us, a reminder that there has been a loud explosion in beirut, the capital of lebanon. we are getting reports that four people have been killed. our correspondent is on the phone for us from beirut. you have more information, i believe. >> yes, the target behind the car bomb. former february minist -- firns minister, a member of the future movement. he was kill. we have confirmation that he was killed in this attack. it seems that this was an assassination using a car bomb. it happened in an area where there was a meeting for future movement in the area. he was a prominent member of the future movement. [ inaudible ] >> can you repeat his name again, because the line is not very clear right now. can you repeat again what you have just told us. you said he was close to rafiq hariri. >> he is the former finance minister, close to former prime minister hariri and a prominent member of the future movement. he had a prominent position in the future movement. he was close to the former prime minister. >> was he the only person that you know of who was. >> so far the confirmation is he is the only politician killed. >> his convoy, as you said, was travelling through the area whe

us on this one. >>> breaking news overnight from beirut. a car bomb including a former ambassador to the u.s. 71 people were injured in the attack. lebanon authorities say he died along with his bodyguard. >> another cold dark night for tens of thousands of people waiting for the power to come back on from michigan to maine and in canada they are reeling from a winter storm blamed for at least 19 deaths. >>> people in toronto say they have never seen a storm quite like this living with no heat and going to extremes to get some warmth can be dangerous. >> my dad used the barbecue charcoal to heat up the house and there is a lot of carbon monoxide. >> authorities in toronto report several people being treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. >>> in maine utilities companies say the progress is slow did you steady in restoring the power there. many are shivering for a seventh day and making the best of it. >> it was cold. it was dark. you have to keep the fire going, that is our only option. >> we have done this before and been at this rodeo bef

. >> reporter: and our correspondent joins us from beirut, she is at the scene of the blast. i can first get you to begin by describing the scene there and what happened. >> okay, we are here in downtown beirut. as you can see the security forces have got the area baricaded and keeping journalists away and it was a car bomb and he was passing by when the car exploded and he was killed with four other including his body guardian 17 other people have been injured. this is an area that is very prominent and rebuilt by the family. it was their own project and source of pride for them and a place where the tourist come and the lebanese come back for christmas holidays to spend time. most of the banks have headquarters here, shopping malls, movie theatres and a very up scale residential area. the camera man will try -- he is trying to show you the christmas tree at the end of this road. there is just over there is usually very busy in the afternoon. now it was early in the morning about 9:30 in the morning and it wasn't that busy but security is usually very tight around this area,

elias hanna joining us from beirut. >>> still ahead on the al jazeera news hour, they got what they wanted. they are still not going home. details coming up. >>> plus students in egypt have been demonstrating for months and now the government is running amok. >>> and the short list for footballer of the year. robin will have news coming up later in the news hour. >> a mass funeral has been held for more than 50 people killed in an attack on the yemeni government. al qaeda has said it was behind the attack. it says the ministry has been targeted because u.s. forces have been operated from there. >>> from yemen after that attack, seven filipinos have been killed. about 70 philippine nationals were working in the military hospital. about 10 million filipinos work overseas mostly in the middle east. >>> more than 140 students have been arrested in egypt during a protest university in cairo. one student is in intensive care after being shot. a student said al assad university, protest oorgs several police cars were set on fires. well, the students have been demonstrating for months now against

. >> let's talk to political analyst joining us from beirut why would the syrian security forces be usingh crude devices now? >> clearly the objective is to terrorize as many of the civilians as possible in alepo and this is by the government authoritys to separate the wedge that exists between the rebel forces and the population at large. the objective of this very crude reliance on helicopter assaults on civilian targets cannot be anything but to terrorize as many of the population as possible precisely to create a larger gap between what the rebel strongholds may be in the alepo region and what they are provided. >> reporter: is there a possibility that indicates the security forces are running out of more sophisticated weaponry? >> perhaps that is possible. although syria is not short of weapons. it is a heavily armed country. it has probably enough weapons to continue to go for a decade to come. i think that by relying on helicopter target, targeting by helicopter and barrels full of t and t and fuel, they are essentially saying we don't need to really use sophisticated weapons, rock

reporter: this was a political analyst and editor of the independent baghdad daily and he joins us from beirut and thank you very much for joining us, what do you think the political impact will be of this mass resignation? >> well, some people from the side show satisfaction on this because they will go easily in the next few weeks to some drafts which have been drafted because of the problems or disputes about them. but from the political point of view the issue is much more heavier. i do believe they need to end up with some kind of supplement in a few weeks at least or at most if they would like to go ahead for the election of 2014. that is why i do believe they have to workout on a sort of very critical timetable both sites of the opponents. >> reporter: is there truth in the point there are increasingly marginalized, that the sectarian divisions are growing? >> no. i think sectarian division already had been done. and maliki at this moment feel more confident because of the political situation and the military situation resulted by the attack on haran and other valleys in the western sah

