around aleppo and idlib.oming from everywhere. that was ismail alabdullah of the white helmets in syria. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. here are live with bbc news. the masterchef presenter, gregg wallace, has been criticised for saying the complaints about his alleged misconduct have come from a "handful of middle—class women of a certain age". gregg wallace stepped aside from presenting masterchef last week after a bbc news investigation revealed allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and behaviour, which he denies. here's our culture correspondent, noor nanji. the comments by gregg wallace over the weekend that the allegations came from a handful of middle—class women of a certain age have provoked a very big response. some of his accusers have criticised his response. one said, "the comment showed he clearly hasn't learned his lesson." while another said, "he wrongly seems to be saying he is the victim of classism." wallace has also posted on social media screenshots of suppor

around aleppo and idlib.world and across the uk. this is bbc news. they include... a masterchef worker in 2005 who says wallace said sexually explicit things on set. kirsty wark, who says wallace used sexualised language on celebrity masterchef in 2011. two workers on impossible celebrities in 2018 who raised a formal complaint about wallace�*s behaviour. a worker on big weekends in 2019, who says wallace asked her the logistics of how she had sex as a lesbian. two workers on eat well for less in 2019, who say wallace came out topless in front of them. a worker on masterchef in 2019 who says wallace stared at her chest and asked for a massage. we�*ve heard allegations right up to 2022, and more claims have since emerged, including from the presenter kirstie allsopp, who said he made inappropriate remarks. gregg, who i�*d never met before, was there with his partner. i think she was a new partner at the time. and i�*d been chatting to her and she left the room, and he made a reference to something they did in

to the entire country.— have already done in idlib to the entire country.hat you talk _ the entire country. this pivot that you talk about, - the entire country. this pivot that you talk about, moving l that you talk about, moving away from ias and al-qaeda, is this key to how he has managed to galvanise the various rebel factions to fight for one because here? definitely, that's part _ because here? definitely, that's part of _ because here? definitely, that's part of the - because here? definitely, that's part of the reason l because here? definitely, i that's part of the reason why he disavowed and broke from al-qaeda is they wanted to create a unified front against the regime and one of the things that was hindering him was the fact that many other rebel groups felt that them being a part of al-qaeda would hurt their ability to do this because then they would all be under pressure from a potential affiliation with al-qaeda and therefore that is part of the story of why they did it alongside some other internal issues and since then we have seen them bui

how co-ordinated i idlib province. how co-ordinated are i idlib province.are the rebel co—ordinated are the rebel forces that are now taking the fight to assad? it forces that are now taking the fight to assad?— fight to assad? it seems they are fairly well _ fight to assad? it seems they are fairly well co-ordinated, i fight to assad? it seems they | are fairly well co-ordinated, a are fairly well co—ordinated, a variety of different groups taking part, some of them are secular, supported mainly by turkiye. others are offshoots of radical islamist �*s, including the old al-qaeda formation. it seems to me they are working together relatively cohesively. and i think that has always been a problem for assad, in that a union of the hostile forces ranged against him, is something is constant he tried to avoid, and certainly actively used his proxies to try and prevent stop you mentioned turkiye. fiend proxies to try and prevent stop you mentioned turkiye. and the fact the rebel _ you mentioned turkiye. and the fact the rebel groups _ you mentioned turkiye. and t

idlib. syria, run by the islamist group hayat tahrir al—sham. hts is now in power in syria, and trying to take its way of governing to the entire country. this is the ccu. this doctor moved from aleppo early in the war, and has witnessed all the changes in idlib since hts took control in 2017, including this hospital, set up in an old warehouse. when hts came to us, we see a lot of development in idlib. we have a lot of things that we didn't have in the assad regime. we have a college of medicine, we have the college of pharmacy, we have college of architectures. here, they run an economy like any country. they tax goods, border crossings and trade and run telecommunication and energy companies. the income allows them to provide public services and fund their military operations. we tried to interview a local official, but were told all of them had gone to damascus to help in the formation of the new government. hts has its roots in al-qaeda, and is considered a terrorist organisation by the

