in terms of isis plots and planning, i mean, isis still remains a threat.on't have anything to speak to in terms of an uptick of attacks. but you saw us take pretty significant action over the weekend and we've been doing that, you know, pre the fall of the assad regime and we're going to continue to do that as syria goes through this transition political process. reporter: if those air strikes have in fact deterred isis, the least since sunday, of carrying out more attacks? sabrina: again, we're taking capability off the map for them. so what they choose to do, that's for them to speak to. i can only speak to what we did. i'm sorry, you asked about our ongoing assessment of how successful those strikes are. our initial assessment is they were successful and that we did kill a number of operatives. isis operatives in the desert. it's going to take some time to get you more fidelity on the strikes. reporter: to follow up on that. what is the u.s. military doing to protect the s.d.f. from turkiye and turkish air strikes? sabrina: continuing to have conversati

attacks linked to isis cells.n is because syria, the government, has been less able to control that part of syria. it is very remote, sparsely populated desert villages, so government control has never been great there. when there is no government control, these groups tend to come back. they have local support, and when they don't, they can gain it by attacking police stations and tribal leaders, and we have seen this creeping movement of isis coming back. i must note the other big danger in eastern syria are these huge prisons. one has somethingike 10,000 seasons isis fighters under a couple of roofs, concentrated in a small area, and isis would love to get them back. we are afraid that could be something they try to do. christian: some of those prisoners had been repatriated to their country, but there was someone who went out to be a bride for islamic state, denied her british citizenship. we just heard from pat mcfadden at the top of the headlines, we will do whatever we can to ensure stability in syria. do y

>> what i can tell you is, talk about the counter isis, defeat isis strikes? >> yes those are in the desert. when i'm tracking is it was four separate locations centcom sessions 12 isis members were killed. okay. >> thank you general. back to syria again we know you are involved in negotiation between the free syrian army and the spf especially in the area. other than that in the south and cities there are a lot of protests against the sdf especially the arab population in this area. they claim the sdf was: collaborating with the regime they see them as complicit after the fall of the regime they want them out of their neighborhoods. what do you say about these kind of request from the local experience in those areas? do you think that will create possible for u.s. forces? i'm sure you're going to appreciate i'm not going to delve into domestic syrian politics other than to say again, we recognize the situation right now and syria'ss fragile jiggly as it relates to the regime u.s. forces have been working closely with sdf for years now on defeat isis mission t

that isis can _ leaders of isis ensuring that isis can never establish a safe haven — isis can nevera, aiigned _ iranian networks in syria, aligned with iran transported aid to— aligned with iran transported aid to lebanon. and if necessary ordered the use of force — necessary ordered the use of force against her and you networks to protect us forces. our approach has shifted the balance _ our approach has shifted the balance of power in the middle east, _ balance of power in the middle east, through this combination of support for our partners, sanctions. _ of support for our partners, sanctions, diplomacy and targeted military force when necessary, we now seek new opportunities opening up for the people of syria and for the entire — the people of syria and for the entire region. looking ahead, the united states will do the following — first, we will sopport_ following — first, we will support syria's neighbours including jordan, support syria's neighbours includingjordan, lebanon, iraq including jordan, lebanon, iraq and israei~ _ includingjordan, lebanon, iraq and israel. during t

patrick: our forces are in syria to conduct counter-isis operation, the enduring defeat of isis. they have partnered with the s.d.f. on those missions. certainly they communicate with the s.d.f. on a frequent basis as partner does. but our forces in that region were threatened. we took action to mitigate that threat and we'll do so again. and so, again, you know, they're communicating with one another. we're aware of what the s.d.f. is doing. i'm not going to talk about s.d.f. operations, i'll let them talk about their operations. but let me be crystal clear. our forces are in syria to conduct the enduring defeat of isis mission. we're doing that in partnership with the s.d.f. and i'm just going to leave it there. reporter: with all due respect, i'm not asking about s.d.f. operations. i'm asking about your operations did. the u.s. forces provide support for s.d.f. offensive on s.a.a. positions in those seven villages? patrick: if you're asking were u.s. forces, you know, participating in combined arms maneuver with the s.d.t., the answer is no. -- s.d.f., answer is no. reporter:

they have had ties with isis in the past that is true now with al qaeda and isis in the past in the past, in terms of some individuals, maybe yes, yes. well, what i'm saying is, and i think we can all agree, is that there is nuance here and there are concerns that there have either been past affiliations or current affiliations with terrorist groups. and so that being said, i think my question to you is, why are you so optimistic that they can clear themselves? >> the consensus is on past affiliations, not current affiliations. and, you know, i think that's that's really important. but the reason i'm so optimistic is a coalition of forces called the joint military operations command room that includes hgs who also leads this and has governance experience in idlib province these all these forces, they include islamists and secular. they include liberal and conservative. it's a chorus of voices as in which which is like the united states. democracy is a chorus of voices, right, of different political stripes. but they agreed on one thing. we're going to liberate syria from iran isis assad

we have been tracking isis as part of our defeat isis campaign for some time, as you know. we have seen cells trying to strengthen and develop additional capability in the desert. those strikes were focused on those cells. we reported out we conducted, attacked some 75 targets with a number of different platforms, and we are still evaluating the results. but i think we are going to find we have been pretty successful. that is focused on isis, to keep the pressure on isis and to deny them the ability to easily resurge. >> thank you so much. mr. secretary, you mentioned the p.r.c. [indiscernible] could you talk about the modernization? secretary austin: uss washington is extremely important. as you know, this carrier will be based out of here. the sailors on the ship, many of them have been with the ship as it went through deep maintenance, got the ship ready to go, sailed it over, participated in an exercise in route here, so they are very proud of what they have done. the capability they bring, f-35's are part of this air wing. that is a very capable platform. i think any u

forces conducted a dozen precision strikes, air strikes, within syria, targeting isis camps and isisves. third, we will engage with all syrian groups, including within the process led by the united nations to establish a transition away from the assad regime, toward independent -- an independent, an independent, i want to say it again, sovereign syria. with a new constitution, new government that serves all syrians, and this process will be determined by the syrian people themselves. the united states will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief to help restore syria after more than a decade of war. and generations of brutality by the assad family. finally, we will remain vigilant. make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down assad have their own grim record of humanitarian and human rights abuses. we've taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days. and they're saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words but their actions. and we are mindful,

third, partners never see an inch of territory taking out leaders of isis, ensuring that isis can never establish a safe haven there again. third, we supported israel's freedom of action against iranian networks in syria and against actors aligned with iran, transporting lethal aid to lebanon and when necessary, ordered the use of military force against iranian networks to protect u.s. forces. our approach shifted the balance of power in the middle east. this combination of support from our partners sanctions, diplomacy and targeted military force when necessary. we now see new opportunities opening up for the people of syria and for the entire region. looking ahead, the united states will do the following first of support. syria's neighbors, including jordan, lebanon, iraq and israel, should any threat arise. syria during this period of transition. i'll speak with leaders of the region in the coming days and long discussions of all of our people. early this morning. and i'll send senior officials from my administration to the region as well. second, we will help stability, ensure stabi

a lot of iraqisjoined isis, our neighbours and a lot of people from the region. were also thousands of foreigners who came from europe, from other parts of the world and joined isis, and believed in their ideology. and a lot of them, you know, after isis was defeated, men and women were able to come back to their countries of origin. so, it's not about evidence, it'sjust a lack of political will. and that process is over now, is it? the process right now, it's in the hands of the iraqi authorities. so, unitad has nothing to do with it. but then, iraq, it's another story. you know, they take their time and they don't do it properly. they don't have a plan on when all these remains will be identified and brought back. why is justice so important? what people don't know about isis and like—minded groups is that they don't care about being killed, but they are so scared of facing the girls and... ..women and girls in the courtroom. you can't defeat this ideology with weapons. they will always come back with a different name if we don't hold them accountable in front

used as a base for terrorism and extremism and a threat to its neighbors or ally with groups like isis. it needs to also ensure any chemical weapons are secured and destroyed. these are some of the principals that are critical to laying a foundation for the syrian people that have a government to meet its needs and also critical to unlocking international recognition. international support that syria very much needs after decades of dictatorship, conflict corruption and isolation. i've had many calls over the last few days with partners in the region everyone has agreed on the need to have a unified approach to advance many of our shared interests. here on the ground in the region we are working to build out that unified approach. that was the basis of my conversation with prime minister stefani today here in jordan and i will continue those conversations with president erdogan and prime minister hudon in turkey as we head there. we are also going to be focused on preventing and the actor inside or outside the country from putting their self-interest ahead of the interests of the syria

