid situation. >> it is a palestinian group a

also their continued backing for syria's president bashar al-assad. turkey wants it see him gone, and turkey is suspicious of the fight in islamic state in iraq and the levant in northern iraq. it says that iran is tries to increase its influence there. there are a lot of suspicions over what iran is up to, according to turkey. and it's interesting it's only last night that president met with saudi and in yemen turkey has thrown its support behind saudi arabia. we do know that turkey suggested that it might offer logistical support for the saudis. >> and is this like throw train relations further between the two countries? >> well, ultimately turkey and iran need each other economically. they're hopeing to increase bilateral trade this year to about $30 billion. turkey needs iran's gas and iran needs turkey's foreign exchange money. turkey does not impose sanctions on iran like europe and the united states, so they are vital trade partners. politically while there may be differences trade-wise these two countries still need each other. >> bernard smit

bashar assad, the regime in damascus. i don't think the israelis fully appreciate that isis might be worse for them than bashar al assad. hate bashar al assad so much they loathe him so much they have gone through so much with him that i'm not sure they are convinced that anything could be worse than him, and i think they are making a mistake because isis is a much more difficult threat to contain than what they think. it's not just a matter of shooting across a border and keeping people in place. it's not going to work like that, so i think the israelis to be fair they have a reason to respect iran and to think that iran is a threat but they might be underselling the kind of damage that isis could cause them if they are right up against the golan heights which is exactly the direction they are pushing towards. >> well, the situation in iraq remains a mess as of today. a car bomb killed at least two people outside the united states consulate over there in irbil, the kurdish medical official tells nbc news that one americans among eight injured today, wounded. here's the state department informing reporters about that in

the refugees we found were on the run from the regime of bashar al-assad.he country into desolate refugee camps like this one, and over a period of weeks, we have been able to find more survivors of the nerve gas attack. these people asked us to not show you their faces or tell you their names because they have family back in syria, and they are quite certain the dictatorship would hunt them down. even at that, they told us some risks have to be taken to tell this story. this man told us, "assad gassed people. he killed people. he's killing women. what he did could not be done by any other human being. he killed everything, even the trees." he and his son, who is a nurse told us that they were among those who had given first aid. how many patients did you treat that day? he told us, "people were being brought in on ambulances motorcycles, pickup trucks, a tractor, and a semi. there were people rushing in with their kids, crying out, 'help him, help him. he's about to die.' i didn't have a chance to count." this woman was three months pregnant with her son w

it's a sign that forces loyal to bashar al-assad are losing control of this part of syria. most rebel groups fighting here joined to make up what they call the army of conquest taking control of the military base. there was four days of intense fighting. during which the fighters sent suicide bombers into the camp on trucks. >> translation: the last suicide attacker just left. he'll be followed by commandos and fighters. >> reporter: as the fighters took control of the camp. there were air strikes. the rebels have taken much of the province including the main city of idlib. fighting continues for control of the base and towns. >> translation: we are engaged in intensifying with the regime's forces. >> the latest advance puts them within a few kilometres of latakia's province. it's a significant step by opposition groups trying to push forces loyal to syria's government out of idlib. >> reporter: protests continue in burundi following an announcement that the president will run for a third term in the june elections. journalists are under pressure when covering the protests.

this will only empower iran which despite threatening israel it's backing rebels in yemen and bashar al-assad. how does this agreement with iran fit into the president's larger strategy in the middle east? >> the fact is that we continue it have a long list of concerns with iran and their behavior. they have a record of supporting terrorist organizations around the flow. they support destabilizing flus like hezbollah. they are unjustly detaining american citizens inside iran so, we have a long list of concerns. but that's all the more reason that iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon. they'll only be worse actors if they're nuclear armed. >> isn't that the only reason that our allies are so concerned about this deal. is the deal worth risking risking further damage to relationships? >> john boehner called it alarming. he said it would be naive to suggest that the iranian regime will not continue to use it's nuclear program and destabilize the region. >>> kenyaensrning the massacre of 150. meanwhile, officials are still trying to identify the victims of the shooting. 137 people were killed dur