thousands of people have been displaced, fleeing aleppo and areas around idlib.es suddenly upended by this escalation in syria's civil war. translation: we are following the battle news and god willing | the regime will fall. we count night and day to return as the kids are tired and shocked. we left and came here in our clothes and nothing else. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise. a devastating blow to the assad regime. the rebels continue their advance, but here the city is coming to terms with a new normal. some are fearful of the anti—government rebels, but so far people continue with their daily lives. and for those driven out by previous battles, a chance to come home. translation: i returned to aleppo after it was liberated, after we were driven out. i came back to experience thisjoy, to witness its greatness, its old neighbourhoods cleaned up after being desecrated by the assad regime and its collaborators. it isn't clear if the insurgents can hold on to the territory captured, but they have exposed the weakness of bashar al—assad's ru

aleppo is 70 kilometres on the northeast of idlib, their stronghold, and they are saying now they areards hama which is 100 kilometres southwest of idlib and it is on the way to damascus, the capital damascus, but the army troops are saying they are still in hama and they didn't leave the city, so there are contradicting reports about the situation of their advance itself. ~ ., situation of their advance itself. ~ . ., itself. meanwhile, there have been air strikes _ itself. meanwhile, there have been air strikes from - itself. meanwhile, there have been air strikes from russian | been air strikes from russian and syrian forces. what has that effect been on the area? it was in the last few hours, there was strikes, russian strikes and strikes from the government troops from against these places in aleppo and also parts of idlib and the areas that these opposition are saying they are trying to control. there is that amount of counter resistance from the russian forces and from the syrian forces but this did not apparently prevent the opposition from advancing and from getting more land

that time they also destroyed all of the islamic state sales in the area they were controlling in idlibnew branch there as well. it is a complicated issue because even though they are no longer a part of the global jihadi movement, they still ruled idlib like an authoritarian regime since they are still conservative islamists. we have seen some optimism on the streets of serious —— syria's capital that hts has moved away from its jihadist past but as you've been describing it, is it too soon to assume that? i do think so. in the past we have seen abu mohammed al—jolani pivot at various points, whether it was from isis in 2013, al-qaeda in 2016, beginning to build institutions, reforming the military, reaching out to minorities a couple of years ago for the first time so it is possible that we could be seeing a new pivot and also the fact that now, not only they are in control of idlib, which is more a conservative area of the country versus aleppo, damascus, very cosmopolitan cities. not only they have greater percentages of minorities but they are also secular muslims beyond just relig

leader mohammed al—jolani was the first time using his real name recently, has been in control of idlibebel stronghold for many years and what they have done with idlib is that they have tried to run it like a mini state within a state, they have tried to present themselves as capable governors or de facto authority in that region. hts, as you said, used to be al-qaeda's affiliate in syria but they broke ties with al-qaeda in 2016 and as razan said earlier, they have notjust recently signalled their separation from thejihadist in changing their rhetoric, this has been going on for many years, since 2016. initially that separation from al-qaeda was seen as a cosmetic move, change of name, but over the years, hts turned their guns against al-qaeda. at some point the two groups clashed in syria and they help marginalise al-qaeda's presence and the presence of foreign fighters in syria, so they have been trying for years, really, to get some kind of recognition, trying to appeal to locals as well as regional powers. and, as hts moved away from al-qaeda, al—jolani has changed his appearance

the hospital in idlib city was among several healthcare facilities targeted.n airstrikes.

giuliani did not have a political position in idlib. he was leading from behind.is political role a bit more now that he's in damascus.— bit more now that he's in damascus. . , ., damascus. that is the other ma'or damascus. that is the other major challenge, _ damascus. that is the other major challenge, that - damascus. that is the other major challenge, that it's i damascus. that is the other l major challenge, that it's now a patchwork of different rebel forces, some of them controlling territory. how hard is not going to be to meld them together in a cohesive force? is not going to be to meld them together in a col it's ie force? is not going to be to meld them together in a col it's what :e? is not going to be to meld them together in a col it's what he behind. perhaps it's what he wanted to do, although i suspect he would have to formalise this political role a bit more now that he's in damascus.— bit more now that he's in damascus. . , ., damascus. that is the other ma'or damascus. that is the other major challenge, _ damascus. that is the other major chall

