surviving a suicide attack in a damascus neighborhood. >>> 900 migrants arrive in sicily after being rescued by european coast guards. [ gunfire ] >> and two protesters killed in burundi's demonstrations against the president's bid to stay in office enters a second week. so the developing news out of israel is that lieberman has resigned. prime minister benjamin netanyahu may have to settle with a narrower majority. let's go to mike in jerusalem. this makes israeli politics more interesting at this point. >> it does, indeed, and is this a plow to benjamin netanyahu to get the seats he needs to gain control of the parliament. talks between lieberman and netanyahu say that lieberman insisted not only retaining the foreign minister portfolio but also taking control of relations with the united states. this had been carried out by former justice minister, another reason for liner man's decision, and the decision to bring in the coalition government and lieberman vehemently opposed to the presence of religious parties in the government. a blow to netanyahu getting those 61 seats in parlia

we have a freelance journalist joined now with damascus and thank you for your time and what else donow about this attempt on the major general's life? >> are you there? apparently we do not have him -- that is what that sound is, but we will try to follow-up more on that story. syria government forces accused of using chlorine gas in idlib providence for the third time in a week and we have details. >> reporter: northwestern idlib province they report regime forces dropped barrel bombs. women and children in the village and jabal were treated for breathing problems. >> translator: three towns were targeted with barrel bombs containing toxic chlorine gas and 15 were hurt and they rushed to help with makeshift hospitals. >>> three attacks this week and aleppo and this area and rebels in control are continued to be targeted by regime forces. activists are reporting government troops have once again dropped barrel bombs. one of the explosives hit a kindergarten in a district west of the city. a dozen people were killed including ten children and one woman. meanwhile near the syrian capi

. >> smith: a new u.s. ambassador, robert ford, was just arriving in damascus. >> democracy taking place in a lot of these countries... >> demanding change, they're fed up... >> smith: at the time, it seemed syria's dictator would be next to fall. >> protesters in tahrir square drove hosni mubarak out of power... >> mubarak actually left power in cairo the weekend after i got there. and in my first meeting with bashar al-assad, i asked him point blank, "looks like kind of a difficult time for authoritarian regimes. what kinds of steps are you thinking of to get ahead of the problem?" and he kind of brushed it aside and said, "it'll never happen here." not three weeks after that meeting, the arab spring started in the haria market in damascus. >> the uprising of the syrian people was a secular one. one of its slogans was "wahed, wahed, wahed." >> smith: one, one, one? >> one, one, one. "we are united." >> this is an uprising of the syrian people against a dictatorship. >> wahed, wahed, wahed! >> smith: within a matter of weeks, tens of thousands more syrians joined the protests. ambassado

damascus international inspectors found traces of sarin gas and a nerve agent on the sites. samples taken from experts in december and january tested positive. it comes with increased regime attacks in civilian areas, the latest of which was a chlorine attack reported in idlib province, more than 70% were affected. >> we believe the factual record was straightforward and devastating in terms of syrian regime use. as a factual matter, it is true that no one in the international system is mandated to establish attribution for the attacks, and we need to fix that. >> away from the fighting, in the southern city, the opposition is restoring historical sites that have been damaged during the war. the project involves local organisations is aimed at cleaning and restoring the town that has a castle and a roman theatre. a ray of hope in a province that a new life without war may be possible. >>> still ahead, three people are killed as one of air buses newest military planes crashes in spain, and why mount everest sherpas are worried about their livelihood in the aftermath of the ne

it's considered a strategic supply route north of damascus and syrian opposition fighters know it.nusra front do not want them to distract fighters from other areas against i.s.i.l. and the syrian government the the group's fighters are adamant about maintaining control in areas. the syrian air force targeted positions to prevent inters understandings. the government denied losing ground and rebel gains prompt rare acknowledgment of setback and promises it raise the moral of troops. god willing we see them in the hospital continuing the battle to eradd cade terrorism. >> in neighbouring lebanon funerals were held killed during the battles. >> it's inflicted losses on syrian opposition fighters and promised to clear the area. the battle is near the divided part of lebanon, and is a cause for concern for others. the political parties say it's worried that hezbollah's advances could drag the army into syria's war. >> intervention by the lebanese force outside the country creates a threat for the army itself and for the society. the syrian opposition says it does not want to across the

