mr al bashir says he wants to provide stability and calm. we can see today there is plenty of produce available. syria is very rich in its agriculture and most of the products we are seeing today are coming from rural damascus or from the coastal side, a sign that the traffic and the delivery is continuing. we have spoken to lots of people here today. some of the shopkeepers said that we are going, you know, we have full oxygen now, a sign that they have been suffocating under assad. the others said, "we have a full—time celebration." we can see people picking up their groceries here. this is essential for the rebels to get things back working.

over half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by bashir al-assad _ authoritarian rule by bashir al—assadal—assad and his father before him, forced him to resign his office — him, forced him to resign his office and _ him, forced him to resign his office and flee the country. we are not— office and flee the country. we are not sure, we've heard he is in moscow _ are not sure, we've heard he is in moscow. at long last the assad — in moscow. at long last the assad regime has fallen. brutalised tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent syrians, the fall of innocent syrians, the fall of this— of innocent syrians, the fall of this regime is a fundamental act of— of this regime is a fundamental act ofjustice. it's a moment of historic_ act ofjustice. it's a moment of historic opportunity for the long—suffering people of syria to build — long—suffering people of syria to build a better future for the proud country. it's also a moment_ the proud country. it's also a moment of risk and uncertainty. as we _ moment of risk and uncertainty. as we ali— moment of risk and uncertai

it is led by mohammed al bashir ahead of a because i government set up in idlib set up in 2017 by theslamist group hts. let's get more from middle east anchor joumanna bercetche. what does this signal about the plans of this rebel group in terms of their control going forward of syria? joumanna: i would say it is the first case or incident of government formation they are trying to achieve out of syria here. the importance of mohammed al-bashir tells you they are trying to avoid a situation of complete chaos given the big vacuum the fall of bashar assad is leaving in syria. we know al bashir is a member of the major rebel group that made all these gains and were responsible for the fall of the assad regime in damascus. he previously headed up the government that had been set up in 2017 in idlib, that was a quasi-government not internationally recognized, it speaks to the little government extremes he has, he is an engineer by training. the syrian state media reporting this conversation took place between mohammed bashir and the existing prime minister that they are trying to eep best

meeting together in order to agree to support a peaceful transition process in syria after the fall of bashirl—assad. numerous countries including saudi arabia, egypt, uae, meeting together and saying that syrian state institutions must be preserved to stop the country from splitting into chaos. we are expecting the us secretary of state antony blinken to make his address as well. that will be following that meeting. the top officials being posted for this meeting, because they want to ensure that the situation in syria does not collapse, that the hts group that overthrew bashir al—assad in that surprise and click overthrowing of the syrian leader, that the camp —— country does not fall into chaos and that some form of peaceful transition to power as possible. for the moment, we have got some lines coming from this press conference from this meeting of arab countries and also the us secretary of state. we will bring those lines to you. more now on developments in georgia, and the parliament has elected a new president. mikheil kavelashvili, a former professional footballer, who was put forwar

the syrian governmenhas been toppled along with dictator bashir al-assad. the rebels took damascus. russian state media reports that assad has fled to moscow, where he's been granted asylum. here's raf sanchez. >> reporter: hey, there, after seizing control of the syrian capital damascus, syria's rebels are now consolidating their power in the capital. the leader of the main rebel group, an islamist group, arriving in damascus, giving an address in a historic mosque in the center of the city. he says he wants to lead a government for all syrians, irrespective of their religion or their sect. remember, there are a lot of fears, both inside and outside syria about this group, which has its origins in al qaeda, which is still considered a terrorist organization by the united states. but the group known as hts is really trying to show the world that it has moderated, that it has changed. it is going to great lengths to try to show that it is not a threat to minority groups, like shias, like christians inside of syria. it's one of the big questions now, how the rebels will govern. russia

mohammed al-bashir has taken charge as interim prime minister.iously governed parts of northwestern syria controlled by the rebels. he's promising stability and calm as the country transitions to a new government and says he'll stay in the role until march. i'm joined by political analyst, former presidential adviser on the opposing syrian national coalition as well as a former fellow. thanks for being with us on bbc news." you were born in damascus but have lived abroad for many years. what does the toppling of the assad regime mean for syria? did you ever think you'd see these days? >> no, in fact, everybody thought they would remain all their lives without returning to syria or seeing the freedom of the dignity that they called for openly in 2011. this is one of the most brutal and barbaric regimes that we have seen in the 20th and 21st century and i think your viewers will have seen the images coming out of saydnaya, one of many prisons. syrians are celebrating this and they're still a little bit anxious about the security in the country. the

