the revolutionary guard is supporting the most brutal regime in this region which is president bashar al assad i think it's a very welcome move trunk does that i rather him sanctioning the revolutionary guard than fighting it. off course the implications of the revolutionary guard will push back but there's not much that they can do in syria to be honest with you because in syria thankfully for israel and saudi arabia the country that has the upper hand is your country it's russia as you know russia has a totally different take on the range revolutionary guards they managed to contribute to reading that country all of the foreign terrorist forces that many governments including by the way some speculated israel supported in that country so i think you can understand that as much as you dislike them it could have massive massive implications for global politics aren't you troubled by the those implications. you know in syria there were three hundred thousand dead civilians. you know a course there were some isis people and some extremist people but the israel didn't help them that's a myth seco

anniversary of the start of the syrian war it began with peaceful protests against the president bashar al assad in march twenty eleven the protests started in several cities over the torturing of a fifteen year old school of fifteen schoolchildren who had been writing antigovernment graffiti in the southern town of daraa by twenty twelve armed opposition groups began seizing control of parts of our of it of east in aleppo and homes the syrian kurds is also began to effectively control kurdish dominated areas in june twenty fourth in abu bakr al baghdadi announced the creation of a so-called eisel caliphates and within a year i saw fighters and captured large parts of the country by september twenty fifteen russia entered the conflict tipping the balance of power towards president assad government forces recaptured rebel held areas like eastern the dire and holmes twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen saw the final push against arsenal by u.s. led coalition troops which forced fighters to retreat from their strongholds and here's where we are now the government is rick a regain of much control of

friday marks the eighth anniversary of the syrian uprising against president bashar al assad at least three hundred seventy thousand people have been killed in the conflict so far. in march twenty seventh as series of protests started in several cities the mass outrage was over the torturing of fifteen schoolchildren who wrote antigovernment graffiti in their are by two thousand and twelve armed officers groups began seizing control of parts of their eastern aleppo and homes the syrian kurds had also begun to effectively control kurdish dominated areas after the withdrawal of government troops then in june twenty fourth teen abu bakar of bugs that he announced the coalition of so-called eisel callus it and within a year i saw fighters had captured large parts of syria in september twenty fifth dina russia sent warplanes to enter the conflict tipping the balance of power towards a regime government forces regained control of rebel held areas such as eastern aleppo that i and all and that brings us to twenty seventeen and twenty eighteen where we saw the final push against iso by u.s. l

on foreign policy, but the iraq war veteran would not say whether she believed syrian dictator bashar al assad is a war criminal. >> i think that the evidence needs to be gathered and as i have said before, there is evidence that he has committed war crimes, he should be prosecuted as such. >> but you're not sure now? >> everything that i have said requires that we take action based on evidence. the evidence is there, there should be accountability. >> for the record, evidence has been gathered and the u.n. has concluded assad was behind the chemical weapons attack. >>> there was a texas sized buzz for beto o'rourke even though he hasn't officially declared, o'rourke appeared for the premiere of a document taker about miss senate race against ted cruz. he has teased a 2020 run, but he didn't reveal his timing. >> we got to be a part of this amazing thing in texas over the last two years, and it continues. and we are so excited about what you're doing, rhonda, what you are doing, what so many are doing and we want to continue to be a part of it. >> in the meantime take a look at the latest cnn

>> bashar al-assad is a war criminal and we need to say so and crete i am as such. sanders will not denounce nicolas maduro of venezuela, now hawaii democrat congresswoman, that's on top of tulsi gabbard calling bashar al-assad a war criminal. there seems to be something going on here with the reluctance to say with it is. >> we need to continue to do everything we, our allies to put all the pressure we can to move him out. look what's going on in venezuela. how the people are suffering. so we need to do anything else we can to help guaido and move maduro out for the good of venezuela and the people suffering there. liz: thank you so much. we appreciate you coming in. stay right there. so they say that ai will put the future in the palm of our hands. that's great. but right now you've got your hands full with your global supply chain. okay, france wants 50,000 front fenders by friday. that's why you work with watson. i analyzed thousands of contracts and detected a discrepancy. it works with procurement systems you already use to help speed up distribution without s