we don't know that this is an isis or isis-related attacks, although, as you point out, obviously, dan, it has some of the hallmarks we have seen in prior attacks that were linked to the kinds of groups. just in terms of what is happening in europe on the hole, and the tensions that exist politically there, we heard this brief statement so far, and i imagine we are going to hear more from chancellor olaf scholz in germany, but his government is in trouble. there is a challenge to his government. and the person who is the leader of that group wants to pull out of the e.u. we have seen what has been happening in france where the government under macron has collapsed and they are trying to reconstitute the organization of that government. is there anything in this that makes you think it could be more local, locally political? >> i, at this point, i don't know that you could rule anything out. it's a bad time for dysfunction in key european governments, for sure, and i would just say, in a larger sense, we face more wickedly complex threats to our national security today than we did four

forces conducted a dozen of precision strikes airstrikes within syria targeting isis camps and isis operatives the other big concern for the u.s. >> right now is a series of camps that are run by the u.s. backed syrian democratic forces in syria that hold thousands of isis fighters that have been taken off of the battlefield. biden said today that the u.s. is also working to help secure those facilities because, of course, the nightmare scenario for the u.s. is that some of those fighters may be may escape or be broken out again in this in this very volatile and uncertain security environment inside syria right now. those prison camps have been a really intractable policy problem for the united states for a long time, not only because they hold isis fighters from syria and iraq, but also because they hold a number of fighters who hail from western nations, who are refusing to bring them home. what to do about those camps in the long term and how to keep them secure? always been a problem. a particularly acute one today again, now in the wake of the fall of assad, with no real sense of certaint

well, beyond the isis - trips out of syria? well, beyond the isis or - trips out of syria?ia? well, - beyond the isis or the counter isis operation, they are supporting the stf watch over these camps, essentially, where families and relatives of isis fighters and even children are, and they are in the tens of thousands. the other part is, they are providing determines thatis they are providing determines that is defending the syrian democrat in forces and their civil administration in orth east syria. should they withdraw not only will we have less of an ability to respond to any re—emergence of isis and it let alone figure out what to do with all these families that are in these camps, we are risking an outright confrontation between turkey, the syrian opposition, the syrian arab opposition, as well, other groups, versus kurdish militias, and i hope that can be avoided. there obviously needs to be a resolution. this is not sustainable. i want to be very clear about this. you cannot have different groups running different parts of the country, controlling different resource

the mission is to go after isis. is, what will the relationship be between this rebel group that we were seeing there with richard engel, hts, and isis? the reality is, in the past, there have been links between al qaeda, alnoose raw front, ats, and isis. at some point or another, there has been some overlap between the groups but it's not clear whether isis will be able to move freely once hts is really, if they are installed in the government there in damascus, chris. for now, it appears the u.s. military is continuing this mission to continue going after isis with the syrian democratic forces. the other big question is these prisons that exist throughout parts of eastern syria, holding tens of thousands of isis fighters. these are some of the most hardened isis fighters. for now, the pentagon is saying they're confident they will continue to secure those prisons with the syrian democratic forces. but that's another big thing we need to be watching in the days and weeks ahead. are those prisons, do they continue to

what does hts do about isis? does it allow isis a path to reconstitute itself well, yes if it wants to remain in government and wants to rebuild its country, is going to be reliant on overseas support and i think that overseas support from countries in europe, saudi arabia and the united states is going to be reliant on them severing ties with isis, as well as helping the israelis or the americans to target isis and other terrorist organizations that remain in their country. you have covered the russian invasion of ukraine quite closely since the beginning. the full scale invasion going back in february 2022. uh i wonder what this tells us about russia's overall strengths and weaknesses here. it's a common view that russia effectively distracted by the ongoing war in ukraine, doesn't have the forces or resources to to to protect assad, as it did in the past. does this show, does this expose russia to be in a weaker position than we knew, even a week ago? >> well, i think these kind of dictatorships that we're see