the syrian military head of logistics has escaped a rebel attack on his life in damascus and injurede bomb attack, two body guards and to civilians are also wounded. [gunfire] israeli riot police have fought with black israelis during a protest against police brutality and race racism and says the protests exposed an open bleeding wound and that the country must respond to the grievances. to nepal now where more than 7300 people have died following that earthquake. local volunteers and police have recovered 100 bodies of people buried in an avalanche triggered by the quake and how the aid effort to reach survivors is beginning to pick up. >> reporter: the international aid effort is in full swing at kathmandu airport, it's working at full capacity. much needed tents and medical supplies are on their way to victims of the quake. >> we set up a hospital and 20 bed capacity or so for general care or so and to have some mobile activity near the mountain. >> reporter: nepal's government is under pressure accused of taxing aid coming in lack of coordination and a continuing slow response t

last week the army of islam paraded on the outskirts of the capital wait to go secure damascus once the regime is toppled. in the north they're focused on the strong held of assad. activists say that barrel bombs and chemical attacks have increased in northern syria following major gains by the opposition in idleb province. around 200 regime soldiers are in this hospital in the suburb of i had lip after rebels recaptured this city. >> and this was the result of another government barrel bomb attack in aleppo. this republic was a school building which despite all the fighting in fighting in fighting in the city that was till open. rescuers are going through the debris but they believe that many of the dead are children. >> i urge all syrians to turn the storm towards syria. we cannot take this any more. >> the syrian opposition political leaders have been following the campaign in yemen led by saudi arabia. they're calling for similar military action against the syrian regime to diminish and defeat assad's forces. >> coming up next on al jazeera, people in london are saying that they're

accusations dismissed by the leadership in damascus. last month, united nations security council ambassadors were shown this video. doctors trying to revive three child victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack. it was too late. rebels say chemical attacks have increased in northern syria, following major gains by the opposition in idlib province. this is a military parade on the outskirts of damascus, the biggest show of syrian rebels only weeks after capturing the city of idlib. the army of islam is tasked once the regime of bashar al-assad is toppled. >> translator: today we stand united against the iranians, they want to establish a syrian state here, and i can assure you we will defeat them. >> army of conquest to capture idlib. now their people are set on attack here. is the u.s. has in the past refrained from arming syrian opposition fighters. it was concerned about weapons landing in the hands of groups like the nusra front. but nusra is now joining moderate groups in their fight to repel i.s.i.l. from syria. is saudi arabia, q

if the area falls into opposition hands, damascus would be next. it could cut off bashar al-assad at hits strong hold from the north-west of the capital. they say they are gaining the upper hand with few losses on the battlefield. 40 hezbollah fighters were killed before announcing a strategic withdrawal from the area. the army of groups leading the fighting is one of many part of a new group. hezbollah deployed 85% to fight in syria, leaving 15 rz on the border with israel. and damascus inspectors found traces of sarin gas and a nerve agent on the sites. samples taken from experts in december and january tested positive. it comes with increased regime attacks, the latest of which was an attack in idlib province, more than 70% were affected. >> we believe the factual record was straightforward and devastating in terms of regime use. as a factual matter, it is true that no one is mandated to establish attribution for the attacks, and we need to fix that. >> away from the fighting, in the southern city, the opposition is restoring historical signs th

is sending a delegation to damascus. the organization wants alternatives to a military operation to relieve the suffering. the damascus government wanted some armed groups to expel opposition groups from yarmouk. the p.l.o. doesn't want to be drawn in the conflict, but regardless of its stance, the government is unlikely to stop its offensive. yarmouk is at the door steps of the center of the government's seat of power. >> a while ago i spoke to the head of the palestinian league for human rights in syria who was actually born in the yarmouk camp. he made the point that attacks have been going on for years. >> it has been going on for two and a half years since 2013. we are now walking into the third year of this cat free. >> what can be done at this point, is the most important thing to stop the fighting or get a humanitarian corridor. i guess ultimately both is what you want. >> i believe that the united nations three points machine which was announced a couple of days ago i think 10 days ago was a comprehensive machin

