securing turkey's borders with it will be permanently manned by turkish forces or elements of the free syrian army it's unclear but the message from turkey is that in no longer appear to accept the presence of the syrian kurdish militia on its border that means that they will likely expand this operation beyond are for in the next target is the kurdish enclave of beach where there are u.s. forces present and beyond that the president has promised that they will carry on this operation all the way up to the iraqi border. durian there are reports that journalists are being detained in turkey for their social media posts relating to the offensive what more can you tell us. what we understand is in the last twenty four hours also five journalists have been detained in early morning raid by the police in istanbul and the pick of the main kurdish city in turkey from turkey what we understand is that these people belong to mainly procopius media and also media critical of the government now now this comes on top of the arrests of around thirty people on monday for social media posts opposing the after an

turkey is mobilizing thousands of free syrian army rebels inside syria they were taken in a convoy of buses as part of a military operation against syrian kurdish fighters known as the white in the syrian town a bath rain he calls them a terrorist group has intensified shelling on afrin in recent days and turkish officials say an offensive is imminent seventy the aca is an anti-hero in the turkey syria border. the situation around the fighting is heating up there is been an increase in shelling from turkey into africa and also hearing reports that around fifteen thousand free syrian army fighters these are the rebels inside syria supported by turkey are mobilizing towards the east of affluent and this is all in line with the political rhetoric that's been coming out of anger over the last week or so the last voice added to that the defense minister on friday saying that the operation would happen that there should be no delay and that turkey had no choice but to rid of what they call terrorists along this border all of this very significant player is russia and this is why we've seen

free syrian army rebels are being mobilized by turkey along its border with syria as part of preparations for attack this military operation against kurdish fighters known as the white p.g. in the syrian town of a green. has intensified its shelling on the area and recent days and says ago ground assault could help him soon. and a cafe royal who was a close ally of saudi arabia says the gulf diplomatic crisis be manufactured and recording obtained by al-jazeera shake up to eleven. accuses saudi arabia and the u.a.e. of fabricating the rift with cattle to seize doha as well. the thirty fifth annual sundance film festival is underway in park city in the u.s. state of utah at the wells leading so case for independent films this is event has been overshadowed by the industry's recent scandals of a sexual misconduct reports. this year's sundance film festival comes at a moment of cultural change one of the main topics of discussion the fallout from the harvey weinstein sexual misconduct scandal the rise of the me too movement and the demands for more representation by women in the film industr

as we enter syria it is the free syrian army flag that flies high here we're on a media trip into as organized by the turkish authorities they take us close to where there's been fighting with the kurdish armed group turkey calls a terrorist organization turkish forces are trying to push it out of the region about the front line is just a few kilometers west of here both turkish troops and the free syrian army are taking part in all matters should we ask one of the f.s.a. fighters why he is involved in turkey's operation for some it seems it's personal. with b.g. because they betrayed us and especially because they took over my city. i've been displaced along with many of my neighbors for two years living in the camps there are such bad conditions especially now in the winter. what our turkish escorts are telling us is that the front line with the y p g with the kurdish fighters is just further along. what is clear here on the outskirts of city is how much of a presence they are of course of the free syrian army the syrian rebels that are already taking part in this operation that. w

smoke rising above abandoned buildings, a ruined town outside the capital, with syrian army tanks on army soldiers smashing their way into a compound and freeing the soldiers inside. the army has broken a siege here, a military transport compound surrounded by rebels for weeks — the latest battle in syria's seven year war. the rebel area of eastern ghouta, home to around a00,000, is north—east of the capital, damascus. the military base under siege is in the town of harasta, just outside the capital. this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, massive airstrikes in eastern ghouta. and this was thursday, 23 people reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions, the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them was also killed. idlib, another rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here too. a car bomb at the weekend which killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel ho. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few and far betwee

and we have twenty martyrs from the free syrian army

this is the syrian army guys they don't have any problem with the kurds but they do have a problem with these guys because this is the area of the green aires also the region which harbors how you have to create or nusra a terrorist organization and finally here you have man bridge there it is also it is a city also controlled by the kurds and it could be turkey's game plan erdogan has already said after he's done with afrin man beach is next this operation hardly came out of the blue you know the kurds have been historically a major thaw in turkey is side but what catalyzed things now was the pentagon saying they're going to create a so-called syrian border force the coalition is working jointly with the syrian democratic forces to establish and train the new syrian border security force currently there are approximately two hundred thirty individuals training in the inaugural class with the goal of a final full size of approximately thirty thousand one very precise description of america's intentions there by that point turkey had had enough ankara beefed up its forces on the syr