in idlib, they created the fighting force that has finally destroyed the assad regime.l—assad was embraced by crown prince mohammed bin salman, the most powerful arab leader, and readmitted to the arab league. assad repeated the regime's old boast, that syria was the beating heart of arabism. he must have hoped that rehabilitation was sealing his victory. instead, when the rebels pushed out of idlib, his regime collapsed in less than a fortnight. jeremy bowen, bbc news. global leaders and officials have been reacting to the fall of damascus and asad's flight to moscow. the un security council said it will hold close consultations on syria on monday, and russia's request, and us presidentjoe biden has called the fall of the assad regime a moment of historic opportunity, while saying there remains a and uncertainty. at long last the assad regime has fallen. this regime brutalised and tortured and killed literally hundreds of thousands of innocent syrians. the fall is a monumental act of justice will stop it is a moment of opportunity for the long—suffering people of syria

in a global language] >> reporter: "i was born and raised in idlib," she says.nce the beginning of the revolution, we have not had any terrorism, and we have not had any problem with any sect." and the biden administration has said it will consider recognizing the new syrian government, if it renounces terrorism and protects the rights of women and minorities, but incoming trump officials say "the jury is still out on hts." margaret? >> margaret: imtiaz, thank you. the u.n. is trying to surge humanitarian assistance, including food, to syria to reach nearly 3 million people in need of help. for sunday's "face the nation," i spoke with cindy mccain, the head of the u.n. world food programme, who told us from syria to the famine in sudan and gaza, it's important the world pay attention to those were going hungry. >> food security is national security, don't ever forget that, because if people are insecure from a food reality, they are not going to behave well. they start to migrate. wars begin that way. conflict is a part of all of this. the countries that are aff

thousands of people have been displaced, fleeing aleppo and areas around idlib.upended by this escalation in syria's civil war. translation: we are following the battle news and god willing | the regime will fall. we count night and day to return, as the kids are tired and shocked. we left and came here in our clothes and nothing else. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise. a devastating blow to the assad regime. the insurgents continue their advance, but here the city is coming to terms with a new normal. some are fearful of the anti—government rebels, but so far people continue with their daily lives. and for those driven out by previous battles, a chance to come home. translation: | returned to| aleppo after it was liberated, after we were driven out. i came back to experience this joy, to witness its greatness, its old neighbourhoods cleaned up after being desecrated by the assad regime and its collaborators. it isn't clear if the insurgents can hold on to the territory captured, but they have exposed the weakness of bashar al—assad's rule. t

thousands of people had been displaced, fleeing aleppo and areas around idlib.lation in syria's civil war. translation: we are following the battle news and, _ god willing, the regime will fall. we count night and day to return as the kids are tired and shocked. we left and came here in our clothes and nothing else. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise, a devastating blow to the regime. the rebels continued theiradvance, but here the city is coming to terms with a new normal. early signs that daily life goes on as before. and for those driven out by previous battles, a chance to return. translation: i returned to aleppo after it was liberated, after we were driven out, i came back to experience thisjoy, to witness its greatness, its old neighbourhoods cleaned up after being desecrated by the assad regime and the collaborators. it isn't clear if the insurgents can hold on to the territory captured, but they have exposed the weakness of bashar al—assad's rule and his dependence on foreign powers to prop it up. russia and iran are trying to bring

four hospitals were hit in one day in idlib as well as schools and a water station, and one man saidy food for his family, and 13 people were killed in an air strike. he was severely injured and he told me he was lucky to be alive. 50 and he told me he was lucky to be alive. . , and he told me he was lucky to be alive. ., , , .,, ., be alive. so many people have fled their _ be alive. so many people have fled their homes _ be alive. so many people have fled their homes during - be alive. so many people have fled their homes during the . fled their homes during the long years of the war in syria and now it seems to have flared up and now it seems to have flared up again, causing more misery to the civilian population. tt is causing huge misery for the civilian population, and what we are trying to do is help them, as best we can, and the doctors and nurses in the hospital i visited are doing a heroicjob, but the problem is, they have not been paid in four months because of lack of funding, and you walk around the hospital and you feel cold, there's not enough money for there's not eno