accusations dismissed by the leadership in damascus. last month united nations security council ambassadors were shown this video. doctors trying to revive three child victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack. it was too late. rebels say chemical attacks increased in northern syria, following gains by the opposition in idlib. this is a military parade on the outskirts of the capital damascus. the biggest show of force by syrian rebels weeks after they captured the city of idlib. the army of islam is tasked with securing the capital once of regime of bashar al-assad is toppled. >> translation: today we stand united against the iranians. they want to spread their influence, they want a persian state established here. i assure you we will fight and defeat them >>> across the country rebels are shifting tactics. factions are merging under the army of conquest to capture idlib. now their eyes are set on latakia. bashar al-assad's stronghold. the u.s. has in the past reframed from arming syrian opposition fighters. they were concerned about

the camp on the outskirts of damascus was bombed overnight on friday. thousands fled the camp when armed groups entered it months ago. >> a reported helicopter attack dropping chlorine bombs have been reported. >> medics wash the body of a man they say was exposed to chlorine gas. syrian activists say the government dropped barrels containing the toxic gas on the town. it's the second alleged chemical attack on the town this week and it's not the first time the syrian opposition has raised concerns. in 2013, united nations investigators confirmed the use of sarin nerve agent outside the capitol damascus without establishing who carried out the attack. the u.s. and many other governments have accused bashar al assad of attacking the people with chemical weapons accusations dismissed by the leaders in damascus. last month united nations security council ambassadors were shown this video. doctors are trying to revive three child victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack. it was too late. rebels say chemical attacks have increased in northern syria followi

waiting to secure damascus once the regime is toppled. in the north armed affection merged to capture idlib now they are focused on attacking the stronghold of president assad. activists say barrel bomb and chemical attacks have increased in syria. around 200 regime soldiers are said to have been sheltering in this hospital, after syrian rebels recaptured the city. and this was the result of another government barrel bomb attack in aleppo. this rubble was a school building which despite all the fighting in the city was still open. rescuers have been digging through debris but they believe many of the dead and injured are children. >> translator: i urge king salman i urge him on behalf of

we have the report. >> reporter: residents of the district of damascus say they heard two explosions in an area controlled by the syrian military. major general mohammed eade was injured. he's the head of logistics. >> they were using awe suicide bomb other a bike. it were followed by other clashes, which could indicate noer group of rebels that tried to take the general. >> reporter: the attack has been claimed by the nozra front that changed tactics and joins other groups in the fight against president assad and his forces. last week the army of islam paraded on the outskirts of the capital waiting to secure damascus once the regime is toppled. in the north armed factions americaninged under the army of conquest to capture idlib. now they're focused on the stronghold of president assad. they say barrel bombs and attacks have increased in northern syria. around 200 regime soldiers are said to be sheltered in this hospital in a suburb after syrian rebels recaptured the city. this was the result of another government barrel bomb attack in aleppo. this rebel was a school building, whic

. >> reporter: as fighting intensifies in the yarmouk camp south of damascus i.s.i.l. fighters scream rallying cries. showcasing to the world how they are closer than ever to syria's seat of power. on syrian state television the message couldn't be more contradictory. a bombastic montage and message - whether by land air or sea, the armed forces are as strong as ever. in syria, the propaganda war raged almost as long as the actual war. listen to president bashar al-assad and he vowed to vanning wish the enemies of syria. in order for us to have our

they are near damascus.f we thought they were about ready to march into into damascus, what would we do? ambassador power: we are fighting isil. that is something we are seeking to avoid. not only their advances. rollback the territory they have taken. we are not just fighting them in iraq. also, in syria. there needs to be a ground presence, a ground force contesting isil. that is why getting these recruits into syria and making sure they have the equipment -- charlie: have we stopped people crossing the turkish border? is the turkish president doing it? ambassador power: we have seen strides. the awareness that has been raised about foreign terrorist fighters. all of that is for the good. we still have a big foreign terrorist fighter flow. the borders are more porous than we can afford them to be. there needs to be more prosecution of people moving in and out. we have seen countries that suffer attacks, lone wolf attacks or attacks that seem to be more orchestrated by isil command. we see those countries p