us strikes on isis today, the security of u.s. forces vitally important, but also making sure that isis doesn't get stronger and remembering that there are hundreds and thousands of isis families and supporters in jails inside of syria today in the rebel held areas in the east that the united states supports and helps and helps keep them controlled. that will be vital to oversee going forward. and that is going to be a strategic importance to the united states, so that that's the path that he's setting out. the rebels are setting out a path of of change. no longer brutality political, um religious pluralism plurality nick, i want you and our viewers to listen to what the rebel leader who led this revolt against bashar al-assad's regime said just a short time ago. >> listen to this maggie haberman this victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire islamic nation. >> this new triumph, my brothers, marks a new chapter in the history of the region a history fraught with dangers, leaving syria as a playground for iranian ambitions

the extremejihadist groups isis ? that s so—called islamic state ? and al-qaida are no exceptions.s now, butjust nine years ago, the isis self—proclaimed caliphate, at the height of its power, controlled around a third of syria, governing and repressing millions of people. it was defeated by a us—led multinational coalition and today, the map of syria looks like this — its a patchwork of different spheres of control, hts in red, the kurds in purple, and so on. now, the white area in the centre is what s known in arabic as the baadia, the empty desert. it's where the surviving remnants of isis are hiding out, getting periodically bombed by us forces, who still keep an outpost down on the border. up in the north—east corner in hasaka governate, in the kurdish area, is where isis prisoners are being held. and the fear here is what would happen if they broke out. their number includes britons who went off to join isis, like shamima begum and muslim convertjack letts. these prison camps are a tinderbox. they're angry, they're overcrowded and isis has long made it a top priority to try t

after the fall of the regime isis has been mobilizing.s, cbs news in eastern syria. >> norah: relief is long overdue for a communities battered by summertime hurricanes and floods. "it would create disobedience," he told us. after the fall of the regime isis has been mobilizing. holly williams, cbs news in eastern syria. >> norah: relief is long overdue for a communities battered by summertime hurricanes and floods. they are tired of waiting for washington to act. that's next. ♪ ♪ tired of waiting for washington to act. that's next. ♪ ♪ ere with fasenra. fasenra is an add-on treatment for eosinophilic asthma that is taken once every 8 weeks and can also be taken conveniently at home. fasenra helps prevent asthma attacks. most patients did not have an attack in the first year. fasenra is proven to help you breathe better so you can get back to doing day-to-day activities. fasenra is not for sudden breathing problems. serious allergic reactions may occur. get help for swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. don't stop as

five years ago, they defeated isis in syria with u.s. help.witnessed them capture raqqah, the headquarters of the islamic state. >> reporter: and you thought it was clear, and now you think there's a sniper left there? >> yeah, we think, we think. >> reporter: but isis is still lurking in the desert, still a threat. in 2022, they attacked the prison, sparking a jailbreak and a bloody ten-day battle to regain control. at a nearby camp, american-backed forces are holding the family members of isis fighters who were killed or captured. around 6,000 women and children. the guards took us inside a camp in an armored vehicle. they told us the situation is deteriorating because of the fall of the syrian regime, it has given their friser ins hope they may be rescued. this woman told us her husband is dead, and she's been locked up for six years. but, like so many here, she's unrepentant and says she still loves isis. whatever happens here in syria at this potentially dangerous crossroads, the u.s. is deeply involved, nancy, with multiple military base

we are member ten years ago how quickly isis rose in iraq — years ago how quickly isis rose in had andize — organisation that lay claim to the size of a large us day and recruited _ the size of a large us day and recruited nearly 40,000 foreign fighters — recruited nearly 40,000 foreign fighters from around the world to come — fighters from around the world to come join and build what they— to come join and build what they had _ to come join and build what they had thought at the time was a — they had thought at the time was a new caliphate. so i'm not saying — was a new caliphate. so i'm not saying that's going to happen this time but that's what western security officials are watching very closely is whether that security vacuum coutd — whether that security vacuum could result in similar activity. could result in similar activity-— could result in similar activi . . , . activity. thanks very much indeed. let's talk about one of the other implications of the syria crisis, which is immigration. during the long and brutal years of the assad regime, millions of syrians fled the country,

forces conducted a dozen of precision strikes, airstrikes within syria targeting isis camps and isis operatives. third, we will engage with all syrian groups, including within the process, led by the united nations, to establish a transition away from the assad regime toward independent, sovereign and independent independent. i want to say it again, sovereign syria with a new constitution, a new government that serves all syrians. and this process will be determined by the syrian people themselves and the united states will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief, to help restore syria after more than a decade of war and generations of brutality by the assad family, and finally we will remain vigilant make no mistake some of the rebel groups that took down assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses. we've taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days and they're saying the right things now. but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions and w