smoke rising above abandoned buildings, a ruined town outside the capital, with syrian army tanks on here, army soldiers smashing their way into a compound and freeing the soldiers inside. the army says it has broken a siege here, a military transport compound surrounded by rebels for weeks — the latest battle in syria's 7—year war. the rebel area of eastern ghouta, home to around a00,000, is north—east of the capital, damascus. the military base under siege is in the town of harasta, just outside the capital. this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, massive air strikes in eastern ghouta. and this was thursday — 23 people reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions, the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them was also killed. idlib, another rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here too. a car bomb at the weekend, which killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel ho. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few a

page a is a syrian army of the kurdish workers party opaque. it considers that a terror group. could just on workers party and the why p.g. in syria they couldn't stand worker's party is on the terror list of the us and the e.u. the organization that works within syria is exactly the sign. that the syrian operation doesn't come without risks for turkey of a not sever rockets from syria landed in a turkish border city one person has been reported wounded as turkey escalates its involvement in syria the dangers for civilians grow on both sides of the border. correspondent delia han joins us for more you know you know we understand that turkish forces have crossed the border into syria and are attacking the african region what more can you tell us. well this weekend turkey opened another front in the syrian war a war that is going on for nearly seven years now making an already very complex situation even more complex yes we have consumation by the military now that the ground offensive has started turkish soldiers have moved into a friend alongside fighters of the so-called free

this is the syrian army guys they don't have any problem with the kurds but they do have a problem with these guys because this is the area of the green aires also the region which harbors how you have to create a sham or nusra a terrorist organization and finally here you have man bridge there it is also it is a city also controlled by the kurds and it could be turkey's game plan erdogan has already said after he's done with afrin man beach is next this operation hardly came out of the blue you know the kurds have been historically a major thaw in turkey's but what catalyzed things now was the pentagon saying they're going to create a so-called syrian border force the coalition is working jointly with the syrian democratic forces to establish and train the new syrian border security force currently there are approximately two hundred thirty individuals training in the inaugural class with the goal of a final full size of approximately thirty thousand one very precise description of america's intentions there by that point turkey had had enough ankara beefed up its forces on the sy

here on the outskirts of city is how much of a presence they are of course supporting the free syrian army fighters and syrian rebels that are already taking a large part in this operation that turkey has undertaken against. the wall while we were here two bullets whizzed overhead. and we're told. to blame for this. sort of the you know they shot at us and our tires. are. pushed out of here in two thousand and fourteen but life remains difficult as her has to provide for thirteen members of her family she tells us she is. war has now become the norm she says. people are used to the shelling and the explosions the young children are still scared but we've been facing this for a few years now we're not afraid anymore. there is hardly any electricity here generators are the only way to get light or heat in the winter rain has left the streets thick with mud. the black paint on this will be for sale. it seems some still dream of moving on from here. the landscape in this part of syria is dotted with tents millions of syrians are made homeless in their own country. we've been here for three yea

is clear here on the outskirts of how much of a presence they are of course supporting the free syrian army the syrian rebels that are already taking part in this operation that turkey has undertaken. while we were here two bullets whizzed overhead. and we're told. for this. sort of they shot at us and. we. pushed out of here in two thousand and fourteen. difficult. has to provide for thirteen members of her family she tells us she is. the norm she says. people are used to the shelling and the explosions the young children are still scared but we've been facing this for a few years now we're not afraid anymore. there is hardly any electricity here generators are the only way to get light or heat in the winter rain has left the streets with. the black. still dream of moving on from here. in this part of syria with. millions of syrians in the country. we've been here for three years in the tent has never been fixed because of the rhine the lakes and there are seven. terrible. this is a country ripped apart by almost seven years of war millions of syrians have had to leave their lives behind.