reportedly gunned down just after midnight outside his home correspondent to see fielder joins us now from beirut to see what we want to email about a shiite commander who was killed and half. soon he was a senior career and he's going to be christian teacher this time. these are statements that he knows when the sun was breaking in two thousand and six more. to manage the market tends to be secretive about six feet this me months to mind many useless managed operations was killed in two thousand and eight. it's now looking to agree that piece was a success. we returned to him from last nights but he was going to arrest me and stare at them securities co says in his car by and stay in style. its route. industry experts then it's like an emo pics. missy and i have been fighting on two fronts for some time now not just there in lebanon but also in syria is this another sign that ball is actually being dragged more and more into the syrian front. as well as his finger is that it's hard not to seating at the base and eastern conference series a secret but still the great cause. steve that the regime

beirut, killing 23 people. joseph is a specialist on middle eastern politics and joins us live from beirut.ere quoted as saying that mohamad chatah was a moderate politician. that being the case, who do you think could be behind this attack? >> well, with the exception of martians, i think that it's very clear that the syrian and pro syrian elements are behind this assassination, especially because chatah has been extremely vocal during the past two years in criticizing both damascus and hezbollah. he has repeatedly stated that in fact the syrian control over lebanon after 2005 had come to an end and must not return, and he has pleaded with hezbollah repeatedly to withdraw from syria, of course not to get involved in the first place, and after theying spent their troops there to withdraw as quickly as possible. apparently these have fallen on deaf ears. >> you just explains the intricacies of how syria's conflict has spilled over to lebanon. how is this being played out within lebanon itself particularly amongst the population? >> this country is very much divided, 50/50 one can make the ro

he joined us from beirut this morning. >> a special summit on the growing political unright foot in souththe u.n. confirms more troops and equipment are being sent to protect civilians. two weeks of fighting has claimed well over 1,000 lives. aljazeera is covering the summit in nairobi kenya right now. who is there and what are they trying to accomplish? >> del, we have here a meeting for the intergovernmental authority, an eight member east trick condition block. the primary message that these african leaders are trying to get out is that essentially what's going on in south sudan is a political crisis, a political conflict, not ethnic. this was made very clear by the kenyan president during his visit to juba on thursday, something that they ar they are reiterating here today. a foreign minister was sent. we're not seeing the other party to the conflict, a former vice president, who's being accused by the south sudanese government of masterminding this rebellion. we are not seeing him who are. what we are seeing is a chance to jump start a possible dialogue to put an end to hostilities o

andrew simmons joins us live from beirut.rew hezbollah accuses israel of being behind this killing. who would have wanted this man dead? this >> many would have wanted this man dead. what is happening now is an inquiry in hezbollah, it's a rainy funeral, inquiry in their own security as to such a senior figure could have been shot dead outside of his homes. he was hit in the head and the neck. in terms of who wanted him dead? not only the israelies who firmly deny hezbollah's claim, but also the various groups engaged in fighting the syrian regime forces. and his involvement in the war has caused an increasing campaign to try to undermine this group no lebanon and not onlying that, but to attack its figures. and the concern now amongst many people in lebanon is that is this a mounting campaign, one that will be accelerated against hezbollah. at the moment the organization is standing firm and saying no way will it change its stance in any way. >> just before the shooting he gave a tv interview and suggested that saudi arabia

. >> rula amin is in beirut and joins us for the latest. >> yes, we heard from the former prime minister. he is a living member of the future movement with the former prime minister. he said what was acceptable before the assassination is not acceptable after the assassination, saying the retaliation will be through peaceful protests, that they'll go to the square of lebanon to liberate them from the illegal weapons of hezbollah. the march 14th coalition was not able to bring out a lot of people, a sign some say of losing support. >> no matter what they did, they feel they cannot stop future assassinations. >> the march 14th call out - security must be tight. can you tell us more about it. >> security has been tight for the last month and in the last two weeks, because they had information that there might be car bombs during christmas and new year's holidays. it's not the first bomb to hit lebanon. there were similar car bombs, but hitting different targets. shia residential and commercial areas are strongholds of hezbollah. the target was a leading sunni politician from the camp, a dif