nadia bashir, thank you very much.lso this morning, russia has launched a massive christmas morning aerial attack on ukraine's energy sector, an attack ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy confirmed. condemned, i should say, as inhumane. at least one person was killed in the dnipro region after russia launched more than 70 missiles and 100 attack drones, ukraine's air defenses managed to shoot down many of them, but several still hit their energy sector targets, leading to blackouts across the country. you can see some of the damage here in kharkiv to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure, as well. all right. that's a look at your top stories on this christmas morning. now send it back to kc. >> the 2024 election was many things unprecedented, unpredictable and perhaps more than anything, unforgettable. >> in order to make america great and glorious again, i am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the united states. >> this is not a time to be complacent that's why i'm running for reelection.

after 13 years of civil war in syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by bashir assad, his father before him. rebel forces have forced assad resign, his office, flee the country. we're not sure where is, but there's word that he's in moscow along last. the assad regime has fallen. this regime brutalized and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent syrians. the fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice. it's a moment of historic opportunity. the long suffering people of syria to build a better future for the proud country. it's also moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next. the united states will work with our partners and stakeholders in syria to help them seize that opportunity to manage the risks. you know, for years, the main backers of assad have been around hezbollah and russia. but over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when i took office. and let's remember why, after a mass attacked israel on octobe

bashir, what his intentions and skills and qualifications are.unday we will watch everything, not just the rebel groups and opposition leaders are saying but what they are doing. we want to make sure whatever governance structures are put in place or re-established that they are keeping aspirations of the syrian people foremost. mind. the united states will be watching than and pushing from the outside to make sure that the syrian peoples' aspirations are met. >> neil: do we have confirmation the attack israel has been waging own syria. saying it destroyed syria's navy. >> i will let the israelis speak for their operations and the results of those operations. they of course have a right to defend themselves. and they certainly -- we recognize they want to properly assess the threat coming from syria over that golan heights or near the golan height. we recognize their right to self-defense. we will continue to support them as i they defend themselves but i think in terms of what they have done and the effective efficacy, i will leave that for them

his name is mohammed al—bashir. he was ahead of what was called the salvation government.enge is to run an entire country. israel says it has destroyed syria's naval fleet as it continues its attacks on syrian military installations for a third day. israel's defence minister said its forces were operating to destroy strategic capabilities that threatened threatened israel and had acted with what he called �*great success�*. dozens of military installations and airbases are reported to have been hit. israel says it's trying to stop weapons falling into the hands of extremists and has ordered its military to create a weapons—free zone in southern syria. syria's neighbours and the un have called for the israeli attacks to stop. israel has denied reports that its troops are advancing on damascus. turkey's president erdogan has welcomed the capture of two syrian towns which had been under kurdish control. the syrian national army, which is backed by ankara, has been attempting to take over territory ever since the rule of bashar al—assad began collapsing last week. normal life

cnn's nadia bashir is joining us now from london. what are you hearing about the possible cause of this crash and the contention over whether it was a bird strike or something more sinister? >> well, look, sara, the investigations into this crash are still very much ongoing. we know that the black box has been recovered. that will be, of course, crucial into piecing this puzzle together. but the kazakh government has said that it has set up now a commission to carry out an investigation to examine the moments ahead of this crash and what may have led to this fatal crash. and of course, as you mentioned, there have been some contending speculations around what may have led to the crash. we know, of course, that early on yesterday, russian aviation authorities said that they believe that the pilot had been forced to attempt an emergency landing about two miles from the kazakh city of aktau in response to a bird strike. however, there has also been some speculation around nearby drone activity. we understand that the crash took place sh

mr al bashir says he wants to provide stability and calm. the bbc�*s lina sinjab has been speaking with food vendors at one of damascus�*s markets who say there are more signs of life through out the city. i am in one of damascus's food and vegetable markets and as we can see today there is plenty of produce available. syria is very rich in its agriculture and most of the products we are seeing today are coming from rural damascus or from the coastal side, a sign that the traffic and the delivery is continuing. we have spoken to lots of people here today. some of the shopkeepers said that we are going, you know, we have full oxygen now, a sign that they have been suffocating under assad. the others said, "we have a full—time celebration." we can see people picking up their groceries here. this is essential for the rebels to get things back working. they have captured today as well the city of deir ezzor, after the kurdish forces left the area. deir ezzor is very important, as it is rich with oil. by this, the rebels will control resources an