let me be clear that in idlib where it reported that in idlib where it reported that plenty of politicale broader sanctions on syria that were imposed by the united states and the european union. it's going to be very difficult for this syrian economy to pick up for this syrian economy to pick up from a state in which 90% of the syrian population were living in poverty. whilst the sanctions are still imposed, we need to be able to see, for example, banking, many syrians around the globe and many of them now will want to send money home and at the moment, they're having views in formal illicit groups and cannot use the proper normal banking routes because of largely american sanctions in order to get small business up and running, they will have to trade. so, will have to see before long, some easing of the sanctions carefully and responsibly and that is why i think we are going to have to have a more inclusive administration. ., ~ , ., , administration. thank you very much forjoining _ administration. thank you very much forjoining us _ administration. thank you very much forjoining us f

the hospital in idlib city was among several healthcare facilities targeted.ys at least 44 civilians have been killed in airstrikes. air raids, body bags, civilians in another middle eastern country are grieving. a renewed syrian war will pour a lot more fuel on the fire that is consuming the middle east. it is the regime's response to the lightning offensive that swept up aleppo, including its ancient citadel. during years of war, the citadel was an impregnable regime fortress, but these men, from hts, took it almost without a fight. back injanuary 2017, i was in aleppo, in the days after the assad regime recaptured the east of the city from rebels who had held it since the war in aleppo started in 2012. there was massive destruction from russian and regime air strikes. this was all a huge victory for the regime, but in the years that followed, the war gradually froze, but it never ended. once again, president bashar al—assad is beleaguered. he had an emergency meeting in damascus with the iranian foreign minister. assad's survival will depend again on his al

in the last two days, the un humanitarian office says more than 50 air strikes hit idlib, the provinces.

before the revolution, idlib was called the forgotten idlib. it was very poor.ed electricity. idlib, which has four million inhabitants, we are providing 24 hours of electricity, without any cuts. entire networks were built, thousands of kilometers of asphalt, infrastructure, sewage. simona: what are the challenges you face in scaling your work? >> the challenges are immense. unfortunately we only received the remnants of a state. there was a ruling league or gang and people of all sects and religions remained crushed. simona: ghazal is holding daily meetings with the staff to get services up and running. at first glance, it appears to be an inclusive approach, a drastic change compared to assad's draconian rule. hala halla has worked here for decades and is stunned by the transformation. >> i've been working here for 28 years, and i never entered the office of the governor. yesterday was the first time i entered. i was amazed at the office, at the hall. simona: under assad's rule, the sole purpose of the state was to protect those in power. bureaucrats like hal

idlib.oup hayat tahrir al—sham. hts is now in power in syria, and trying to take its way of governing to the entire country. this is the ccu, cardiac care unit. doctor hamza al—musawi moved from aleppo early in the war, and has witnessed all the changes in idlib since hts took control in 2017. including this hospital set up in an old warehouse. when hts came to us, we see a lot of development in idlib. we have a lot of things that we didn't have in the assad regime. we have a college of medicine. we have the college of pharmacy. we have the college of architectures. here, they run an economy like any country. they tax goods, border crossings and trade, and run telecommunication and energy companies. the income allows them to provide public services and fund their military operations. we tried to interview a local official, but were told all of them had gone to damascus to help in the formation of the new government. hts has its roots in al qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by

in idlib, they created the fighting force that has finally destroyed the assad regime.ad was embraced by crown prince mohammed bin salman, the most powerful arab leader, and readmitted to the arab league. assad repeated the regime's old boast, that syria was the beating heart of arabism. he must have hoped that rehabilitation was sealing his victory. instead, when the rebels pushed out of idlib, his regime collapsed, in less than a fortnight. jeremy bowen, bbc news. there has been reaction from leaders and officials around the world. the un security council says it will hold closed consultations on syria on monday at russia's request. the uk prime minister sir keir starmer welcomed the fall of bashar al—assad's "barbaric regime" in syria, as he called for the restoration of "peace and stability". meanwhile israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu has claimed the collapse of the syrian government was a direct result of his country's forceful action against hezbollah and iran. the idf also struck government security buildings and weapons depots. israeli ground forces a

officials in damascus say they attacked targets around aleppo and idlib.eports of fighting around hama, about 140 kilometres south of aleppo. the kremlin has said it will continue to support the syrian government. they're facing a rebel coalition, made up of several groups which appear to have come together to fight president assad's regime. barry marston from bbc monitoring is a specialist onjihadi groups and explained more about the group that seized aleppo. tahrir al—sham have been a fascinating group to follow because they started off as being part of the same ideological camp as islamic state and al-anda. but since they started consolidating their hold over idlib province, they've been going all out to rebrand themselves as a very different kind of entity that perhaps can be trusted to, to to hold territory and act as something of a normal de facto government.