and the palestinian liberation organization plo is sending a delegation to damascus the organizationo find alternatives to a military solution to relieve the suffering of serious palestinians. the damascus government wanted some pal tin yanukovich armed groups to conduct operations with its forces to expel opposition groups from yarmuk plo doesn't want to be drawn in the conflict but regardless of its stance the government is unlikely to stop its offensivement yarmuk is at the doorsteps at the government seat of power paul with al jazeera. >>> i.s.i.l. fighters claimed responsibility for a twin bombs which killed 13 people in the iraqi capitol baghdad. bombs went off minutes apart in a popular commercial area. and the first was a suicide car bomb that detonated near a restaurant and cafes filled with customers. a second bomb struck in the same neighborhood. at least 20 police officers have been injured in clashes with israel's jewish ethiopian minority in tel aviv and violence broke out as thousands marched against police brutality and racism and triggered by a video clip showing pol

they're growing you said they're near damascus. damascus. isil has a presence there, court conhas a presence there, right. >> yes. >> rose: if we thought they were ready to march into damascus, what would we do? >> well, we are fighting isil. so that is something that we are seeking to avoid not only their advances but we're also seeking to roll back the territory that they've taken in syria already. we're not only fighting isil and iraq, we're also fighting in syria. there needs to be a ground presence, a ground force also contesting isil and that's why there's a program getting these troops, getting them into syria, making sure they have the equipment. >> rose: have we stopped people from coming through the turkish border to join isil. >> the united states is not maintaining a border. >> rose: i'm asking, are they better? >> turkey, yes, i think we've seen strides and against the awareness that's been raised about foreign terrorist fighters and the spread sharing a meeting with the security council creating an interim. all of that is good

accusations dismissed by the leadership in damascus. last month united nations security council ambassadors were shown the video. doctors trying to revive three victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack. it was too late. >> rebels say chemical attacks increased in northern syria following gains by the opposition in idlib province. that is a military par i had on the outskirts of damascus. the biggest show of force by syrian rebels weeks after capturing the city of idlib. the army is tasked of securing the capital once it's toppled. >> translation: we stand united. they want to spread influence and have a persian state established. i assure you we'll fight and defeat them. across the country rebels are shifting tactics. in the north armed factions merged under the army of congrestes to capture idlib. now the eyes are set on latakia. >> the huss has in the past reframed from arming the fight pers. -- fighters. they were concerned about the weapons landing in the hands of an al qaeda affiliate. nusra is joining. saudi arabia qatar and tur

. >> and click -- it could clear the way for the islamic extremist to advance toward damascus as well as key cities in the south. it's just one of a series of major vans is the group has made in both syria and iraq this week. >> they are able to launch several attacks at the same time in different strategic points. so the success they just one yesterday is a bit frightening because they show their ability to win. >> syrian state leaders say pro-government forces have been forced from the region. most of these 70,000 strong population of palmyra has also been evacuated. >> [please stand by] represents --palmyra represents another stunning group -- victory for the group. >> this is not necessarily a long-term trend. it's just too very symbolic victories with material consequences in both cases in iraq and syria. and they do strengthen the i.s. position in syria. first with palmyra, it's almost exactly in the geographical center of the country. that can be used to launch attacks in the direction of homs to the west, and damascus to the southwest. the other places on the map daraa in the

damascus is a strategic base. this is why it does all it can to protect the capital. in order to maintain a stril on the operations on the ground. everything that is possible we do to defeat them. >> in the north armed factions merged under the army of conquest to capture idlib. they are focussed on latakia's strong hold. barrel bomb and chemical attacks have increased following gains by the operation in idlib. around 200 soldiers are said to be sheltering in the hospital. in a suburb of idlib after syrian rebels recaptured the city. this was the result of another government barrel bomb attack in aleppo. this was a school building which, despite the fighting in the city was open. rescuers have been digging through the debris. they leave many of the dead and injured are children. >> i urge king salman on behalf of all syrians to turn the decisive storm to syria, we cannot take this any more. opposition leaders have been following the campaign in yemen led by saudi arabia. and are calling for military action against the regime to diminish and receive bashar al-assad's f