if so, for example, we saw the united states engaging in 75 direct attacks on isis targets and isis hasagine for one moment if you're dislodged or you defeat the syrian kurds, what will happen to those 40,000 prisoners? they're going to go out and create havoc in the region. we have to remember that ice is at one point controlled a great deal of northern syria and iraq. the iraqi government, the syrian government, nobody could really defeat them. it was only the united states with the syrian kurds that managed to defeat isis. this is a very dangerous situation in the sense that the syrian kurds, if they are pushed to the brink by they are pushed to the brink by the turks, who knows what they will do? so, if for instance the prisoners are released, then we're going to have havoc. so, it is... it then we're going to have havoc. so. it is. - -_ so, it is... it has been for a very long — so, it is... it has been for a very long time. _ so, it is... it has been for a very long time. thank- so, it is... it has been for a very long time. thank you i very long time. thank you very much forjoini

isis over the years.a turn into another iteration of the islamic state. while finally there is always the underlying risk that isis or al-qaeda could exploit the general confusion in syria by carrying out attacks. the new government in syria will have to be extra vigilant. the un secretary—general, antonio guterres, says the events in syria showed signs of hope for palestinians and their right to self—determination. israel says it thinks there is a chance for a deal to release all the hostages held by hamas in gaza — and reports from cairo say there's been growing optimism for an agreement. but idf strikes on gaza are continuing. gaza's civil defence agency said wednesday that an overnight israeli air strike in the northern part of the territory killed at least 22 people, including women and children. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. the father and stepmother of ten—year—old sara sharif have been found guilty of her murder after subjecting her to "horrific suffering" for more than two

isis controls a small part of syria compared to 10, 15 years ago.orth, by the rebels from the east and the u.s. backed forces from the south. so they are tightly contained. but they will be looking, isis would be looking at this as an opportunity to quickly expand their reach. so the u.s. bearing down on them from particularly from the air will help a lot. and clearly these rebel forces will also be on the lookout for any chance that isis might want to break out of that constricted area and try to expand their influence. they will take all of the help they could get. and it seems to be the right thing to do. you let the rebels who have done most of the hard work and overthrowing the regime, you let them work with other groups to try and figure out what to do next with the country. but in the meanwhile, you help with just to say we, as the u.s., we help by keeping a lid on isis and making sure they don't take advantage of the situation. >> one more question for you, bobby, the rebel coalition appears to share leadership with an islamist relationship

as a base for terrorism and extremism and pose a threat to its neighbors or align with groups like isis. it needs to also ensure any chemical weapons are secured and destroyed. these are some of the principles that are critical to success, critical to laying a foundation for the syrian people to have a government to meet its needs and fulfill its aspirations and also critical to unlocking international support that syria very much needs after decades of dictatorship, conflict, corruption, isolation. i've had calls with partners from the region and everyone agreed to have a unified approach to advance many of our shared interests. so here we're working to build up and build out the unified approach. , that was my mission with king abdullah in jordan and i'll continue those conversations with mr. erdowan. and we'll prevent any actor from inside or outside the country of putting their interests ahead of the interest of the syrian people especially in this delicate moment and includes, of course, isis which no doubt will seek to regroup and think as has been demonstrated, the united states

which is not a bad thing to destroy isis. i don't know what our strategy is. more broadly for the region and it. so this attack is a reminder of that's mostly what we're doing. >> what is the level of the isis threat inside syria today well, of course, this is an organization that has existed for some time. >> it has morphed based on opportunity and its own challenges. uh and of course, i think it's in our interest that isis is eliminated, but the bigger point is what happens now in the aftermath of the assad regime what? what are america's interests? what are the interests of the west in syria and isis, frankly, is not an existential threat to our country or our allies. uh it's something that needs to be addressed, but it should be part of a much larger broader strategy for the region. >> but you make a great point that there is now a power vacuum and so what do we know about this rebel group, the coalition and, you know, the leaders that have pushed aside assad and gotten his regime out of syria. i ask because the group, as

