live from beirut and are we getting more details about how this general died, zaina?ll, the official statement said he was killed by i.s.i.l. terrorists in aleppo. they make no mention of where or how he was killed but according to the syrian observatory for human rights they have information suggesting he was killed in battle at the front line close to the military airport. we do know that there has been a lot of military activity there, it's a front line between the government and i.s.i.l. and the government has been trying to make advances as of late so that is the information we have but no confirmation from the iranian side. we all know that iran doesn't shy away from the fact and saying that they have military advisors in syria at the beginning of the conflict they said they were sending there to protect the shia holy sites and later on said the advisors were helping the syrian army on the ground. but what the iranian government doesn't say is that troops are taking part in battles even though the opposition has long insisted and provided evidence that iranian f

to the north in idlib and aleppo and wants a corridor along the coast and the capitol damascus and zaina and this is supported by russian air strikes, what can you tell us? >> well, the syrian government and its allies undoubtedly expanding their offensive against the opposition opening this new front in the northern province of aleppo. what we understand is that the government is targeting the opposition south of the divided city. activists on the ground confirming that the army is pushing forward with the help of russian air strikes. we understand that they were heavy air strikes overnight that actually paved the ground for the army to move in. now, this area is strategic. why? because it lies on a main highway that links the northern city of aleppo to the south of the country, particularly the capitol damascus and this is really what we have been seeing. they have opened an offensive against the rebels in aleppo and the homs countryside as well as hama countryside and all of their aim really is to clear supply routes and clear the highways and they are not just fighting to recapture t

crossing over to zaina who is joining us from beirut to talk to us about this seemingly several frontst are being fought now in syria. >> reporter: yes, the syrian army along with its allies have expanded the counter offensive against the opposition. like you mentioned a ground operation is underway in the province of aleppo. we understand that the army is advancing in an area south of the city and their aim is to push the rebels from a main highway that connects the northern city of aleppo to government-controlled territories further south in particular the capitol damascus so it seems the government is trying to open this main supply line. now, the offensive in aleppo is only one of several fronts. the government yesterday launched a ground operation against the opposition in the northern countryside of homs and a few days earlier they opened an offensive in the countryside and seems this offensive has a strategy. what they are concentrating on is taking control over main highways, what could be supply lines that they can use to reenforce their positions further north so they are not

. >> thank you very much for that zaina live in beirut. nine killed in the u.s. of oregon after a gunman walked in a community college and opened fire. president barack obama has made a plea to the american public to help stop gun violence. ♪ amazing graze a candlelight vigil was held outside the umpqua community college in roseburg and seven wounded and the gunman was killed in a shoot out with police. >> reporter: police responded to shots in a classroom on the umpqua community college in the town of roseburg. >> officers engaged that suspect, there was an exchange of gunfire, the shooter threat was neutralized. >> reporter: a witness told a local newspaper that after firing his first shot at a teacher the gunman told students to lie down and ask them to state their religion then he resumed fire indiscrimately. after that they were put on buses and evacuated as police searched for possible boobie traps and investigators looking into report that he had a race related manifesto on social media before the crime, this was the 45th shooting at an american school thi

zaina has more. >> reporter: iranian state media saying he was killed by quote terrorists while advising syrian military on the ground. they do say that he was killed the aleppo countryside and no details of where and how really and where in aleppo but what we understand from the syrian observatory from human rights they have is that the general was killed in fighting near the front line in the military airport and now iran we do know has advisors on the ground and acknowledge that and say military advisors are there to help the syrian army but iran categorically denies they are fighting with the army and opposition says otherwise. the syrian government doesn't just get help from iran, it gets help from another ally the movement in hezbollah with thousands in syria helping the army and its vital support from iran and hezbollah, the syrian president himself said they are suffering from man power problems and the army is over stretched and now the syrian government getting support from another ally the russians and the information on the iranian general's death launched on the ground by i.