but you got heat for meeting with bashar al-assad. do you not consider him a war criminal? in the pursuit of peace and security. if we are not willing to meet with adversaries, potential adversaries in the pursuit of peace and security, the only alternative is more war. that's why it took that meeting with assad, in pursuit of peace and security. >> stephen: do you believe he gassed his own people or committed atrocities against his own people? >> yes, reports have shown that's a fact. >> stephen: so you believe in those intelligence reports. because i heard you didn't. >> no, that's not true. but that's not really the point here. we know the reports have shown chemical weapons attacks have been used by both the syrian government as well as by the terrorist groups who are fighting in syria. the real question here that is important for us the american people and our government is how destructive these regime change wars are on the people in the countries where we are supposedly trying to help them, as well as how destructive they are to us, the american people here at home b

one of the democratic presidential candidates, gabbard, who met with bashar al assad in 2017 was asked the cnn town halls if assad is a war criminal. here's what she said -- >> i think that the evidence needs to be gathered, and as i have said before, if there's is evidence that he has committed war crimes, he should be prosecuted as such. >> you're not sure now? >> everything that i have said requires that we take action based on evidence. the evidence is there, there should be accountability. >> she won't say, has not said that he committed war crimes. she won't call him a war criminal. how do you respond? >> there's a lot of evidence. there is the wounds on my body. there's a lot of -- not a lot, but there is survivors can tell you about prison. how many people are being killed? i have -- i had a vigil for my father being killed. there is a lot of evidence. a lot of videos, a lot of commentary. there's everything -- >> what happens when politicians here will not even depending on whatever they want to see with the policy in the middle east, but they will not say what is happening? w

the international community wants bashar al-assad to engage in a credible political process that wouldto a new constitution and free elections. but political reform would mean giving up our, and the syrian leadership is unlikely to hand over what it did not lose in the battlefield. reporter: for assad, the war has been won. some countries have started to normalize with the government, but much of the international community welcome except it until -- won't accept it until political reforms are in place. the remains the problem in the north of the country, much of which is not controlled by the government and being fought over by the many interested. the million to live there can't and won't return to assad's syria. for them, the war is far from over. maryam: still ahead, schoolchildren and students around the world walk out of school demanding action on climate change. first formulathe one grand prix. we will have the details. ♪ maryam: welcome back. a recap of the top story. new zealand's private is the revealed the suspect in the christchurch attack had a gun license from 2014. 49 pe

when you look at bashar al-assad, with the iranians are doing, then when you see the fact that benjamin netanyahu has been per minister for at least ten years, he doesn't necessarily have serious opposition. it's always a tight election, of course. to think that he needs president trump's help, that is really starting to get into domestic politics in a way that i just don't think he needs. >> harris: interesting. that map was so critical. we might keep popping it up. as you see syria and what's happening over there -- and we already know that iran is on the ground over there, that russia is involved via proxy over there if not in person. >> dagen: iran enriched by the bad nuclear deal, brokered by president obama's administratio administration. do you want to talk about destabilization? we sent $1.4 billion in cash, some of it pallets of cash in the middle of the night, to a nation that was still calling "death to israel, death to the united states of america." we enriched them, we opened iran up for business, and that money was directly or indirectly funneled into the hands of hezbolla

the men on the right is not a bashar al-assad and on the right is an architect, the man on the on the right is an architect. a man on the right looks like he is about to spear lansman and the man on the right is holding him so he can be spirit. -- the man on the right is trying to hold up landmark because he tripped and he was trying to hold them up. this, really in one picture, you see the racial divide between like bostonians, working-class most onions, and whiten-americans, -- bostonians and african-americans, and of anger is created. >> longmore tonight at 8:00 p.m. .nd midnight you're watching american history tv, where we bring the classroom to you. c-span cities tour is in cedar rapids, iowa, exploring the american story. --, revisit the in cedarsque rapids, iowa to learn more about the koran. imam tawil: the koran is the last testament, if there is such a thing.