. >> isis might have sympathy in damascus but damascus was held by the government in damascus. isis operates in a different way sometimes. all lots of isis members don't say they are isis members. if you don't have a lot of jihad is a man to nietzsche that does not mean they don't have a problem. they might have a problem. it depends on how isis shares in the future. i think isis continues to exist, prove to be resilient it will continue to grow. the first target is jihadis sympathizers in north africa at. they don't have -- they think their interest is still with al qaeda. quince isis established itself not only as a resilient group but asonce isis established itself not only as a resilient group but as an ideology, established ideology and the financial model it might gain ground in north africa and different parts of the world. the process of isis growth is still on, still growing. i don't think it is being defeated as you hear in the headlines. isis has been contained in some parts of iraq and syria. they have been rolled back in areas. they were targeting kurds in kurdish

regime is toppled, and despite the difficulties are the fighters are determined to succeed. >>> damascus remains a strategic base. this is why it does all it can do protect the capital all together and, in order to maintain the operations on the ground. but we're doing all we can and everything that is possible, in order to defeat them. >>> in the north armed facts emerged, to capture it, and now, the stronghold of the president, and chemical attacks have increased in northern syria, followed by major gains around 200 soldiers are said to be sheltering in this hospital, after syrian remember me bells recaptured the city. >>> and this was a result another government barrel bomb attack. this rubble was a school building which despite all the fighting was still open. rescuers have been digging through and, they believe, many of the dead and injured are children. >>> i urge him on behalf of all syrian to turn the storm towards syria, we cannot take this any more. >>> political opposition leaders have been following the campaign in yes yemen and they're calling for similar action against syri

isil is now on the outskirts of damascus.hile anybody would be very concerned about having isil on the outskirts of your city center, the regime response has been to use, just in the last week, aerial bombardment against a palestinian refugee camp. it is not the case the regime is fighting i sosil nowhere but it is absolutely the case that their priority target has been moderate opposition over terrorists. charlie: now they are trying to make the argument it is either us or i isil. ambassador power: we need everybody to throw their weight until we get a political solution, which throws their collective weight against isil until that happens, we will not be joining forces against the true threat to the syrian people. charlie: how are these discussions taking place? how do you talk to him about some relationship, some possibility of transition? if you say to him, you can no longer remain in power, that is not an incentive to negotiate. what is his incentive to negotiate? survival? something else? how do you convince him he has

against a regime in damascus that it doesn't like. because of its alliance with iran and russia. what is the role of saudi arabia? >> it is been consistent from the beginning. he wanted to cialis thrown out and was given funding and arms to anyone who would do that. does it wanted to cialis on thrown out and was giving funding and arms to anyone who would do that. it gave the supplies to people like that. [indiscernible] nermeen: what you think accounts for the fact he was policy is to put in iraq that it is from syria? >> as i said, they want the regime in damascus to fall because of its relationship with iran, it support for hezbollah and its alliance with russia. it wants the regime to go. in baghdad, they want the regimes [indiscernible] these two regimes in baghdad and damascus or the posted -- forces opposed to the islamic front in the atomic front once to overthrow both of them. until there is a court nation forces from the syrian army and the west, the iraqi army and the kurds in east to have a coherent strategy to squeeze the islamists, the war will go on and on. amy: th

. >> reporter: as fighting intensifies in the yarmouk camp south of damascus i.s.i.l. fighters scream rallying cries. showcasing to the world how they are closer than ever to syria's seat of power. on syrian state television the message couldn't be more contradictory. a bombastic montage and message - whether by land air or sea, the armed forces are as strong as ever. in syria, the propaganda war raged almost as long as the actual war. listen to president bashar al-assad and he vowed to vanning wish the enemies of syria. in order for us to have our victory, we must have faith in our troops. we surely do. >> listen to opposition fighters and they swear the same - nothing less than total victory. a rebel alliance claims it is consolidating positions in idlib and moving forward. they say their recent advances against syrian forces made them for confident, and they'll fight on. >> translation: we are not murderers, we are not criminals, we might those that fight us. the battle doesn't ends. the allo wight birth place of bashar al-assad clan. we'll continue the focus on dam

it's the main supply line from lebanon and damascus. and as the top commander made it that the survival is linked to the existence of hezbollah and lebanon. having the strategic route and supply line on the border particularly this area makes it of important strategic importance that whom controls the area would put the risk deployed forces of hezbollah. thank you so much for your analysis on that. >>> voting is underway in the u.k. general election in what can be the tightest political race in years. laurence lee is at westminster for us. how are things shaping up in terms of voter turn out. >> yes, it's a lovely sunny day and the weather forecast is good around the country. the polls are each at 6 g.m.t., 7 o'clock local time and will stay open for 15 hours. 2100. most of the leaders got out early and voted. our reports of turn out in what could be high profile places is high. the last election was 65%, and it may be higher than that. it could be an intriguing election. we can't say much else about it because of the rules governing br