cnn's nadia bashir joins me now from london. nadia. what more do we know about this crash? >> well, danny, the investigations into the cause behind this crash earlier today are still ongoing. we have been getting updates from the authorities. according to russian, russian aviation officials, at this stage, preliminary information suggests that the pilot may have been forced to attempt an emergency landing as a result of a bird strike. but of course, we are still waiting for more updates, as was an azerbaijan airlines flight which was traveling from the capital baku to grozny in the russian region of chechnya. as you mentioned, it was forced to make that emergency landing around two miles from the kazakh city of aktau. but of course, we've seen that video emerging, showing at first from eyewitnesses, the plane circling the airfield somewhat erratically before attempting that landing and crashing. it burst into flames upon hitting the ground. but remarkably, authorities say there were survivors. at least 29 people are said to have survived, including two children. they have a

he served as a senior advisor to hafiz and bashir�*s governments but split with the regime and now livesou forjoining me. now, iunderstand in dubai. thank you forjoining me. now, i understand that you told bashar al—assad in 2010 the regime was going to fall at some point. are you surprised it took as long as it did? thank you very much for receiving me. actually, i'm surprised it took so long. and the main factor in this was the extreme brutality of the regime from one side, and the immense help that came from russia and iran, bombarding and killing people, to crush this, and the third factor was deals between russia, turkiye, to surrender aleppo and many cities, just in terms of — regarding deals between the two countries. find between the two countries. and of course. _ between the two countries. and of course, though, _ between the two countries. and of course, though, when it did happen, it was very quick. you're now planning to return to syria. what are your plans there? what are you hoping for? we're hoping to build a kind of barrage of civil society forces and parties, and syndica

we have a caretaker prime minister bashir, who has already run some cities in the northwestern provinces job, so that is a promising opportunity there. however, we start to see coming out the instinct of revenge to minorities, and that's something that we will see probably unfolding in the next days. probably unfolding in the next da s. �* , ., ., days. and is that part of the bi aer days. and is that part of the bigger picture _ days. and is that part of the bigger picture as _ days. and is that part of the bigger picture as well? - days. and is that part of the bigger picture as well? hts| days. and is that part of the - bigger picture as well? hts was leading this rebel cause against the assad regime, but all of the factions making up that force are fragmented by nature, and now that the assad regime is gone, there will be a lot of infighting amongst them? precisely, so that is exactly the problem. the problem is that this is sort of a coalition of militias and different groups. and we can start to see an infight. i would add to that element of instability that there are also external

well, syria's caretaker prime miniser mohammed al bashir was one of those who addressed the crowds intoday. the victorious rebels have appointed him and a transitional administration to govern until march the 1st. but the united nations envoy to syria has warned the rebels that they must follow up on their messages of unity and inclusivity in the weeks and months ahead. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet is in damascus. a little earlier she gave us this update. tojoin us here in the heart of the syrian capital. just listen to the noise around us, the lights behind us. they were just a moment ago firing red tracer fire into the air. even though the main leader of the interim coalition, bu mohammad al—julani, now known by his real name, not his nom de guerre ahmed al—shara, urged syrians to celebrate peacefully today not to fire guns in the air. but there has been fireworks in the sky — you can see behind me. and the square, even though it's now 9:00 in the evening, it's bitterly cold. look, it's still alive with light. this is a day of celebration. although syrians know

mohammed al—bashir said it's time for stability and calm, after more than a decade of civil war.ll that calm last? there's mounting concern about israel's bombardment of hundreds of syrian sites in the last few days, with the united nations' special envoy to syria calling for israel to stop the strikes immediately. israel says it is trying to stop weapons from falling into the hands of extremists and ensure its own security. we will have more on those strikes shortly, but we start our coverage with our international editorjeremy bowen, who reports on the winners and losers of the downfall of president assad. at the border, the biggest and potentially deadliest divide in syria. coming in from lebanon, syrians who fled the war and the assads, desperate to get home. in the opposite direction, syrians desperate to get out — families who fear they'll be singled out for revenge. some because their religious sect supported the former regime, or because the men fought for bashar al—assad. ali read out a facebook post from a small militia, swearing vengeance. so is this such a threat that