. >> and joining us from beirut is sonya, country director of save the children, doing work in lebanonthanks for joining us. sorry if this sounds obtuse, but whipters in the bacabe valley, it's not surprising. why were they set up there. >> it's not surprising. this is the third winter. this is where people are crossing the border, an access point that they can come through from syria. they are settling with relatives, family members and people they know. there are camps in the north, settlement in the north and people are coming over in tripoli and parts of southern lebanon. >> the winter storm in lebanon is threatening thousands. what are the main challenges confronting the refugees in this weather? >> yes, save the children have been working around the clock with other agencies to provide shelter. there's a multi layered challenge. the situation is horrific. we knew it would be the storm, it's a rapid onset of winter. we have people who were living in tents, people living in garges in un -- garages in buildings with no action to heating with open doors. we are seeing inside lebanon

we're joined from beirut. tell us leppo in particular is being targeted. >> it has always been very important both for the government and the opposition. it's up with of the largest cities in syria, and it's a very important strategically. so both the government and opposition have been fighting for over a year there. now the fighting has been intensifying especially in the past three days. we have to remember next month the government and the opposition are going to sit together at the negotiating table, and both are trying to claim as much territory on the ground as possible. so they are fighting fiercely around several areas. the government is adamant. they want to go to the negotiating table saying they have the upper hand. the opposition is desperate to gain any knew ground because they have been fragmented, the free syrian army has been having problems with some of the more radical groups. they need to go to the table with as much control as possible. >> certainly we were just looking at some horrific pictures a

let's join andrew simmonds, live from beirut. >> tell us about who lakis was and the circumstances of his death. >> well, the attack took place outside his home, as you said there, he was driving back from work around midnight and parking his car when a number of shots were fired. he was wounded in the head and neck, we understand. but the news of his death was not announced by hezbollah for another eight hours. not a lot is known about this man, but he was a key figure within this powerful political and military organization in lebanon. he, apparently, according to israeli media are claiming he had a lot of dealings with the liaison with iran. we are told by the media office of hezbollah, that that was not necessarily the case, but there was no information on that subject. >> what is - sorry to interrupt you. what is the significance and the implications in the current political context in lebanon, in the war in syria, of course? >> well, he spent hours talking live on lebanese tv hours before this killing. it's regarded as a coincidence. israel denied involvement in the killing. isr

. >> we're joined from beirut to tell us more about this strategic importance, andrew, for the syrian army forces, and how they managed to push back the rebel fighters. >> yes, the town is important because it gives control of the highway between damascus and homes. that is a main line not only for supplies, but aid, and the syrian government is pushing for this point that crucial supplies and also a supply route for the rebel. this is not an over all victory. this is a mountainous region. the icy cold of winter is coming down on the mountains now, and it's getting very difficult for the syrian forces helped by hezbollah and militia from iraq, to get control. so the rebels will find it harder. it's certainly a big loss for them. but their insistence of the free commanders, including one fighter who was insistent that they could regain ground, and they would make it very hard for the syrian regime to get much further. but it is only one town left now effectively. the syrian forces have fully secured the highway and the town and this is a big blow for the opposition forces. >> how do th

many of the residents i spoke with earlier today in beirut said they could feel that blast from miles away in different parts of the city. >> catch up usng on in turkey right now. >> brianna, this was another day the fierce clashes and lots of protexts in several cities. that was the epicenter of the huge antigovernment demonstrations that happened this pass summer, but today ed more protesters appears in and around this area protesting the government, calling on the prime minister to resign because of the this corruption scandal, and the prime ministerered owand here in turkey now. we were out in the crowd. in fact me and our cameraman, we got hit by rubber pellets containing this powder that made us cough. a lot of tear gas was deployed. water cannon trucks were all over the place, but as a backdrop, you had the prime minister speaking earlier in is tan abu, unapologetic. he wasn't going anywhere, and sazed ceiling wailing crisis was because of outside forces. i can tell you there's a lot of anger, especially in the city. many people we are speaking with say they will continue to come out and demonstrate until the prime minister resi

beirut, killing 23 people. marie is the founder of the institute for near east and gulf military. he joins us from dubai.we haven't heard anybody claim responsibility. all of the fingers seem to point to hezbollah. b but damascus says they were not involved. >> well, this is natural. this is -- we were expecting that the march 14th group, which is the pro-saudi, prowestern political alliance in lebanon, usually after each attack, assassination of one of their members, and this has been going on since 2005, they are quick to lay blame on the syrian, iranian access lead by hezbollah and lebanon, and vice versa, so it was expected that the syrian and hezbollah were going to be denying any responsibility. while the other side is laying the blame on them, lebanon is today divided as seen for a war by proxy between international powers, and the political parties are only tools, pawns in this game. >> why this assassination in particular? >> well, he is an advisor to the former prime minister who is now the leader of the opposition block that is anti-syrian, anti-iran. and it's been perceived by many analysts a