is sending a delegation to damascus. the organization wants to find alternatives to a military solution to relieve the suffering of syrian's palestinians. the damascus government wanted some palestinian armed groups to conduct operations with its forces to expel opposition groups from yarmouk. the p.l.o. doesn't want to be drawn into the conflict. the government is unlikely to stop its offensive. yarmouk is at the door steps of the center of the government's seat of power. al jazeera. june at least 13 people have been killed in two explosions in the iraqi capitol baghdad. those bombs went off just minutes apart in a popular commercial area. the first was a suicide car bomb that designated near cafes. the second bomb struck in the same neighborhood. baghdad has witnessed a spike in bombing in the past week. >> in nepal a 100-year-old man has been pulled alive from the rubble. the only international airport has stopped accepting large jets because of a backlog of aid flights. there is growing concern that badly needed supp

government planes struck six barrel bombs on a refugee camp and the camp is south of the capitol damascuso some 6,000 palestinian refugees. kenya's interior ministry says a policeman has been killed and four others by suspected al-shabab and the somali earlier claimed to killed 25 police officers in the village. government leaders in burundi say they will not vow to international criticism of the president's controversial bid for a third term. a protesters against the president has been killed after police opened fire in burundi province. protesters spreading to more areas of the capitol and our reporter harry is in one of them. >> reporter: dramatically this area is and has been tense. people on the streets protesting. the police then came in with guns and tear gas to protect themselves people picked up rocks and started throwing them on to the streets. the people opened fire and used tear gas and got the upper hand. but people started coming back and put cars there along the roads to protect themselves. this is how they stopped the police coming on foot or vehicles in areas of their nei

is sending a delegation to damascus.ization wants to find alternatives to a military solution to relieve the suffering of syria's palestinians. paul, al jazerra. >>> in nepal more than 7,000 people are noun known to have died and more than 14,000 injured in last week's devastating earthquake. local volunteers and rescue workers have started reopening roads and providing aid to remote him rain an himalayan regions cut off for days, bodies of 100 trekkers burdenburied in an an laugh have been recovered and a 100-year-old man was pulled out of the debris after eight days, he's in stable condition, he was found in the rubble of his home. >>> i want national aid teams have started reaching some of the more remote areas of nepal that have beens cuts been cut off. now we have an exclusive report. >> reporter: the village is tiny. the devastation massive. >> translator: i still haven't been able to comprehend what happened he says. and how we'll recover from this disaster. >> reporter: in eastern district approximately 50-kilome

if it loses there damascus and coastal region would be under threat but for now i.s.i.l.ols the land between palmyra to ramadi. it's led by shia malitias. >> translator: sunni politicians who want the tribes to be armed a long time ago are now calling for a new strategy. >> translator: today and bar has fallen and has significance because it's the third of the iraqi area and the province expelled al-qaeda years ago and not just and bar but a disaster with respect to iraq and the region and this is unacceptable and capacity of iraqs is very limited and should be a new strategic plan for iraq and the international coalition forces to terminate i.s.i.l. in iraq. >> reporter: in syria the u.s. led coalition doesn't have any partner on the ground. it doesn't recognize the government's legitimacy. over resent months i.s.i.l. may have been on the defensive. that has now changed. dana with al jazeera, baghdad. >>> elsewhere in syria activists in aleppo providence say at least 12 people have been killed after government helicopters bombed the province and in idlib the siege by reb