it's been eight years since the uprising against bashar al-assad bega the brutal war that followed has killed hundreds of thousands, rced millions from their homes, and led to the imprisonment, torture, and murd by assad's regime of thousands more. now, even as the syrian leader secures his gain international efforts at accountability are beginning. many hope those could one da lead to justice. from oslo, special correspondent malcolm brabant reports. >> reporter: at a time of extensive indifference to syria, omar al shogre strives to energize outrage at the bestiality perpetrated by president bashar al-assad's regime. >> for the first time, i was protesting because it was fun. but then i get arrested, and i get tortured for two days. and i lost my nails.ho and theyed me with electricity. >> reporter: al shogre was in oslo to attend a human rights film festival. a before hearance, he told me how torturers repeatedly sought to extract confessions for a crime he hadn't committed. >> "how many officers have you killed? no one?" they come torture me with electricity. like that.d u can't co

mass protests against president bashar al assad began in their eyes twenty eleven eight years later syrians are back on its streets still demanding a sop to step down and a statue of his father he broke down. started as a peaceful uprising turned into a civil war. rebels who took up arms to face a violent government crackdown and topple assad are now largely confined to an enclave in italy province near the turkish border the syrian army backed by russian warplanes has been bombarding an area that was supposed to be protected by a cease fire deal with turkey dozens of people have been killed. we had to get our children and families out of here because of the heavy bombardments and since there are no hospitals we are obliged to flee to the border areas who just say oh. for the war is far more complicated than a battle between those who support or oppose assad's allies and forces the syrian government got involved backing different groups twenty fifteen was a turning point when russia intervened to back the syrian army and tip the balance in assad's favor with the help of iranian backed fight

of the country is back under the syrian government's control but there are those who accuse bashar al assad's government of reestablishing we're pressing a rule they say the southern province of donna as an example there is a. a lot of. insecurity for the population. for former rebels as well as for civilians people who never engaged in military action but who would have a record. people supporting the opposition. being against the government. the opposition and there are had agreed to a negotiated surrender for an amnesty but some say the so-called reconciliation agreements are not being respected instead there have been arbitrary arrests. international organizations including the u.n. say the lack of security guarantees is why many refugees are afraid to go back. into the conflict and we haven't seen any reform being done by the syrian government towards the security situation especially syrian security services that are responsible for crimes against humanity and force their parents arbitrary detention and torture and that in custody lebanon's politicians are divided on whether it is safe

mass protests against president bashar al assad began in their eyes twenty eleven eight years later syrians are back on its streets still demanding a sop to step down and a statue of his father he broke down. started as a peaceful uprising turn into a civil war. rebels who took up arms to face a violent government crackdown and topple assad are now largely confined to an enclave in italy province near the turkish border the syrian army backed by russian warplanes has been bombarding an area that was supposed to be protected by a cease fire deal with turkey dozens of people have been killed. we had to get our children and families out of here because of the heavy bombardments and since there are no hospitals we are obliged to flee to the border areas who just say oh. for the war is far more complicated than a battle between those who support or oppose assad allies and forces the syrian government got involved backing different groups twenty fifteen was a turning point when russia intervened to back the syrian army and tip the balance in assad's favor with the help of iranian backed fighters

eyes all fighters have surrendered while in jordan some syrian refugees are taking president bashar al assad's government to the international criminal courts they accuse all sides forces of crimes against humanity including torture rape murder and chemical attacks syria is not a member of the i.c.c. but jordan this and that may give the court jurisdiction to take the case. in the u.s. politicians have passed a resolution condemning bigotry and discrimination the vote comes after a controversy over a comment made by a democratic congresswoman. and questions over whether it's us and sematic omar came under fire for criticizing israel and pro israel lobbyists in washington our comments have become a talking point for republicans and is dividing the democratic party patika hain has more. omar is one of the two first muslim women elected to congress and she has become a lightning rod on the issue of israel and u.s. support after she said this about an israeli lobbying group. for allegiance to the country. i want. why is it ok. for me to. be karma and not the. rule that is he losing. her critics sa