despite that, this group has repeatedly said that they are different than isis.er the country, they will become as radical as isis. and some people don't want to leave under that situation, especially women. they were part of the opposition. they were against bashar al assad also. i talked to them. they were concerned that what kind of the situation they are going to face. and this is not only women that are not, uh, having headscarf. no, women with headscarf also were telling us that they want to make sure that the country will be managed in different ways. they don't want to face another situation that part of the country faced when isis took over iraq. a part of iraq and syria that time. also at the beginning, isis was giving a lot of promises, saying that they are going to protect minorities. they don't have problem with kurds, they are not going to force their rules. but the issue is that this group says that they are going to govern the country, according to the sharia, which is islamic, sunni, islamic law. so that is a part of concern. and also many people

they, they really badly damaged isis with their cover and they claimed victory. and i don't know if you've had a much coverage there, but here in the united states, there's been almost no coverage for the past since been lived and died of any real analysis of what the, what the insurgents were doing or what the terrorists were doing. and i think you're going to see that the major players here are the guys and, and the battle over the long run. and because they have an unlimited amount of man power, especially since july he raised the idea of jerusalem. is that the, the but the money should be after america's last everywhere since 1945, you know, is the money. it's got to be on the guys who have beaten the americans and nato and russia in afghanistan. so i think that's the big player. that's what's not been talked about, and i said i, i, i hope i'm wrong. but i'm pretty sure that the intelligence community has not done a real good job and keeping up to date on what they thought were the remnants of the majority. i absolutely agree with me. let me go to the other,

carried out about 75 bombings of targets of isis. so there is the likelihood, the risks that isis could use this particular transitional moment to basically go on the offensive. all in all, i think the most important point, president biden really made was that the united states will work with the united nations in order to really help syria transition to a new moment, a moment of hope. remember margaret, american sanctions on syria in the past few years have pauperized the syrian people have pauperized even the followers of assad 80% of the syrian people require humanitarian aid. so lifting the american sanctions working with the united nations could really help syria and the syrian people to overcome the vast and challenging economic conditions facing the syrian people. >> fawaz gerges thank you so much for joining us. we appreciate it after the break donald trump discusses political enemies and pardons in his first major tv interview since last month's election. plus, the latest on the hunt for the person who killed a health insura

that's isis. i so you know, pretty assessor l tighter and all that kind of stuff. america supporting the codes and essentially what a couple of nathan countries in syria, both of them, i'm backing essentially most and every jihad is groups. do you expect them to get along? you know, of course, they won't, they'll fight each other as forces are still today in libya, since 2011 after 7 months of us bombardment and destruction of libya. remember, who created the destruction in libya. they're still fighting each other and that is a plan for syria to keep syria so fractured and fighting itself and destroying itself, that they're no longer able to be the for role it for us that they were for more than 50 years. have it's not just since 2011, i mean syria has been of course, always in solidarity with the palestinian people and for the rebuilding of the entire arab nation, the entire region. and that has always been targeted by israel, and syria is really an occupied country, full on literally ripped away

is hitting remnants of isis terrorists in central syria.r russia, satellite pictures of its major naval base on syria's mediterranean coast now reveal that the ships are gone. back where we began, in the damascus suburb ein tarma, we saw the immensity of what lies ahead. it will take hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild syria, and syria is destitute. mohammed zaidan and his wife are resigned to live here. besides, a new home is not what they want the most. they want their 39-year-old son. in 2012 he was stopped at an assad regime checkpoint, and they never heard from him again. >> what does that mean for your lives now? that assad is gone. "this feels like a new birth, a new beginning. though my hair's turned gray and my time is passed, we feel thank god young again." "we hope by the hands of our young people, god willing, it will be better than it was before." a new syria is likely to be built by the kind of people who look out on despair and somehow see a future. experience tells syrians they have no reason to hope that free m will