for the first time since the dramatic overthrow of bashir al-assad one week ago, syrian christians haveended regular sunday services. today our prayers are for a new page in syria's future, says suzan barakat. hayat tahrir al-sham says they are working to show that their right to worship won't be at risk. the biden administration is contemplating whether to formally recognize hts, a u.s.-designated terrorist organization as syria's new transitional government. we went to idlib to speak to its members. what is your message to syria's minorities? that this is a new syria, and the new syria is for everyone. early on, war planes targeted several homes and villages in idlib, including this predominantly christian village. we were shown the church this man first worshipped in as a boy. this is the church. [speaking in a global language] i'm feeling very happy that i returned home, he says. what do you want for christians and other minorities in this new government, this new future for your country? we want hayat tahrir al sham who had faith in god almighty, to rebuild our country. and the u.n

in syria's capital damascus, the interim prime minister, mohamad al—bashir, has called on syrians abroadrovide stability and calm. it comes as fighters have set fire to the tomb of syria's former president, hafez al—assad, father of the overthrown bashar. this is in the town of qardaha in the north—west of syria, home of the assad family mausoleum. rebel forces say they've taken control of the oil—rich eastern city of dair uh zor. a senior commander of the islamist group hts says it captured the city after us—backed kurdish fighters withdrew. meanwhile, israel says it has carried out hundreds of air strikes and hit strategic weapons stockpiles in syria to stop them falling into the hands ofjihadists. the un's called for an end to the attacks that have taken place since rebel factions overthrew the government of bashar al—assad on saturday. our chief international correspondent lyse doucet who is in damascus. yes, in day three of this new order is drawing to a close and as you have been hearing in the news, these are still heady times with emotions still running high, with rebel fighters

just in the last few hours a new interim prime minister has been appointed, his name is mohammed al—bashirs the man who has been running most of the man who has been running most of the province of idlib, the rebel stronghold in the north—west, so he has government experience so he is important for the rebel leader al—jolani because he has stressed a handover of power that keeps public services running. the new interim prime minister has been appointed until march the 1st 2025, so we don't know yet what will happen after that, whether there will be elections or not. the new government also has to be in charge of restoring security, or maintaining security. we have heard complaints from some people here in damascus that there has been some looting but more widely there have been hundreds of israeli air strikes around the country as well as here in damascus. the explosions were very loud this morning. the israelis say they are destroying military equipment, especially chemical weapons and missiles so they don't fall into hostile hands, but there is concern in the region they are targeting so

they formed a government with the leadership of mohammed bashir.o normal in syria as you can see. they are trying to close the prisons, the notorious prisons. they are trying to reorganise damascus airport which was closed for a long time. and they already decided to remove they already decided to remove the curfew from damascus. and my syrian colleagues at bbc arabic are happy that they can move freely in the city. previously, there were barriers everywhere. now they can move freely. the prices are a little bit high but they are trying to deal with it. so this government is trying to return life back to normal. figs government is trying to return life back to normal.— life back to normal. as you sa , life back to normal. as you say. as _ life back to normal. as you say. as this _ life back to normal. as you say, as this government i life back to normal. as you - say, as this government forms, it�*s still very, very early days. the un is warning that it must be inclusive — otherwise there will be terrible consequences.- there will be terrible conseq

nadia bashir, cnn, london. >> william taylor is a former u.s. ambassador to ukraine and vice president for russia and europe at the u.s. institute of peace, and he joins us now from pittsburgh, pennsylvania. and very grateful to. to apologize. i mean, what was your take? and do you think a lot of that had to do with the fact that it was azerbaijan that in terms of him wanting to preserve that kind of a relationship? >> i think you're right, paula. i think you're exactly right that president putin is worried about his standing with with friends and allies. he's had a bad couple of weeks, as you've reported. you know, he has a problem in syria. um, he has got new sanctions on from the united states on his oil exports. his economy is shaky. um, he's had several problems uh, generated by the ukrainians attacking deep into russia. um, so president putin is, is looking to keep what allies he has. i wouldn't call azerbaijan an ally, but it is certainly a friend and is certainly a friend of turkey. so i think you're right. it's unusual admission of of o

the syrian government has been toppled, along with dictator bashir al-assad. the rebels finally marched into damascus into sunday. matt bradley kicks off our coverage this morning. >> reporter: we've heard from russian state news that bashar al assad and his family are now in moscow, and there's talk that they might be getting asylum there. this is a massive paradigm shift, not just for syria but for the entire middle east. there was talk back on october 7 from the israelis, from the united states, saying that the response to hamas' terror attack on october 7 would reshape or redraw the middle east. despite more than a year of conflicts throughout the region, that hasn't happened yet really until now. and now we're seeing a break in the assad regime. more than 50 years of rule by bashar al assad and his father that has terrorized syrians throughout their civil war and before that. but now we're not really out of the woods. the united states has launched strikes against 75 targets they say are affiliated with the islamic state, they say trying to prevent islami