government in two thousand and eleven washington did the same in syria and seven years later bashar al assads still in power i don't have any doubt that their benefits are ready for a change the change will call. he hasn't come because we have but they don't think that is what we have on the table that he's willing to give the people he's going to keep privilege but that would be the end meanwhile vecchio is setting his sights on the venezuelan embassy in macy's that building as early as wednesday in washington dan cohen r.t. . michael lewis a former pentagon security policy alyse says the actions by the venezuelan opposition here go well beyond diplomatic norms. we're seeing here is a is a diplomatic posturing a diplomatic dance if you will that and in which the united states is carrying on in a way that is not nor normally allowed or are you keeping with diplomatic norms in international law it sets a precedent anything like this could send a potential precedent and especially if the united states did it then everybody else could point to say look the united states did it it must be ok now

that saudi arabia and others did not move forward with the decision to bring back bashar al assad basically a war criminal to the arab league because america felt it was too early america still you know imposes sanctions with the european union and other against the bashar assad regime so there was an attempt by the egyptian soldiers and others to do to do so but that did not work out so there is a bit of a tense relations if you will on the question of the goal of jerusalem and bashar al assad but all in all an old. like the one in egypt and saudi arabia and others especially after the catastrophe that the strong fick behavior of mohammad but some on saudi arabia the human rights violations in egypt those regimes are so fragile internally that they continuously seek american support for their own survival. up to fight the has the so egypt is going to washington to get more support for his next and the following tour because he's going to be changing the constitution mohammed and so man continues to seek american support or other prompts support i must add because everyone else is against h

percent of the seat stuff so you are seen as now winning the kind of percentage of victories that bashar al assad and kim jong un when ninety six re said that you're comfortable with the knockers no it is not fine with oh no i think the comparison is totally irrelevant here there were the thirty nine political parties contested in the election. free and fair elections to play a large number of international observers were there who saw it for themselves who would not vote for a government which has performed brilliantly by any count and if you want me to there are many brilliant governments and they win fifty sixty seventy percent ok you say it's a free and fair election last year without point as you know the european union has said there were quote significant obstacles which have tainted the electoral campaign and the vote transparency international studied fifty constituencies in bangladesh and found serious irregularities in forty seven of them and what for including fake votes ballot stuffing voters barred from entering polling stations the b.b.c. how footage of a stuffed ballot box in the

at the moment it looks like president bashar al assad is firmly in power and there he's not going anywhere and how does the political aspect of reconstructing syria. what does it mean for you do you have to be careful in the work you're doing no because we are working men in germany and nobody is. caring about things like that but we have at the moment no official context we are in the context we have on a personal level too to the people who work in the field in syria they must really personal contacts the architects and engineers and all of those architects and engineers in syria they haven't had any problems with what the government with the syrian regime i don't know ok yeah i mean it's interesting that you know you ask yourself would there be any negative blowback from that what sort of support do you rely on to be the german government has been a key source of funding right yeah optimal and hopefully if they if they will fund the first seven years now also in the future and as we've been known to two institutions the german archaeological institute and the museum with islamic on so t

president bashar al—assad has presided over the conflict, which has displaced more people than any otherple. among the victims are the innocent children who've grown up knowing only war, and we ve been following two of them, who are now as old as the conflict itself. caroline hawley has been back to meet them. my name is mustafa. the eight—year—old and his little sister, duaa, survived a barrel bomb. it destroyed their family home near aleppo, leaving only their grandmother to look after them. safe in the cupboard is mustafa's most precious possession. it's all he has left of his father, ibrahim, who died saving him. his mother was also killed, but he doesn't even have a photo to remember her. mustafa was so badly injured, he spent a whole year in hospital. twice a week, he still comes for physiotherapy. he is a strong boy. he is very strong. his left hand doesn't move properly because of a piece of shrapnel in his brain. his hips were badly broken and one leg is now longer than the other. mustafa needs help to dress and wash. the challenges mustafa faces are no less daunting than when w