now we know that hts were in control of large parts of the idlib region of syria.learn from the way that they ruled and governed over that area? there wasn't much tolerance for those who didn't adhere to what hts put out there, so there is some concern about that. but there was also a sense that they were able to govern idlib province despite being isolated, being in a constant state of war, even if not, you know, active combat, but in a constant state of war with at least two other groupings, that being the bashar al—assad grouping and other opposition groupings. so they were able to govern, but idlib is much smaller than syria and they were under great strain there. the question is, if they are given opportunities, will they first of all moderate their previous islamist positions? and also, are they able to govern in a way that allows people to live the way they want? syrians have already taken to the streets in a number of places, demanding that it remains, not necessarily secular, but a civil type of governance, rather than one that is ruled by theocracy or rel

the hospital in idlib city was among several health care facilities targeted.t least 44 civilians have been killed in air strikes. air raids, body bags, civilians in another middle eastern country grieving. a renewed syrian war will pour a lot more fuel on the fire that is consuming the middle east. it is the regime's response to the lightning offensive that swept up aleppo, including its ancient citadel. during years of war, the citadel was an impregnable regime fortress, but these men from hts took it almost without a fight. back in january 2017, i was in aleppo in the days after the assad regime recaptured it from rebels who had held it since the war in aleppo started in 2012. there was massive destruction from russian and regime air strikes. this was all a huge victory for the regime but in the years that followed, the war gradually froze but it never ended. once again, president bashar al—assad's beleaguered. he had an emergency meeting in damascus with the iranian foreign minister. assad's survival will depend again on his allies who are worrying about th

the last major one in 2020 when syria and its russian allies attacked idlib. are bombing aleppo. the syrian army says it has made a tactical retreat to prepare a counteroffensive. assad's army forced them out at the height of the war, this time meeting almost no resistance. translation: after hard workj and patience from the fighters, thank god. and by god's will, we will reach horns and damascus too. by the islamist hayat tahrir al—sham, or hts. it used to be linked to al-qaeda but cut ties from the group years ago. hts is listed as a terrorist organisation by the us and others. it controls most of the north—western province of idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold after more than a decade of civil war. that war began in 2011, triggered by popular protests against assad's rule. russia intervened in 2015, turning the tide against the advancing rebels. the battle for aleppo in 2016 was a crucial point. syrian and russian forces gained control after a gruelling siege. the war�*s mostly gone quiet since, with the last major one in 2020 when syria and it

a monitoring group said russian strikes in the city of idlib killed eight civilians and targeted a campple. civilian casualties have also been reported in air strikes on aleppo, a city which has fallen to the rebels. president bashar al—assad has vowed to use force to eliminate what he called terrorism and the army says it's recaptured several of the towns that had been overrun. barbara plett usher has the latest. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise. the rebels continue their advance, but the city is coming to terms with a new normal. presidents are advised to defeat the rebels. there are different signals being sent because it seems that also from sources we have spoken to that assad had already sent messages to the turks to find a way to sit on the negotiation table. but they have not been any response. it is a sign that he is really under pressure and trying to regain control over what he has lost already. so given that he's under so much pressure, what does all of this mean for the assad regime? well, i think the opposition are too optimistic in saying that or bel

we went to idlib to speak to its members. what is your message to syria's minorities?t 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. has called for a quick end of sanctions against syria as world powers plan a path forward. a task of reconstruction made more so as the terrorist organization. >>> a frantic rescue effort in rough sees in crimea. a russian oil tanker broke apart after being damaged in a storm. a second tanker was also damaged. the wrecks caused an oil spill into the kerch strait, a critical shipping route. >>> dangerous weather in the u.s. as well. san francisco

horn sounds ..from aleppo and idlib provinces to help to find any hidden cells under this building.t confirm the presence of more detainees. i we are doing what we can, through the help of search dogs, available tools and previous detainees. our correspondent, yogita limaye, arrived in damascus this morning and told us more about the situation there. this is a city that feels very chaotic as of now, and politically there is a vacuum and we note the leader mohammed ghazi al—jalali has met with the interim prime minister, but there are no clear details about what the way for what exactly will be. in the day, we went to a government building to see what was happening. but so far, there are no clear details about what the way forward exactly will be in the day. we went to some government buildings, some police stations in the city to see what exactly was happening there. and outside we found members of hts fighters. they said they'd been deployed there this morning, that they'd come in from idlib region in syria, that for long has been controlled by hts. to secure the city and to ensure