turkey is mobilizing thousands of free syrian army rebels on its border with syria as part of a military operation for. threatened against syrian kurdish fighters known as the y.p. jean based in the town of baffling turkey classifies them as a terrorist organization i'm going to fears the establishment of a kurdish code are along its border the army has intensified shelling enough rain in recent days and says a ground assault could happen soon the spokesman for you the un secretary general antonio good to have is warning against increased military activity in the region we've seen the reports of shelling in africa and we reiterate our call on all concerned parties to avoid further escalation in any acts that could deepen the suffering of the syrian people all parties must ensure protection of civilians at all times under any circumstances and stephanie decker has more from an taqiyya. the situation around the fitting is heating up there is been an increase in shelling from turkey into africa and also hearing reports that around fifteen thousand free syrian army fighters these are the reb

this is the syrian army guys they don't have any problem with the kurds but they do have a problem with these guys because this is the area of the green aires also the region which harbors how you have to create or nusra a terrorist organization and finally here you have man bridge there it is also it is a city also controlled by the kurds and it could be turkey's game plan erdogan has already said that after he's done with afrin man beach is next this operation hardly came out of the blue you know the kurds have been historically a major thaw in turkey's but what catalyzed things now was the pentagon saying they're going to create a so-called syrian border force the coalition is working jointly with the syrian democratic forces to establish and train the new syrian border security force currently there are approximately two hundred thirty individuals training in the inaugural class with the goal of a final full size of approximately thirty thousand one very precise description of america's intentions there by that point turkey had had enough ankara beefed up its forces on the syri

thank you now turkey is mobilizing thousands of for you syrian army rebels on its border with syria they were taken in a convoy of buses as part of the military operation against syrian kurdish fighters known as the white b.g. in the town of us i mean turkey calls them a target scroope the army has intensified shelling on a friend in recent days and says a ground assault could happen soon. pope francis has called for the protection of indigenous people who are visiting the heart of peru's amazon forest the head of the catholic church condemned the exploitation of timber and gold in the area which he said is endangering native peruvians. for. the first stop on a three day tour in. pope francis a champion of clean environment but members of amazonian indigenous communities the pope says they are the most vulnerable people and now they're living in danger there are going to be the native amazonian peoples have probably never been so threatened on the lens as they are at present there is no extract of ism and. by great business interests that want to lay hands on its petroleum gas lumber and

or syrian army that is controlled been supported by tricky those groups most of them are isis and radical islamist terrorist organization their movement and they're moving and the kurds to help turkey and really capture those areas they're not there to help the syrian people or stop the war in syria against assad as they did they were to help their brothers and idlib right now it's been us under assault by assad so they're only attacking the kurds and this is destabilizing in our opinion turkey is always supported islamists and now their hand with iran they're going to further be a threat to the international community to russia to america to the european and that need to be stopped and we're disappointed that the russia pulled out their troops and american are not back in the course of the moment. well i just want to talk more about how washington has been too. betraying because it's their partners they've been saying look we have your back we are going to help you they have been helping them in the fight against isis now that the kurds are being bashed by turkey washington we do

the is basically the beginning of the push to eliminate them and it says that it's helping the syrian army forces and the militias that have been operating alongside the syrian military with that task and of course this is part of a wider push by the syrian military to take on the remaining rebel groups that are in that province the largest of the rebel provinces still left or right laurie thank you very much for that that is roy challenge joining us live with all the very latest from moscow thank you. but don't move on to other news now u.s. vice president mike pence is an israel for talks with prime minister benjamin netanyahu the visit is being boycotted by palestinians angry at the u.s. declaration on jerusalem well pence is the most senior american official to visit jerusalem since the u.s. announced its decision to move the israeli embassy there the city status is a key point of contention in the middle east peace process well this is what pence had to say soon after meeting netanyahu. by the great author. be. israel's capital jerusalem. following over it's a story this is. probably

free syrian army rebels being mobilized by turkey inside syria they were taken in a convoy of buses out of preparations for a turkish military operation against kurdish fighters as the white p.g. in the syrian town of after the turkish army has intensified its shelling on the area in recent days and says an offensive is imminent. egypt's president after fattah el-sisi has announced he is running for a second term the power after leading the military coup to oust his predecessor mohamed morsi in two thousand and thirteen his main challenger will be former armed forces chief of staff. u.s. vice president mike pence is on his way to the middle east for a three day trip to discuss moving the american embassy in israel to jerusalem the u.s. decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital provoked international anger will go to egypt and jordan and spend two days in israel where he will address parliament palestinians have made it clear he is not welcome and facebook is launching a survey too for members to identify news sources that are trustworthy chief executive mark zuckerberg wants a