the hama province experienced some of the largest protests against syrian president bashar al assad and some of the bloodiest crackdowns last year the syrian army's capture of saran meant most of the territorial gains eisel had made in their major offensive. so he took her children and left at the height of the fighting now she's returned owen was. there was a lot of destruction and chaos little by little we've made things better i hope to stay and watch my children grow and become successful. and the u.n. says those like are among around one point four million people who've returned to their homes in syria last year u.n. high commissioner for refugees from the program visited to see the work being done to help them like setting up this bakery for those who make that decision and voluntarily come back here we must provide them with at least for their basic needs and their initial right integration in their community but for those returning to their neighborhoods there's still a long journey ahead to restore the towns they are once again calling home. she got food al-jazeera. millions of

posture in embracing negotiations they used to oppose sitting down with anybody associated with bashar al assad and you know any u.n. mediator their respective of how good they are they're going any the body that they represent and the member states of the body that they represent to have the will to act and that's going to simply require the nation states mainly led by the europeans in that states and some arab countries to establish some clearly defined limits of what is acceptable what is not acceptable in syria for example is lip this is an area that's supposedly a deescalation zone it's been agreed to by early on and putin in sochi the united states has sent clear signals to the russians through the new envoy relatively new envoy jim jeffrey that the regime and the russians should not and cannot be attacking it live so if the russians and the regime are reneging on their on their promise then these countries i mentioned should unequivocally promised that there would be military retaliation against regime forces at a place and time of their choosing anywhere in the country in order to estab

bashar al—assad has won the battle in many ways for syria. put together. it's a little bit less than $9 billion. that's smaller than the budget of lebanon orjordan, which are much smaller countries. only $1 billion has been allocated for reconstruction. now, most international agencies are saying that it will take about half $1 trillion to rebuild syria. so that give you some inkling about the terrible situation syria is in. the western countries, they are putting crushing sanctions on assad in the hope that they can bring him down economically, where they could bring him down militarily. this means that the war will continue in an economic arena. and the syrian people are going to be left under a brutal regime and under brutal economic sanctions, so they're going to be the losers. every spring, japan celebrates cherry blossom season, with tourists flocking to the country in droves to enjoy the spectacle. but the cherry blossom is also an economic powerhouse, as catherine karelli reports. their appearance heralds the start of japanese spring.

eight years into the conflict and millions of people feel they have no place in a country run by bashar al assad in a honda reports from beirut in neighboring lebanon. eighty years of human suffering. syrians continue to bury their children. sixteen year old muhammad and his fourteen year old sister ali were killed in government artillery strikes. we buried them in a mass grave i didn't see them because it would be unbearable they were burned no flesh no burns. there is an active frontline between the government and opposition in the southern countryside of rebel controlled adlib where a ceasefire should be in place. was instead almost two hundred civilians have been killed since the beginning of the year. thousands have been forced to flee in recent weeks adding to the millions already displaced many of them displaced multiple times. the bombardment forced us to leave our home in the northern countryside of homes we escaped to aleppo and used homes. we had to move from the front lines there is nowhere safe. there is little peace even in government controlled territories where rights groups repo