have seen the front lines change and it's never solved anything it is not welcome to president bashar al-assad to lose ground. but, yes. yarmouk is concerning because it is close, and the plight of the civilians - they are totally dependent on aid. 18,000 people remained there. with the fighting there's sporadic aid. and none of it managed in the last 14 days. it's to concerning otherwise the people have no food water, electricity. >> thank you, stefanie dekker live in beirut >>> now, in iraq the head of tikrit's governing council said that hundreds of homes have been burnt in the last few days. they say that shia paramilitary fighters are looting in the city. the iraqi army and shi'a militia took control. iraq's prime minister ordered forces to prosecute looters. >>> in egypt hosni mubarak and his two sons are in court for the first hearing of a retrial on corruption. they are accused of embezzling 17.9 billion. hosni mubarak's sons allah and jamal face a desperate trial for stock market manipulation. he was accused of the deaths of 800 during the protests that ousted him in 2011 >>> two expl

they will sit down with bashar al-assad's administration and other forces. representatives from other countries will also take part. >> what motivates it is the clear understanding that for the good of the syrian people and the region, we need to find a politil agreement. >> u.n. media talks failed to reach a break through last year. russia has also been unsuccessful. more than 210,000 people have died in the four year long conflict. diplomats from the countries involved in the conflict say talks may help. >> elderly japanese are getting a taste of meals to keep them healthy. they account for a rapidly growing proportion of the population and many can't eat hard food. many factors are showing off culinary treats. >> reporter: japanese food companies show off their products here every year. you can always find novel dishes and cooking appliances. firms here are showing off meal options for the elderly. they are getting interest from nursing homes, restaurants and ordinary households. >> translator: it will being a great if we can share these nursing care food

critics say this will only empower iran, besides threats to israel is backing houthis in yemen and bashar al-assad. >> we continue to have a long list of concerns with iran and their behavior. awe as you point out they have a record of supporting terrorist organizations around the world. they menace our closest ally in the middle east, israel, and they're unjustly detaining u.s. citizens inside of iran. we have a list of concerns, all the more reason to make sure that they do not obtain a nuclear weapon. >> isn't that why so many are concern about this deal, and is it worth risking further damaging relations with israel. >> the united states and israel have an unshakeable relationship. and unshakeable commitment to our mutual security. >> white house press secretary josh earnest. despite his assurances, many republicans and some democrats in congress are worried about this deal. on the heels of visiting israel, republican house spoker john speaker john boehner called the deal alarming: >>> a day of mourning in kenya after a al-shabab massacre at an university. many were remembering the 157 people

it is a clear act of defines by the bashar al-assad government. action seems unlikely. russia would block condemnation of the syrian government in the security council, and the obama administration remains reluctant to take military action. >>> a federal grand jury indicted an ohio man for allegedly planning an attack in the u.s. he planned to kill american soldiers at a military base in texas. he was trained by an al qaeda-linked group in yemen. in yemen, the al qaeda group seized a port airport and military base. it comes as houthi rebels maintain their offensive despite three weeks of saudi-led air strikes. >> in pakistan a u.s. citizen was hospitalized after a drive-by shooting. john terrett joys us. >> there's little -- joins us. >> reporter: there's little doubt it was brilliant. >> that's right. the woman was shot after leaving her job. she was targeted because she is an american. >> reporter: bloodstained seats, a bullet hole shattered glass. remnants of an ambush that left an american worker in caracas in hospital. >> translation: four many on motorcycles came

because of its apparent perceived support in yemen but also because of it's continued support for bashar al-assad, the regime in syria. he wants to see him gone and suspicious of the fight in northern iraq. it sees that as iran's attempt to increase its influence there. so turkey is suspicious of iran's motives in the region. iran, of course, has bridled 65 iranian mps signed a motion yesterday calling for erdogan fought to be welcome in iran. interestingly last night erdogan received the interior minister. now these two countries have been at odds over the coup that in egypt. we don't know what they talked about, but it might have offered logistical support in yemen. >> is this likely to train relations further between the two countries? >> well, they do both economically need each other frankly. turkey needs iranian gas and iran needs turkey's foreign exchange both countries hopeing to increase bilateral trade by 30 background this year. whatever their political differences might be, economically these two countries do need each other's support. >> bernard smith live for us in istanbul. thank y