and cnn's nadia bashir is following developments. she joins us now live from london. good morning to you. nadia. so what is the latest on the deadly strikes on gaza? and of course, the humanitarian situation there. >> well, look, rosemary, we've been hearing from the director of the kamal adwan hospital, which has taken in, of course, countless patients from northern gaza daily overrun at this stage. and we've been hearing from the director saying that this scene is becoming a daily occurrence, that no one is able to prevent. the killing of innocent people. and this is yet another example of the devastating impact of israel's aerial bombardment of the gaza strip, particularly in northern gaza, where it has proven so difficult to get humanitarian aid and supplies in to those civilians in the northern part of the gaza strip, as you mentioned, some 200 people killed in an airstrike in northern gaza targeting the areas of tel al zaatar and beit lahiya, among them, one family, including 40 members of the same family killed in a single strike. so this is a hugely devastatin

they have their roots in the militias that former dictator bashir used to brutally crush rebellious tribes in the western dar far region in the early 2,000's. think many who followed those terrible days remember that the united states determined that those mass killings constituted genocide. the current leader of the rsf goes by the name hameti. he is a former militia leader who was complicit in those atrocities in darfor and he hasn't changed. in the current conflict, the united states has charged the rsf with committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. representable human rights organizations and news outlets have also reported widespread acts of sexual violence, including rape by the rsf. as our ambassador to the united nations linda thomas-greenfield noted in march of this year, and i quote, children are starving, wasting, and dying. far from their homes and their communities, millions of refugees are praying in overcrowded camps. people wake up not to the call of prayer but to the sound of gunfire, of shelling, of cries for help. unquote. and the situation has not improve

in syria's capital damascus, the interim prime minister, mohamad al bashir, has called on syrians abroadwants to provide stability and calm. it comes as fighters have set fire to the tomb of syria's former president, hafez al—assad — father of the overthrown bashar. this is in the town of qardaha in the northwest of syria, home of the assad family mausoleum. rebel forces say they've taken control of the oil—rich eastern city of dair uh zor. a senior commander of the islamist group hts says it captured the city after us—backed kurdish fighters withdrew. meanwhile israel says it has carried out hundreds of air strikes and hit strategic weapons stockpiles in syria to stop them falling into the hands ofjihadists. of the overthrown bashar. this is in the town of qardaha in the northwest of syria, home of the assad family mausoleum. rebel forces say they've taken control of the oil—rich eastern city of dair uh zor. a senior commander of the islamist group hts says it captured the city after us—backed kurdish fighters withdrew. meanwhile israel says it has carried out hundreds of air strikes an

bashir al-assad succeeded his father as president of syria in 2000. assad is known for a brutal rule over syria, which since 2011 has been devastated by a civil war that ravaged the country and turned it into a hotbed of extremist groups. now, for local people with ties to syria, there is some uncertainty about what comes next. but there is also hope for a new beginning. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard spoke with syrian americans at a rally today in san francisco. >> joy and celebration at san francisco civic center plaza. >> nothing but a short of a miracle. something of like, so quick, swift move all across the country. >> syrian americans organizing this rally, celebrating the fall of president assad's regime, the oppressive dynasty they ran from, we all, like, fled the country. >> we were all refugees. we all had to like, go find other opportunities because of the regime has been oppressing us for the longest of time. and now it's all like out of nowhere. it's just gone. >> waking up this morning and yesterday and seeing that all this dark

the former congresswoman has faced criticism for her meeting with syria's now-toppled dictator, bashir al-assad. she said she agrees with comments that the president-elect has recently posted about syria, that the u.s. should not get involved. meanwhile, pete hegseth returned to capitol hill, having a second meeting with joni ernst. ernst said their talk was encouraging, and she will support hegseth through a fair confirmation process. frances? >> chris pollone, thank you. >>> an attorney for shawn carter, better known as jay z asking a judge to deny a woman's request to remain anonymous as she accuses carter and sean "diddy" combs of raping her when she was 13-year-old. she called the claim idiotic. and a blackmail attempt. he accused tony busby, who filed the suit, of engaging in unprofessional behavior. buy spoke exclusively to nbc news. >> anyone who suggests that a demand letter, especially the one i sent is executor or blackmail is foolish. attempting to attack my to take the focus off of the alleged perpetrator won't work. and it won't intimidate us. >> busby has recently filed