the lebanese army has found the bodies of nine syrian refugees they froze to death in a snowstorm trying to cross the border into lebanon soldiers are looking for others caught in the blizzard and u.s. vice president mike pence is on his way to the middle east for a three day trip to discuss moving the american embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem u.s. decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital has provoked widespread international opposition. the headlines news continues here on al-jazeera after witness statement that's what. yes yes yes yes. and she has not. used any. changed. to the or. something but i'm isn't much the actual possibility he was the one he was to the signature mogul probably i'm. just well i mean you watch the dross on mccartney has just what i mean he was no horse so watching the court missed him blubbering him and he has no asterisk i just saw. with supreme. court so it was just me but saw on top of the transformer drug use in the water here what's toff. i need to get some script on each case and you my source on the mission. was in ways which i had

as we enter syria it is the free syrian army flag that flies high here we're on a media trip into as organized by the turkish authorities they take us close to where there's been fighting with the kurdish armed group turkey calls a terrorist organization turkish forces are trying to push it out of the region about the front line is just a few kilometers west of here both turkish troops and the free syrian army are taking part you know i'm not sure but we also one of the f.s.a. fighters why he is involved in turkey's operation for some it seems it's personal. with the white b.g. because they betrayed us and especially because they took over my city. i've been displaced along with many of my neighbors for two years living in the camps there are such bad conditions especially now in the winter. what our target escorts are telling us is that the front line with the kurdish fighters is just further along that mountain is also which is over to this side where there's been active fighting but what is clear here on the outskirts of city is how much of a presence they are of course supporting

that's free syrian army fighters syrian rebels that turkey supports together with turkish troops entering syria from the north and western side and that's take a look at how the last twenty four hours unfolded. the border echoes with the sounds of war turkey's offensive on africa is now well under way the ground operation started on sunday turkish soldiers supporting free syrian army fighters inside syria. turkish president brigitte type defiant as he addressed a large crowd in the city of. jugglers. this is a national struggle and in this national struggle we will crush anyone who stands against us let this be known. it's been a week of rhetoric politicians promising that turkey was going to attack to rid of the y.p. kurdish fighters that i'm pro considers terrorists but they're also the u.s. is best ally on the ground in fighting i still regardless of international complications turkey is fully committed to this offensive we're on turkey's border with africa and throughout the day we've heard the sound of jets in the sky also intense artillery and machine gun fire outgoing from a turkis

the syrian army is now conducting a larger operation in it live and at least two hundred thousand people are fleeing the battlefield and they heading towards their kish borders and there he may feel a little bit threatened by that so we feel that there are there is enough incentive to turkey to continue regardless of the american morning they might find some compromise with the americans because what roger theater on the the turkish president said today was that. there were promises in members that weren't kept so we're not going to stop now that opens the gates somehow or the door for further negotiation perhaps the carrot or evacuate kurdish militia from embedded. you know heed to some turkish demands and then the turks would stop so they're putting some pressure hoping hoping for some diplomatic gains from the americans there saying we're not going to stop it's your turn they're putting the ball in the american court see how that turns out you know what they're going to do for america's reputation in the eyes of new potential partners in the region seeing that the u.s. is clearly not

free syrian army forces to the east and west and syrian government forces to the self most of those fleeing are traveling through government held territory to an enclave inside. that is controlled by. the syrian observatory for human rights is accusing government forces of blocking them well let's get more on the. stephanie she is live from the turkish syrian border what else is the u.n. report saying about the situation. it's terrible but they are moving away now it is quite a damning report in the sense that they're saying that the civilians call and get out of the province of pretty. pretty close to the road there is one way out for people because turkey borders it to the west and north and has its forces on the east and even a bit in the south there's a government held areas so they're saying that the authorities the p y d the road reports that the government the syrian government. people have managed to get out just a few have turned them back and this is the same that we've been hearing from our sources over the last couple of days so it's a very difficult situation the borders with t

know i mean how does this change mean the rest of syria we have of reconciliation going on the syrian army is an essential one against these terrorist groups it's just the border area between syria proper and turkey this isn't a new conflict a very different and it can be confined and now it will have to stop near its borders every single power. that has a significant kurdish population. iran iraq syria is opposed to an independent kurdish state so it's not just to every single citizen how does it marcos' billion to the huge minority of kurds inside of turkey and what's going on in syria i mean do we see more do you foresee a lot more blowback now with that and that's obviously the concern and the garden regime has forbidden kurds to protest against this euphemistically named operation and believe all of these invading syria and bombing cities. you know it to me you know let's frame this properly who has all along been you know turkey the war against syria couldn't exist without the turkish border for that disneyland it provided for jihad as to the moms training centers that the u.s. and s