to a close many syrians don't expect to find peace upon their return there a brutal regime of bashar al assad is by all accounts still in power and many syrians in europe are worried about what prizes the government will take against those who fled the war one of them is i mean but for german authorities the threat he may face from damascus and its secret service doesn't make him a new to the rules. yes this syrian family lives in a small apartment somewhere in germany we won't say where exactly nor use their real names. the father lives in fear of the regime in syria which they fled in twenty seventeen. i'm wanted for military service and syria is not a safe place. it's difficult very difficult. the father says you can be sent to jail for dodging military service in syria we'll call him i mean he says he's seen too much fighting and dying in his home city of day it is sort of seeing pictures of it brings back the memories. the thing for her to do when i remember what happened in syria the shelling of seeing children dying when bombs were dropped on my hometown digging the children out from u

surrendered well in jordan some syrian refugees are taking president bashar assad's government to the international criminal court they accuse al assad's forces of crimes against humanity including torture rape murder and chemical attacks syria is not a member of the i.c.c. but jordan is and that may give the court jurisdiction to take the case that the u.s. has hundreds of people who fled the town of saran insidious hama province because of fighting are slowly rebuilding their lives they left in twenty sixteen when armed groups took over the town seeking refuge in lebanon turkey or other towns in syria but as they gradually make their way back they're now facing new challenges to her side got for has more. attempting to restore life as they once knew it residents of soran have begun the slow tosk of rebuilding amongst the rubble suran is on a highway that connects the provincial capitals of hama and aleppo which made it a strategic target for armed groups it was an area syrian government troops and opposition forces for two of or for much of the seven years of conflict. the hama province experienced some of the largest protest

government in two thousand and eleven washington did the same in syria and seven years later bashar al assads still in power i asked vecchio why this time it would be different i don't have any doubt that their benefits are ready for a change the change will call up and he hasn't come because we have but they don't shoot in this way that we have that he's willing to kill the people he's got into privilege but that would be the end one boy those being investigated in venezuela for allegedly sabotaging the country's electrical system asked what would happen if he were arrested vecchio said it would be a step in the right direction i would say that would have positive impact in the changing this way and that with us here a change he did this has to do with meanwhile vecchio is setting his sights on the venezuelan embassy in macy's that building as early as wednesday in washington dan cohen our team is one to watch will keep cross the story because coming from michael maloof former pentagon security policy analyst who says the actions by the venues where they will position here if things go well

to a close many syrians don't expect to find peace upon their return there a brutal regime of bashar al assad is by all accounts still in power and many syrians in europe are worried about what prizes the government will take against those who fled the war one of them is i mean but for german authorities the threat he may face from damascus and its secret service doesn't make him a new to the rules. this syrian family lives in a small apartment somewhere in germany we won't say where exactly nor use their real names. the father lives in fear of the regime in syria which they fled in two thousand and seventeen. i'm wanted for military service and syria is not a safe place. it's difficult very difficult really. the father says you can be sent to jail for dodging military service in syria we'll call him i mean he says he's seen too much fighting and dying in his home city of day it is sort of seeing pictures of it brings back the memories. with him for her to do what i remember what happened in syria the shelling seeing children dying when bombs were dropped on my hometown digging the children o

this week, it's eight years since bashar al—assad's syria collapsed into conflict. refuge in neighbouring lebanon. many want to return, but fear both for their safety and for what they might find when they do as mishal husain has been finding out. many seasons have passed since the beginning of the brutal war that brought more than a million syrians here. it is four years since i first met nura, who fled the fighting in 2012. she is still living in the most basic of shelters, her old life destroyed. are you thinking about going back to syria? when i last met the family, her teenage daughter, dalal, was already working in the fields. now, her younger sister, suriya, has joined her. they've been robbed of their education and the life they hoped for. with the conflict now in a new phase, syrian refugees face difficult choices about when and if they can go home. in lebanon, most live below the poverty line. how many of you think you will go back to syria? all of you? but as i ask them when that might happen, doubts and fears emerge. what i've heard from syrians here is