. >>> president bashar al-assad has given an interview to a swedish tv network.day is syria national day and meant to be a time of yunty, but the country remains bitterly divided. terrorism is a global issue, assad said. >> as long as you have terrorism growing in different european countries, sweden cannot be safe. as long as the backyard of europe especially the mediterranean, and northern africa is in chaos and full of terrorists, europe cannot be safe. >> syrian government forces have stepped up attacks in idlib. activists say barrel bombs were dropped on the eastern side of aleppo city. at least ten people were killed in two neighbors. and bombs containing toxic gas reportedly dropped by government aircraft. human rights workers say there have been more than 100 strikes in the area recently. >>> since the arrival of nearly 300 u.s. yups in eastern ukraine is russia says could seriously destabilize the region. as fighting continues with pro-russian rebels in eastern ukraine. rory challands has more on the reaction from moscow. >> reporter: you can probably as

. >> some are happy to see the back of forces loyal to bashar al-assad but are living under the threatf further attacks. the syrian civil war shows no signs of ending. >> an indonesian court hearing appeals of two australians facing execution for drug trafficking will deliver a verdict in five days. anrude chan and myuran sukamaran were convicted as part of the bali nine heroin smugglers. australia has pleaded for their lives, despite a rejection of clemency from joko widodo. the president. >> mc international says there's a sharp increase in the number of death sentences handed down around the world. >> 2,466 death sentences were imposed in 2014. almost 500 more than the year before. egypt and nigeria saw mass deaths. the number of executions - that is down. 607 were killed in 2014. a fall of 20%. the figures exclude prolific death penalty country - china. thousands are executed every year but beijing does not relay statistics. >> what began as a transportation strike in argentina is now a nation-wide protest. workers walked out for 24 hours on tuesday. flights were cancelled. train s

there's no indication that bashar al-assad is in yemen in the near future. >> the u.s. has listed a ban on military aid to egypt for national security reasons. president obama has released some of the military assistance withheld from egypt after the ousting of president mohamed mursi in 2013. in addition the white house is asking congress to approve $1.3 billion in military aid. egypt says it needs the help to deal with conflict in the sinai peninsula >>> the u.s. suspended delivery of certain military equipment to egypt in 2013, off the military's decision to overthrow the president at the time mohamed mursi, even though the u.s. government says it's not considering what happened nearly two years ago a coup it's showing disapproval for the way the political change happened and by doing so is showing pressure as it were on the new government in cairo. what the u.s. is doing is saying on national security grounds the egyptian military can get its hands on 12 f-16 fighter jets 25 har poon missiles and 25 kits to improve the tank arsenal. the u.s. is cutting off the open-

this was a group that was a government militia, people who were loyal to president bashar al-assad. they are shiites. they were talking openly about the rourke -- loyalty to the government, openly expressing their shia faith. they are trained by iranians revolutionary guards. their allies with hezbollah. amy: that was richard engel three years ago. now, two years after being kidnapped in syria, nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel reveals he was actually seized by militants tied to the u.s.-backed free syrian army, not shia militias tied to the asad government. did nbc knowingly cover up the truth? we'll speak to asad abu khalil who openly questioned nbcl's -- nbc's claim back in 2012. then to the house the herman built. >> what you see before you is a model built to scale of herman wallace is cell. he spent years in solitary confinement for a crime he could not have possibly committed in louisiana. 27 of those years were spent in the cell. amy: we will speak to artist jackie summell about "herman's house," her collaboration with former prisoner and black panther, herm