beirut. >> joining me now from washington, d.c. to discuss the events in lebanon, james jatrez former foreign policy adviser. thank you for joining us this afternoon. how concerned does the u.s. need to be about the sectarian violence which seems to be a clear spill over from the war in syria. >> i think there clearly should be concern. this is a spillover from the syrian civil war, and there is an under lying element of shiite and sunni confrontation and saudi arabia and iran. in condemning this it's important to understand that terrorism from the other side, for instance, the bombing outside of the iranian embassy and hezbollah neighborhoods also needs to be condemned. >> mohammed sh ata was a senior adviser. was he a controversial figure in lebanon? >> by all reports he was not. he was a well-respected figure, a former ambassador to the united states, someone seen as a relatively moderate figure. he had recently criticized strongly both hezbollah and the assad government in syria, that obviously is not a reason to justify killing someone. this shows the danger that unless something is done to bring a negotiated solution to the sy

beirut. learned to sing in arabic before she could speak arabic. >> not an easy language to learn. good for her. we'll see how she does. >> good-bye from usng. c"cnn newsroom" starts now. >>> right now the economy's growing but stocks are sinking. we'll tell you why. also, right now fast food workers are sending a message, minimum wage is not enough to live on. walking off their jobs. goal is to double their pay. and right now, the killing of an american in benghazi, libya. it's being investigated, reportedly a school teacher and he's described as someone who is, quote, sweet to everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. first up, the health of the u.s. economy and your 401(k), a key checkup

beirut car bombing. mohamad chatah, and five others died in a blast. >> mohamad chatah was a critic of the regime and hezbollah. joining us fromashington for his insight and political and military issues is brigadier general mark kennett. thank you for being with us this morning. >> mohamad chatah was a critic of syria and his colleagues blame hezbollah for this attack. would you say that the syrian conflict is front and center in lebanon. it spilled over into lebanon. it has resurrected long-term trends starting in "82 with the still war inside of lebanon. primarily a hezbollah movement in the south, a sunni and secular base standing up in the north. beirut in the center is secular cosmopolitan. that's inflamed by tension in syria, carrying over into lebanon. >> speaking of lebanon, the u.s. and syria condemned the attack asking hezbollah to act wisely and rationally. how should de respond? >> as the state department suggests. the country has been through civil war in the past. they are scarred by the years of civil war. and the last thing that most moderates in the country do not want to see is another civil war in the count

joining us for the next hour to talk global risks and the strength of the economy is pulitzer prize winning author thomas friedman. he's also the author of "from beirutut in paperback right now. we'll be talking a lot about things. but tom, we know the economy here has stabilized a little bit. there do seem to be tectonic shifts when it comes to other areas of the world. you can think about a lot of places, whether that be iran, whether that's be what's happening in the middle east at large. one thing we've been talking about this week is ukraine, the decision they have to make between west and east and putin pushing them very hard to choose east. he's making big grabs. >> yeah, there's no question that putin's feeling more and more isolated. and worried about being surrounded by the west as it were. and dangling gas to the ukraine and also twisting their arm. i don't think that's the one, though, that is the one that would really roil markets per se, some impact in europe. the big enchilada will be china and the south asia situation. and they do have to worry a little bit. i think the big debate thing i'm wrestling with, are we seeing the end of chi

through our partners is clearly the path that will allow us to solve this very complex issue, whether it runs from, as i've said before, beirut to damascus, to baghdad, or from afghanistan down into northern africa. and the last thing is, i'll leave the diplomacy to the diplomats. >> thank you. mr. secretary, the "wall street journal" reported that the administration is now reaching out to some of the islamist groups inside syria. is this an acknowledgment that al qaeda's getting the upperhand there and there's concern that if you don't reach out to these groups, you won't have any influence in syria, can you comment on that, both of you, actually? >> well, that's not my area that i deal with, the diplomatic track every day on this. i would just say that if in fact there's going to be a diplomatic resolution, if that is the responsible approach, and we are taking that, as i ve noted, as you all know, and the january geneva two meeting is on track to occur, if this is all going to come to some kind of a diplomatic solution, then all parties involved are going to have to be represented some way. i'll leave that up to secretary