lasting links with al qaeda or jihadist groups and they are simply after toppling the government of bashird. >> meanwhile, israel launched a wave of air striengs southe lebanon on monday evening hours after the lebanese militant group fire twd mortars at an army post. the attack was the first by hezbollah since a ceasefire went into effect last week. as israel's army chief visited troops monday, the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu accused him of what he called a grave violation of the ceasefire. they said reehl has repeat think violated the ceasefire since it was agreed to last week. the u.n.'s new relief chief, tom fletcher, says the sudanese region of darfur is facing famine and people are being used as pawns in the conflict. human rights groups are describing recent ethnic based massacres as possible genocide. few journalists have been able to visit darfur, which is mainly controlled by the rapid support forces since the war began. our chief international correspondent is traveling with the u.n. team. her report begins in a refugee camp in chad on the border. >> a people dispo

cnn's nadia bashir is joining me now from london. not a new information is coming in every minute this morning about what happened. what are you learning? >> that's right. >> we are continuously getting updates from the authorities there. just in the last few moments. azerbaijan's state news agency reporting, citing azerbaijan airlines, that they have found that the plane may have faced an external physical and technical interference. so that may be a crucial part of this investigation. as investigators and officials and authorities continue to examine the evidence. and as you mentioned, sara, they have now, of course, located the second black box, both of those black boxes will be crucial in piecing together those final moments of the flight, providing flight data as well as recordings from within the cockpit. but we have heard from authorities saying that it could take around two weeks before they are able actually to fully assess the data included in those black boxes. so it may be a while before we have any information on that fr

bashir al-assad succeeded his father as president of syria in 2000, and assad is known for a brutal rule over syria, which since 2011 has been devastated by a civil war that ravaged the country and turned it into a hotbed of extremist groups. now for local people with ts to syria, there is some uncertainty about what comes next. but there's also hope for a new beginning. abc seven news reporter cornell bernard spoke with syrian americans at a rally today in san francisco. >> joy and celebration at san francisco civic center plaza. >> and nothing but a short of a miracle. something of like, so quick, swift move all across the country, syrian americans organizing this rally, celebrating the fall of president assad's regime, the oppressive dynasty they ran from, we all, like, fled the country. we're all refugees. we all had to, like, go find other opportunities because of the regime has been oppressing us for the longest of time. and now it's all like out of nowhere. it's just gone. >> waking up this morning and yesterday and seeing that all this dark cloud of oppression is gone and our cou

rahul. >> bashir reporting for us there. nada. thank you. let's continue the conversation now. i'm joined now by cnn global affairs analyst mark esper, who served as defense secretary in the first trump presidency. he is also a board member or strategic advisor for a handful of aerospace and defense related companies. secretary esper, we appreciate the time today. thank you for being here. >> yeah. good afternoon. good to be with you. >> so putin is now saying that russia's air defense systems were active when that airline flight attempted to land in chechnya on wednesday. but we also heard from nato's reporting there that he's not admitting responsibility, despite making this somewhat half hearted apology. what do you make of what we heard from putin? >> yeah, i suspect he had to say something, given the accumulating evidence that paints this as a russian air defense system, that that damaged this plane and forced its crash landing. >> i mean, the evidence is again, continues to build. you have the fragmentation, the perforations in the fuselage of the of the aircraft, which i

not of bashir. thank you so much for your reporting this morning, kate. >> and that deadly crash came around the same time that russia unleashed a massive attack on ukraine's. ukraine's energy infrastructure with explosions reported across the country. the president of ukraine says that russia launched more than 70 missiles, including ballistic missiles and more than 100 attack drones, in that onslaught, causing blackouts in several regions. in the midst of the bitter winter cold. president biden condemned the attack and asked the defense department wednesday to continue surging weapons deliveries to ukraine. joining me right now is david sanger of the new york times, political and national security analyst for cnn. it's good to see you. david, this war now grinding into its third winter, you've got this new attack from new attack from russia on ukraine's energy infrastructure. with biden on the way out and trump on the way in, he's been unclear. i'll say it best in how much support he's willing to

nadia bashir, thank you so much for that reporting. let's take a look at some other top stories we're tracking this morning, including a family dispute on christmas evening turning horrific at phoenix sky harbor international airport. police say three people were shot at an airport restaurant outside the security perimeter. one victim, a woman, is now in critical condition. we know police later detained a girl and a man in the parking garage. that man had been stabbed. he and the other shooting victim are in stable condition. 20 big cats at a wild animal sanctuary in the state of washington have died of bird flu. in a devastating blow to conservation efforts. the sanctuary says more than half of its big cats have been infected with the virus. as cases are on the rise across that state. the sanctuary is now under quarantine to help protect the remaining animals. and let's now get a check of the weather. meteorologist elisa raffa joining us now. and, elisa, a lot of people on the move today. what do we need to know about travel? >> we've