. >> reporter: as fighting intensifies in the yarmouk camp south of duh damascus, isil fighters scream rallying cries. showcasing to the world how close they are to power. on sear general state television though, the mess inning couldn't are pro contradictory. i bombastic montage and message. whereby land, air or sea the countries armed forces are as strong as ever. in syria the propaganda war has raged almost as long as the actual war. listen to president bashar al-assad and he vow to his advantage wish the enemies of syria. >> translator: in order for us to have our victory we must have faith in our troops and we surely do. >> reporter: listen to opposition fighters and they swear the same. nothing less than total victory. one rebel alliance called. [ inaudible ] claims it's consolidating positions if idlib and moving forward. they say they are recent advances against syrian forces have only made them more beyond confident and thai they'll fight on. >> translator: we are not murderers or criminals we fight against those that fight us, we fight against tyranny. the battle doesn't end

in syria as paul pointed out, palmyra will lead them to homs to damascus.hey were in damascus about a month ago in the palestinian refugee camp and expelled. i would expect to see their presence return to the capital in syria now. >> quick final word to you, paul as we are talking today about defense secretary ash carter's comments that when it comes to ramadi the iraqi military essentially gave up who was his audience in your view when he said that? >> well i think he was just sort of stating facts. obviously perhaps not particularly diplomatic in a certain amount of fence mending going on today from the white house, the vice president, but clearly the iraqi army basically gave up in ramadi and one of the reasons for that is what michael was talking about is the fact that isis are massacring people putting out all these brutal horrific videos well the iraqi soldiers in ramadi don't want to be on the receiving end of that and so it's not, perhaps, surprising that they turned and fled from the city. >> paul cruickshank, thank you so much. michael weis thank

palmyra capture is significant and it opens new routes for isis toward the capital of damascus. this comes after ramadi here in iraq. this is a very significant victory. isis is bogging the iraqi security forces down at this stage. at least those capable of standing up and fighting it in the back and forth running battles and sporadic attacks as they try to prevent isis from pushing further east to the capital. the iraqi government scrambling reinforcements or trying to the very different frontlines that exist in anbar province. saying it will arm the sunni tribes. the u.s. will certainly be forced to try to re assess the strategy when it comes to dealing with isis in iraq and syria syria. clearly at this stage, despite the stages when iraq was ableable to capture tikrit, isis is capable of emerging stronger. >> and taking two towns and two important towns in just five days. thank you for that arwa damon. >>> republican leaders are laying the blame for at the feet of president obama. they claim his failed foreign policies a problem for the u.s. they are looking to bring troops t

fighters have been battling for control of the strategic al al kalamoon area near dac am damascus. if it holds, the area will be cut off from the capitol. >>> an anti-government groups in syria have increasingly gained the upper hand in the last few weeks with the capture of key towns from the north in idlib prove incident. more from the turkish syrian border. >> the area is deserted. they talk an alliance of anti-government groups just three days to take the city from government forces after a stand-off of three years. almost all of idlib prove incident in northwestern syria is now under the control of this alliance that calls itself the conquest army. it includes the powerful al nusra front and al ra al sham. >> in the last few months we tried hard to take the area but we weren't coordinated or prepared. now, after all the group is united, we took the town. >> most of the residents have fled or are leaving, it's the strategic significance of this city that really matters. >> controlling the airlines we can cut the government supply roads from lataki on the west coast and from her

and hezbollah is retreating and focusing on very small portion in the damascus and the area.y are busy after the victories the rebels have accomplished over the last few weeks. >> you're talking about victories but not so much when it comes to innocent people i mean the amnesty international just released a report about the atrocities committed by both the rebel forces and the government why is that going on? i mean how can you talk about peace when innocent people are being killed at such a rate? >> well you have to be very careful talking about amnesty reports and i'm for it and you have to go specifically to the report and say the amnesty documents, there are violations human rights violations that are committed on individual bases by some rebel groups and clear against those however no rule of law. what you have with assad regime is systematic with a systematic government killing people and committing atrocities. at the end what you have in syria is a war and there is no rule of law and that is the reality we are dealing with unfortunately with war there are casualties an

i don't think you will see the damascus forces of bash iral assad much longer. perhaps until the end of the year. >> you think by 2016, isis, will in fact hold the territory of the government of syria? >> what i am suggesting is that i don't think the government of bashir al assad will be in power at the end of the year hat this rate. >> now to saudi arabia where at least 21 people are dead after a suicide bomber blew himself of at a shiite mosque. shiites are a minority in the predominantly sunni kingdom. isis has claimed responsibility, via twitter. if their claim is true, this would be a rare attack by the terror group inside saudi arabia. worshippers were in the middle of prayers when this bomb went off. so far, no details on how many were wounded. >>> british taxi driver convicted of making roadside bombs during the height of the iraqi insurgency learned his sentence for killing an american soldier. frederick plankin reports on the long, pain staining investigation which could serve as a message to other bomb builders. >> reporter: showing no emotions when