problem with the kurds but they do have a problem with these guys because it's not just the free syrian army and the rebels but also the formally know the groups that were formerly known as no strong now it's. they're considered terrorists by the united states and by the international community and the syrian government is battling them and this is man bridge. this could be the final this could be the final destination of the kurdish military and this is what and korea's threatening they're threatening that after afrin man which is next. that's clarified things but it is also pointed out just how complicated the situation remains let's get some analysis now from a guest let's bring in a risky middle east affairs expert who can speak to the. alley that the turks are fence against the syrian kurds we well we know what's going on at the moment but where is it going to end what's the possibility of this developing a chain reaction lots of different players in the region could they get drawn into a conflict indeed it's quite a very significant development and where it would lead i think that's on

russian ministry of defense there and so we'll see what comes of that and the turkish back free syrian army fighters have already announced they are on the move to help the turkish army in the african region many thanks to configure in studio with me bring us right up to date ok let's get some expert analysis now to speak to a guest and i must apologize in advance for my pronunciation we have to check the chance to speak ahead of this interview dr cohen you know he's a turkey expert tell of if university thanks for your time this offensive against the syrian regime could it in your opinion trigger a chain reaction in the region we know things are pretty unstable or do you think it will remain confined to the north of syria. ok first of all i need to tell you that recently before coming to your studio i heard the. statement that this operation now is only limited with the afi region but then he also concluded that it will also they will also continue to the member region since the u.s. did not fulfill its promises to the turkish government as you may remember the turkish administration did n

floor trying to figure something out but thank you ok now turkey is mobilizing thousands of free syrian army rebels on its border with syria they were taken in a convoy of buses as part of a military operation against syrian kurdish fighters known as the white b.g. in the town of a three mm turkey told them a terrorist group the army has intensified shelling on a freedom in recent days and says a ground assault could happen soon. a qatari royal who was a close ally of saudi arabia says the gulf diplomatic crisis has been manufactured in an audio recording obtained by al-jazeera banally i think any accuses saudi arabia and the u.a.e. of fabricating the rift with cattle as a way to seize their neighbor's wealth he also says he was honest so much pressure from the two countries that he wanted to end his life reports. the man saudi arabia and the u.a.e. were presenting as an alternative to leadership stepped up his attacks on the blockade in countries in a new audiotape shake of the lebanon early earth any a member of. the family says the gulf's biggest diplomatic best was triggered by saudi and

this was the syrian army's response to the rebel action, mass massive airstrikes in eastern ghouta.y, 20 reported to have died and dozens more injured. after the explosions the rescue teams moved m, explosions the rescue teams moved in, known as the white helmets. one of them also killed. idlib, a rebel stronghold, hundreds of kilometres north, and the aftermath of explosions here, too. a car bomb at the weekend killed 18 people, thought to have been targeting a rebel hq. there are reports of hospitals destroyed in the strikes outside damascus. doctors in the area are few and far between and medicine is scarce. as the planes move away, though, people still come out to scavenge useful supplies from between the lumps of concrete and brick building. reports suggest more than 100 may have died from rebel and syrian army forces during the latest skirmish as the military compound was freed. more than 340,000 people have been killed in syria since the conflict began almost seven years ago. let's take a look at some of the other stories the news: the us ambassador to the united nations, nik

could deepen the suffering of the syrian people all parties must ensure protection of civilians at all times under any circumstances. well in our developments the lebanese army is saying that it's found the bodies of nine syrian refugees who froze to death trying to cross the border into lebanon they were found by army officers after a snowstorm near the mountainous area of the must not border crossing six others was safe but one later died in hospital patrols are still looking for other refugees course in the storm and of arrested two syrians on smuggling charges well nearly a million syrian refugees who managed to make it into lebanon a suffering through a base a winter in flimsy tents that flood easily and with no protection from the freezing temperatures the u.n.h.c.r. says it's received less than sixty percent of the funding it needs to help the refugees through winter and is desperate for donations saying hold the reports from the bekaa valley in lebanon. heavy winds snow lower temperatures lebanon is being hit by a storm making the lives of the nearly one million syrian refugees even more miserable they face many challenges during the winter months am