we have had universities in idlib for more than eight years.he percentage of women in universities is more than 60%. and alcohol? there are many things ijust don't have the right to talk about, because they are legal issues. there will be a syrian committee of legal experts to write a constitution. they will decide, and any ruler or president will have to follow the law. let's talk about wider issues that you face. first of all, this country is broken. there is a massive amount of destruction. the economy is destroyed. there are huge debts. how do you begin to start dealing with all of that when the country is under sanctions, and when major powers around the world and the united nations say that you are the leader of a terrorist group? that's a political classification. we haven't committed any crimes that justify calling us a terrorist group. in the last 14 years, we haven't targeted any civilians or civilian areas or civilian targets. i understand some countries will be worried by that designation, but it's not true. now, after all that has

it controls most of the northwestern province of idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold afterar. that war began in 2011, triggered by popular protests against assad's rule. russia intervened in 2015, turning the tide against the advancing rebels. the battle for aleppo in 2016 was a crucial point. syrian and russian forces gained control after a gruelling siege. the war�*s mostly gone quiet since, with occasional eruptions, the last major one in 2020 when syria and its russian allies attacked idlib. now, again, russian warplanes are bombing aleppo. the syrian army says it's made a tactical retreat to prepare a counteroffensive. the kremlin is assad's most important ally but it's now also fighting a war in ukraine. iran and the lebanese hezbollah are also sending fighters to syria, but they've been weakened by israeli attacks in the region — that's one reason the rebels were able to advance so quickly. reviving a simmering conflict at a time when the middle east is in turmoil. barbara plett usher, bbc news, beirut. joining me live is anna borshchevskaya, senior fellow at washing

officials in damascus say they attacked around aleppo and idlib. aleppo, and there are reports of fighting around hama, about 140 kilometres south of aleppo. the kremlin has said it will continue to support the syrian government. they're facing a rebel coalition, made up of several groups which appear to have come together to fight president assad's regime. let's speak to james jeffrey, who was previously us special representative for syria engagement and special envoy to the global coalition to defeat isis. just tell us more about this main rebel group that we are seen fighting here.— main rebel group that we are seen fighting here. well, each ts has been — seen fighting here. well, each ts has been a _ seen fighting here. well, each ts has been a fascinating - seen fighting here. well, eachl ts has been a fascinating group to follow because they started off as being part of the same ideological camp as the islamic state and others, but since they have gotten a hold of a idlib province they have rebranded themselves as a very different kind of ent

says russian and syrian warplanes have carried out more air strikes on rebel forces in the northern idlibd in air strikes on aleppo, a city which has fallen to the rebels. president bashar al—assad has vowed to use force to eliminate what he called terrorism and the army says it's recaptured several of the towns that had been overrun. they are alive, rescued from the wreckage moments after the bombs struck. footage posted by the syrian civil defence group at the white helmets shows the aftermath of an attack on the rebel stronghold of idlib, south—west of aleppo. the regime is fighting back. thousands of people have been displaced, fleeing aleppo and areas around idlib stop their lives certainly upended by this escalation in syria's civil war. translation: we are following the news and god willing - the regime will fall. we camp night and day to return as the kids are tired and shocked. we left and came here in our clothes and nothing else. the speedy capture of aleppo took everyone by surprise, devastating blow to the regime. the rebels continued their advance, but here the city is comin

it controls most of the northwestern province of idlib, the last remaining opposition stronghold afteregan in 2011, triggered by pro—democracy protests against assad's rule. russia intervened in 2015, turning the tide against the advancing rebels. the battle for aleppo in 2016 was a crucial point. syrian and russian forces gained control after a gruelling siege. 2020, the last major offensive, when syria and its russian allies attacked idlib. now, again, russian warplanes are bombing aleppo. the syrian army says it has made a tactical retreat to prepare a counteroffensive. that is one reason the rebels were able to advance so quickly, reviving a simmering conflict at a time when the middle east is in turmoil. as for the president, it's not clear where he is. speaking yesterday from an undisclosed location, he vowed to defend syria's stability and territorial integrity in places of all territories and their backers. greg mckenzie, bbc news. our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab explains the signifigance of this challenge. it's the first blow to assad's power or, you know, after decad