happened in the city of al rastan 120 miles from damascus. video shows smoke rising above the city, al jazeera's mohamed janjun reports on the battle between the government and the rentals. >> reporter: as fighting intensifies in the yarmouk camp, they scream their battle cries. showcasing to the world how they're closer than ever to syria's seat of power. on syrian state television though, the message couldn't be more contradictory. a bombastic montage and message whether by land, air or sea the country's armed forces are as strong as ever. in syria the propaganda war has raged almost as long as the actual war. listen to president bashar al-assad and he vows to vanquish the enemies of syria. >> translator: in order for us to have our victory we must have faith in our troops and we surely do. >> listen to opposition fighters and they swear the same. nothing less than total victory. one rebel alliance claims it's consolidateing positions in idlib and moving forward. only played them more confident and they -- only made them more confident and

. >>> in a separate area near damascus at least 15 syrian soldiers were killed. dozens of soldiers were also injured. >>> well antigovernment groups say that they are making more gains in syria. bernard smith has more now on that story from the turkish syrian border. >> this is desserted talk an alliance of 18th government group just three days to take this city from government forces after a standoff of three years. almost all of idlib province in northwestern syria is now under the control of this alliance that calls itself the conquest army. it includes the powerful al nusra front and affrar el sham. >> in the last months we tried to take just al shegura bus buttra but we couldn't. now allied we could. >> it's what really matters controlling jushra shahur, idlib, from here we can launch assaults towards the coastal areas. >> reporter: those coastal areas are the heart land of the minority alloite community to which the president bashar al-assad belongs. the main port in syria and along with damascus is one of the most important government-held areas in the cou

last week the army of islam paraded once to secure damascus once the regime is toppled. in the north armed force he marched to capture idlib. now they're fowked on the attack of president assad. barrel bomb and chemical attacks have increased in northern syria, following gains in idlib province. around 200 soldiers are said to be sheltering in this hospital after syrian rebels recaptured the city. and this was the result of another government barrel bomb attack in aleppo. this rubble was a school building which despite all the fighting in the city was still open. rescuers have been digging through debris but they believe many of the dead and injured are children. >> translator: i urge king salman i urge him on behalf of all syrians to turn the desizive storm towards syria. we cannot take this anymore. >> also following campaign in yemen, calling for similar military action against syrian regime to defeat assad's forces. victoria gatenby, al jazeera syria. >> accusing the government of targetingtargeting en masse. morgan radford has more. >> a fran i tick search for wound

any major gains by rebels close to the damascus highway would constitute a real threat to the syrian government. there have been talks about countries providing air cover and possibly antiaircraft missiles to rebels in southern syria. reports suggest this would have to be led from jordan. for the rebels a no fly zone has been a long standing demand, but not something they've been promised. >> we promise syrians in the world that the regime will not last more than a month without a no fly zone. antiaircraft missiles, these are mere reports. >> with saudi arabia's attention diverted to the conflict in yemen and jordan's reservations about backing syrian rabbles, it is greed that an intervention in syria is a remote possibility. >> there's been heavy fighting along syria's border with lebanon. the assad regime ally hezbollah and rebels have been battling for control of the area. our correspondent is in the valley along the lebanon-syria border. omar, tell us what is happening not far from you in calamoun. >> it's over 40 kilometers from where in. in the early hours of the morning, there

the loss of this city would open the road to the capitol, damascus and to homms.taying in syrian at least five people were killed after a government airstrike in duma close to damascus. children were among the victims. more than 25 people were injured. let lebanon's hezbollah group says it has made progress against oppositions. they say 13 fighters have been killed since the battle began. hezbollah and syria government forces have been united against the country's armed opinionposition fighters. >> the opposition group suffered a stunning defeat. they have been expelled. >> fight materials a stronghold just 100 kilometers from baghdad. from the capital zeina hodr reports reports. >> all right. the iraqi military says it's fighting back. it has released this video of what it says are aerial attacks. the government has promised a tough response. it it is promising to recapture lost territory in anbar's provincial capitol. on the ground there isn't much evidence that security forces are on the offensive. many say it will not be an easy fight unless there is a clear s