president bashar al—assad has presided over the conflict, which has displaced more people than any otherren who've grown up knowing only war, and we've been following two of them, who are now as old, as the conflict itself. caroline hawley, has been back to meet them. my name is mustafa. the eight—year—old and his little sister survived a barrel bomb. it destroyed their family home near aleppo, leaving only their grandmother to look after them. safe in the cupboard is mustafa's most precious possession. it's all he has left of his father, ibrahim, who died saving him. his mother was also killed, but he doesn't even have a photo to remember her. mustafa was so badly injured he spent a whole year in hospital. twice a week he still comes for physiotherapy. he is a strong boy. he's very strong. his left hand doesn't move properly because of a piece of shrapnel in his brain. his hips were badly broken and one leg is now longer than the other. mustafa needs help to dress and wash. the challenges mustafa faces are no less daunting than when we first met him, when he was five, but he's no less d

bashar al—assad has won the battle in many ways for syria.. it isa the 2019 budget he has put together. it is a little bit less than $9 billion. that is smaller than the budget of lebanon lord jordan, which are much smaller countries. 0nly budget of lebanon lord jordan, which are much smaller countries. only $1 billion has been allocated for reconstruction. most international agencies are saying it will take half $1 trillion to rebuild syria. that tells you something of the terrible situation syria is in. the western countries, they are putting crushing sanctions on assad to bring him down economically when they could bring him down militarily. this means that the war will continue in an economic arena. and the syrian people are going to be left under a brutal regime and under brutal economic sanctions. they are going to be the losers. not a great future for syria at this time. joshua landis, thank you for that. pleasure. a rare fish, thought only to live in the southern hemisphere, has been found washed up on a beach in california. it took r

president bashar al—assad has presided over a conflict which has displaced more people than in any other. among the victims, the innocent children who've gown up knowing only conflict. we've been following two of them — children who are as old as the conflict itself. caroline hawley has been back to meet them. my name is mustafa. the eight—year—old and his little sister survived a barrel bomb. it destroyed their family home near aleppo, leaving only their grandmother to look after them. safe in the cupboard is mustafa's most precious possession. it's all he has left of his father, ibrahim, who died saving him. his mother was also killed, but he doesn't even have a photo to remember her. mustafa was so badly injured he spent a whole year in hospital. twice a week he still comes for physiotherapy. he is a strong boy. he's very strong. his left hand doesn't move properly because of a piece of shrapnel in his brain. his hips were badly broken and one leg is now longer than the other. mustafa needs help to dress and wash. the challenges mustafa faces are no less daunting than when we first me

that brought them together in two thousand and fifteen both countries invests a great deal in bashar al assad they wanted to retain power and they wanted also to have the sunni posts of the extremists of the gulf countries to be effectively removed from the syrian equation as we enter the reconstruction there's been a fundamental divide in opinion between that you know iran for example was much more willing to encourage that to recapture every inch of syria was russia has focused more on giving us had control over the most integral parts of the country and then proceeding to as a peace have a lead and these disagreements are spilling over to reconstruction if you look at as recently as may russian foreign minister sergei lavrov was very concerned and very reticent about and you're a presence in southern syria that would last in military fashion couldn't you churned on that at the healthy summit because he recognizes the political realities of iran being there but i don't think that that distrust has died and the reconstruction sphere is a business operations business competition the iranians

in syria, iran's support for bashar al-assad has brought them access to israel's northern border, advancingegime's efforts to build a land bridge from tehran to the mediterranean. while russia may be trying to befriend everyone in the region, let us be clear about the facts. russia's hand in this conflict has given iran the space to grow its military footprint. make no mistake. iran's eyes remain fixated on israel. after the fighting in syria ends, that is where it will direct its proxy forces and its rockets. likewise, hezbollah's efforts to tunnel into israeli territory are just the latest evidence of their single mind and focus. these are the various actors whose malicious ideologies directly threaten israel and u.s. interests in the region, demand our constant vigilance, and as the ranking democrat on the senate foreign relations committee, i'm here to say congress will never ever waiver in our efforts to ensure israel has the means to defend herself. that support is bipartisan and that is ironclad. [applause] , i. menendez: just this week am proud to tell you chairman angle and raking