videos from idlib show teams trying to rescue people trapped in the rubble meanwhile rebel forces are expanding their control in syria. they claim to have made significant gains in the northern countryside of aleppo capturing several towns and villages. cnn's ben wedeman is following these developments from rome. he joins us now live. good to see you, ben. so what gains have been made by these rebels near aleppo and, of course, elsewhere well, what we've seen since wednesday is fairly dramatic gains by the rebels. >> rosemary in aleppo city itself. but also they seem to have consolidated their control over the entirety of idlib province, which is to the west. and southwest of aleppo as well as basically taking a large chunk of the m5 highway which is the main highway north south highway that links aleppo with damascus. now, what we saw was by, for instance, saturday evening, they had advanced within about 20km of the central syrian city of hama. but it does appear that what we're seeing now is a a sort of regrouping and consolidation of regime forces who seem to have been able to blun

we know he has governed parts of idlib.t syrians, this is new territory and they're not sure how it will go. i believe everyone was reassured when they heard this was until march 1. we don't know what will come. most syrians assumed there would be a transitional period of 18 months which is what the security council resolution has called for, where syrians would meet with one another, put a new constitution to vote to the seerns and then have general elections. syrians are only on the third day without assad. they're reassured somebody is in control. there's a curfew in damascus every night from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. to try to regain all the weapons because the regime had thousands upon thousands of security men and militia, all heavily armed. i think this is what the current leadership is trying to achieve and most syrians are ok with that. anchor: you mentioned the israeli strikes. do you see a role for the international community in terms of helping syria and helping to build back up structures and protect itself? >> 10

relationship with hts, the militia which overthrew assad and they have protected them effectively in the idlib least a militia that owes them something going up to the board of israel, at a time when turkey relations with israel are really bad. last, what about the people of syria? they lost individual agency over half a century because of the assad regime not letting them do what they wanted, not allowing them freedom. the country lost agency, control of what it could do, because of the war. many powerful countries intervened. if syrians get a chance to try and sort things out between themselves, between syrians, they might have a chance of getting better lives, because history has shown that the way that foreign powers intervene in syria is not good for them. with thousands of syrian refugees now returning home from lebanon and jordan, it's been confirmed that the uk — like most major european countries — has, in the words of the home office, paused asylum decisions on cases from syria while it reviews and monitors the current situation. chris masonjoins me. what's the thinking behind that?

from aleppo and idlib provinces to help to find any hidden cells under this building.t confirm the presence of more detainees. i we are doing what we can, through the help of search translation: we cannot confirm the presence of more detainees. i dogs, available tools and previous detainees. our correspondent, yogita limaye, arrived in damascus this morning and told us more about the situation there. we've heard some massive explosions, massive airstrikes believed to be carried out by the israeli air force. we don't have confirmation yet, but this is a city that feels very chaotic as of now. politically, there's a vacuum. we know that the leader of hayat tahrir al—sham, mohammed abu al—julani, has met with interim prime minister aljalali. but so far, there are no clear details about what the way forward exactly will be. in the day, we went to some government buildings, some police stations in the city to see what exactly was happening there. and outside we found members of hts fighters from htsz. they said they'd been deployed there this morning, that they'd come in fr

he has just returned from idlib after years of exile from daraa. >> we went to idlib after big pressureevict us from this land. we wouldn't have left otherwise, but we started to organize ourselves and to prepare ourselves for the return to our land. simona: yassin al-nassan left daraa in 2018 as part of an ultimatum: stay and lay down your arms or transfer to the northern province of idlib. what may have looked like a defeat at that time became an opportunity that paved the road to victory. the factions united under the leadership of hay'at tahrir al-sham, or hts, the leading armed opposition group that controlled idlib before it launched its surprise offensive earlier this month. >> the offensive was a surprise for others, but not for us in the north. we were waiting for it to start, but we chose the right time. simona: now all the factions will become part of the ministry of defense. >> there are no more factions. there will be a proper organized army which will incorporate those who volunteered to defend this country, and we will finish with the factionalism and chaos. simona: indee