cnn's nadia bashir is covering this for us, nate. not a lot of new developments in this today. >> yeah, absolutely. and we had previously heard from azerbaijani officials who had said that the plane had faced external physical and technical interferences, and there had been questions around, of course, that nearby drone activity. today, russian president vladimir putin has apologized for the fact that the plane crashed after entering russian airspace and, crucially, acknowledging that russian air defense systems were active in the area, particularly over the region of grozny. the chechen region of grozny, where the plane had been intending to land before it was diverted. so really feeding into those questions around whether or not this plane was in fact mistakenly targeted by russian anti-aircraft systems, that has certainly been a key line of inquiry we've been hearing from u.s. officials, as well as, of course, reports from reuters, citing multiple sources who are, according to reuters, familiar with this investigation that is ongo

cnn's nadia bashir has been following this story closely nada.out this video and how it's been received. >> well, this has certainly sparked concern. of course and much fear, of course for edan alexander family. we've been hearing from the white house who have said that officials in the u.s. have been in touch with edan alexander family, that the u.s. will continue to push for an immediate release of the hostages. still held captive in gaza. but as you mentioned, we've heard from edan alexander mother as well who spoke at hostage square in tel aviv in front of thousands, saying that she was shaken by the video. but also said that she had been assured by israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu that the conditions right now are ripe for a hostage release and ceasefire deal, and of course, prime minister netanyahu has faced mounting pressure both at home in israel and more broadly across the globe to push and secure a cease fire agreement that would not only secure the release of hostages, but, of course, for many, secure an end to the war in gaza

cnn's nadia bashir is joining us now from london. what are you hearing about this sort of preliminary report that talks about technical and physical interference? >> well, this information is coming from the azerbaijan airlines officials. sara, we are still waiting to hear more from the commission, which has been set up by the kazakh government to essentially carry out an investigation into what led to this crash. but as you mentioned, there has been a lot of speculation, a lot of questions swirling around what may have caused this fatal plane crash. and of course, earlier reports had been suggesting that there may have been a collision with a flock of birds that was coming from russian aviation authorities. then, of course, there had been questions around nearby drone activity. the plane actually crashed shortly after a drone strike hit southern russia. so questions as to how that may play into it all. and then, of course, yesterday we heard from a u.s. official telling cnn that the plane may well have been downed by a russian anti-

nadia bashir, cnn in london. >> and we are about 25 minutes past the hour.ave five things you have to see this morning. two people saved from a burning truck in washington just moments before it fully burst into flames. police say two good samaritans helped pull the victims from a crash right before the fire grew. thankful for them and a dog stranded on a frozen new jersey lake. rescued after a chicken cutlet tied to a drone helped convince the pup to return to land. the dog had been stranded for over a day. hope he got to eat that cutlet oh. and first responders treating patients and workers at a chicago area hospital to a parade, spreading some holiday cheer for those who can't go home for the holidays. and santas in florida ditching the sleigh for a surfboard. 800 santas hit the waves in cocoa beach, setting a new record for the most surfing saint nick's in one place. love it. and christmas. and the first night of hanukkah landed on the same day this year and yesterday, to mark the jewish holiday, a giant menorah was lit in front of the white house. absol

nadia bashir, cnn, london. >> nada. thank you. nasty weather could cause tricky travel for millions of americans either. heading home from the christmas holiday or heading out for new year's eve. fun. what to expect at the nation's airports today and big air travel changes are on the horizon in 2025. that's straight ahead. can't fool myself. >> it was the most exciting time in the world. >> his life has truly joyful moments and some really difficult moments. >> you only come across an artist like luther vandross once in a lifetime. >> luther. never too much new year's day on. >> you make good choices. it's a trait that runs deep. like to step into big shoes and still walk on your own path. with ambition like that, you need someone who elevates advice to a craft. at ubs, we match your vision with insight and expertise to shape a unique outcome for you. advice is our craft. >> they are trying to shut down this legal loophole to get 100mg generic viagra or 20 milligram generic cialis delivered to your door for just $0.87 in less than