[honking] they defeated isis in 2019 with u.s. help.witnessed them recapture raqqa, the so-called isis capital. you thought it was clear and now you think there is a sniper left there? >> yeah, we think. >> reporter: but isis is still lurking in the desert. in recent days, the u.s. military has pummeled isis hideouts with air strikes, trying to prevent the terrorists from using the collapse of the syrian regime to stage a comeback. syria is a dangerous cocktail. nobody is fully in charge, and 13 years of war made it a breeding ground for terrorists. like it or not, the u.s. is deeply involved, with multiple military bases here in eastern syria and around 900 american troops in the country. norah? >> norah: excellent reporting. holly williams in syria, thank you. dozens of drone sightings reported over new jersey and other east coast states. who is behind it? the latest on that investigation next. ♪ ♪ the latest on that investigation next. ♪ ♪ that too. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. it w

well. isis started as a, is a fairly unique entity. within the whole is law makes world. it was different in character. and it, it fragmented, and one of it's, the successors was on this real well. oh hi. out career, i'll share, i'm h t s came out of this or unless we call it was out mr in 2013. that's actually carried out. the sarah gas attack that was staged to, to make it appear that it was government of syria. so the, these entities with, in this ultra, you know, this is law, make extreme community work that they insist that they, they have the truth of god. and that their mission is to require others to adhere to that truth and that, but the same time they will fight amongst themselves. and that's why i think some of the, the i actually, i don't think jolanda is long for this world to give in his attempts to assume a moderate demeanor. it may be welcomed in the west, but he should look at the time magazine cover of, of a load of mirrors, the lensky, the west may love you, but once you become a part of the west, you don't have long to have it a. well, let me go to the

personnel, isis camps that was a direct message according to officials, to isis leadership, to isisbers there, that the u.s. is not going to allow them to reconstitute that despite the events over the last ten days that we have seen inside syria, the u.s. intends to stay there. the question, of course though, what kind of protection if any, can those rebel groups afford to the u.s.? is the u.s. confident that they can maintain force protection there? that is a big question at this point wolf. >> all right. natasha bertrand at the pentagon, kayla tausche over at the white house to both of you. thank you very, very much just ahead. incredible images from the ground in damascus as the bashar al-assad regime falls to rebel forces after more than 50 years in power. what this change means for the millions of people in syria. we'll have details. that's next welcome to times square that's not in my life that was so embarrassing. >> new year's eve live with anderson and andy. >> live coverage starts at eight on cnn. >> streaming live. >> reverse the signs of aging with sarah vital advanced s

is there, but to fight isis. this is part of the counter isis campaign and the u.s. has played a powerful -- role both thwarting some of the advances into iraqi and syria as supporting the campaign on the ground and on the air from the base in eastern syria. host: we are going to go into more of this this morning. we want to give you a chance to call in and asked the questions. a lot has happened in syria and it will have a lot of impact in the region. i want to take this time to allow you to call and ask the questions. the phone lines are split as usual this mornings, -- this morning. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 202-748-8002. a minute ago, you mentioned the man, explain who he is and what we need to know about the head of hst. -- hts. guest: he remains subject to a u.s. bounty and is currently the head of hts, a designated terrorist organization. he has terry it -- terrorists groups in syria and that collapsed in 2016 and then there was a 2017 rebrand and beyond that you have the group which is more of a coalition or constellati

us forces conducted its own airstrikes on isis camps in syria on sunday.cial said the strikes were part of an ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade and defeat isis to make sure that it does not take advantage of the current situation to reconstitute in central syria. cnn's katie lillis has that story american forces carried out airstrikes against more than 75 isis targets in central syria, including strikes against isis leaders, operatives and camps, according to the u.s. >> military using a-10s f-15s as well as b-52s. this was all part of a broad u.s. effort to try to prevent the terror group isis from taking advantage of a potential power vacuum in syria. in the wake of the shocking fall of bashar al assad's regime. to try to reconstitute. take a listen to what president biden had to say today describing the purpose and the stakes of these airstrikes. >> i want to say it again. sovereign syria with a new constitution a new government that serves all syrians. and this process will be determined by the syrian people themselves and the united states will do w

you also have a massive prison thousands of former isis affiliated or isis fighters and do you really want that to spill out of control into an area th's already seen so much a people? >> capitol policehief thomas manger will testify on recent bomb threatsnd fake reports made to emergency services targeting lawmakers and other government officials. you can watch a sate rules committee hearing live 25 p.m. stern on c-span three comments he spent now are free mobile app or online at c-span.org. ♪ c-span issue unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including charter communication. >> charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. we are just getting started. folding 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communication support c-span as a public service. along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. u.s. postmaster general lewis at joint base criticism from both sides of that will testify on capitol hill that hearing came as the postal services s