cnn's nadia bashir is joining us now with more on this. so, nadia, the question now is how long before we know what's on the data recorders? and also what else are we hearing from that survivor? >> that's right. >> there's a lot of pressure on the investigators now to come to some sort of conclusion as to what led to this fatal crash. as you mentioned, those two black boxes have now been recovered, and authorities say it could take about two weeks to fully examine the data collected by the black boxes. that is, of course, flight data and potentially also internal recordings from within the cockpit. but there have been a lot of questions swirling, a lot of speculation around the possible causes, and we have been learning more from authorities since that crash. take a listen to this eyewitness account from one of the passengers, recording the final moments of that flight. >> when the first bang happened, i looked around, quickly, assessed the situation and thought that the plane was going to fall apart. a couple more seconds passed, but it d

let's go to cnn's nadia bashir, who is covering this for us. not a good morning.t more are you learning here, or how there has been certainly a lot of questions swirling around the cause behind this crash. >> and one of the key lines of inquiry that we have repeatedly heard now from u.s. officials and according to reuters sources who are familiar with that ongoing investigation, is this question of russia's air defense systems in the area. and, of course, nearby drone activity. it is understood that the crash occurred shortly after drone strikes. ukrainian drone strikes hit parts of southern russia. and as you mentioned, we have now had this update. latest information from the russian president, vladimir putin. again, not acknowledging responsibility and not admitting any sort of responsibility for that crash, but apologizing for the crash happening within russian airspace and crucially, noting that russia's air defenses were active in this region at the time. so that will certainly raise some questions for investigators as they continue to assess the evidence at

nadia bashir reporting for us there. nada. thank you. sirens, meantime, sounded in jerusalem earlier today amid reports of incoming missiles. two projectiles triggered their alarms, according to the israel defense forces. the idf said that interceptors were launched and no injuries were reported. it comes after the gaza ministry of health says israeli forces raided the last major functioning health facility in northern gaza. the israeli military surrounded the kamal adwan hospital on friday as part of its ongoing operations in the area. israel, calling the hospital a hamas terrorist stronghold. let's get to eliot gotkine, who is tracking the latest developments from jerusalem. eliot, let's start with the hospital in northern gaza. what more can you share with us? there? >> rahel, we've received a number of details in the last hour or so about the operation, at least from the perspective of the idf. first and foremost is that this operation ended on saturday morning, though we only got wind of this. as i say during a briefing in the last

the new interim prime minister, mohamad al bashir, has called on syrians abroad to return home. he says he wants to provide stability and calm in the country as day to day life gradually resumes. but many people across the country want to see revenge for the atrocities that happened under bashar al—assad's rule. fighters in syria set fire to the tomb of hafez al—assad, the father of the ousted president. and video from the family's hometown shows a coffin and parts of the mausoleum on fire. meanwhile, large crowds gathered in a suburb of the capital damascus for what they believed would be a public execution against those who committed atrocities under the assad regime. our international editor jeremy bowen sent this update. a warning, there are some disturbing images in his report. if only moving from dictatorship to freedom was as simple as climbing onto an abandoned tank and posing for pictures. but the assad family was in power in syria long before these children's parents were even born. over half a century, a lot of anger built up, and it is being released. sometimes polit

cnn's nadia bashir is following the latest developments from london. so now to bring us up to speed, what is the latest here? >> well, kim, look, the rebel offensive appears to have come as a surprise to much of the syrian armed forces, where we have seen little resistance, or at least the rebels have been met with little resistance in parts of the north around aleppo and idlib. >> it appears as though the syrian rebel forces are consolidating their control of the city of aleppo, as you mentioned. syria's second largest city. and this really has been one of the biggest developments we've seen in recent years with regards to syrian rebels taking back more territory from the syrian government and bashar al-assad's regime. but again we are seeing now attempts by the syrian armed forces, backed by russia, of course, a long time ally of bashar al-assad's regime attempting to push back against rebels through what the russian state media has described as an aerial offensive against rebel forces. we have seen a number of airstrikes carried out by both the russ

nader bashir, cnn london. >> an investigation is now underway in florida after a train collided with fire truck on saturday. let's have a look at the footage. you can see from this from the train itself. it's moving along on the tracks, heading towards a fire engine that appears to be slowly moving through a traffic crossing. there it is there. gosh, we've stopped the footage just before the moment of impact. officials say three firefighters were transported to a nearby hospital. 12 passengers sustained minor injuries, but no fatalities were reported. this isn't the first incident involving the train operator brightline, which provides passenger rail service between orlando and miami. the federal railroad administration says 34 people were killed in incidents involving brightline trains between september 20th, 23 and june of this year next, there are no major working hospitals left in northern gaza after israeli troops raided the last remaining one. still ahead, eyewitness accounts about what happened at the facility during the israeli military operation i want to be the greatest pla