. >> okay thank you very much for that, zaina live in beirut.ean phone ministers are meeting in luxembourg and the foreign policy chief says russia's growing military role will be top of the agenda. >> it is for sure a game changer. it has some very worrying elements. we will discuss them in particular when it comes to the violation of the air space of turkey and i have always said and i believe this is going to be also the same today intervention against dash has to be clearly against dash and other terrorist groups defined by the u.n., we have a common ground i believe, the eu, u.s. and russia have common ground and security solutions already passed and u.n. framework and has to be coordinated otherwise it risk to be extremely dangerous not only from a political point of view but mainly from a military point of view. >>> meanwhile syrian army says it's gaining new territory with russian air strikes and pictures said to show a russian attack in idlib province and syrian troops say they have taken control of the area and defense ministry release

let's go live to zaina monitoring developments in the ongoing syrian war and tell us a little bit moref what you know regarding the circumstances of his death. >> reporter: well, marteen it was confirmed by the state media and he was kwil ee eed killed b quote unquote i.s.i.l. terrorist and didn't say when or where and we spoke to the observatory for human rights and told us the information they have is he was killed in fighting in the front line around the military airport in the northern city of aleppo. now, iran doesn't hide the fact that military advisors are on the ground advising the syrian army, iran denies however there are troops fighting alongside the syrian army even though the opposition says and presented a lot of evidence showing that iranian troops, in fact, operate in syria. also iranian ally the lebanese shia movement hezbollah sent thousands of fighters to syria and not hiding it and fighting on the front lines and have been instrumental in helping the army hold grounds and, in fact, we heard the syrian president a few months ago saying the army suffers from man power

but the syrian army says it's now regaining territory thanks to russian air strikes and al jazeera zainaorts from beirut. >> reporter: the u.s. confirming that they dropped ammunition for anti-i.s.i.l. forces in syria. they didn't specify who those antiforces are and know who the coalition works with on the ground, their partners are the syrian-kurdish force, the ypg along with some arab groups who do cooperate with kurds on the ground and the ammunition was dropped in the northeast of the country. what we understand is that an offensive is being planned, a major offensive against i.s.i.l. and it is expected to happen in the coming weeks, preparations are underway and this offensive is going to be launched by the syrian kurds, the ypg as well as a number of arab groups, in particular one which is known as the rica revenue lube artery brigade and these groups have cooperated together on the ground in the past but they have now formalized their alliance calling themselves democratic forces of syria, the plan will be to lay siege to the city of cicca which is in effect a de facto capitol of

officially uniting with a mix of rebel groups and military alliance called the democratic forces of syria, zaina from beirut. >>> syria's kurds are the most effective fighting force of i.s.i.l. on the ground with the help of the u.s. led coalition air strikes and much of the areas along the border with turkey are under their control and fighting alongside some arab groups and a syrian christian group, that alliance now has been formalized and call themselves the democratic forces of syria. >> after the intervention of russian fighters in syria so now the situation is changing very quickly so this force is made up, this kind of we can't say the unification on the ground. >> reporter: the new group says its role will be to fight for i.s.i.l. and search for a secularer syria and be an army and have the backing of the u.s. and russia. the announcement was made days after the u.s. said it was abandoning plans to train some of the rebel forces and instead provide weapons to commanders who have already been vetted. the u.s. has already worked with brigades who are part of the democratic forces of syria

abandon plans to train level saying they will only provide weapons who those who are vetted and we go to zainahat more do we know about this new alliance? >> reporter: well, adrian this is a significant government and democratic forces like syria like you mentioned and groups like the ypg, the syrian kurdish force in northeastern syria as well as arab groups and christian fighting brigades on the ground and all these groups have fought with i.s.i.l. in previous generations but now they formalized an existing alliance and what we understand their role to be, it will be to fight aisle and a democratic and secular syria where all the different groups can live side by side and they are also telling me that they're hope ing this alliance will be the nucleus of a new army in syria and i managed to speak to a high-ranking official in a democratically autonomous area and an area under control of kurdish administration, what he is saying is that this unification on the ground was necessary because of changing dynamics and he talked about the russian military intervention. what he also told me was that

al jazeera's zaina has the latest. >>> government and allies expanded counter offensive against opposition opened a new front south of the northern city of aleppo. we understand from activists on the ground as well as syrian military sources that they are hoping to recapture a route, a very strategic route at the highway that links the northern providence of aleppo to government controlled territories further south and aleppo is not the only front. the government just yesterday launched a ground offensive against the opposition in the northern countryside of homs and a few days earlier they opened another front against opposition in the northern countryside of hama and southern areas of idlib providence and seems there is a strategy here and trying to retake control of the main supply route so that the government can send forces to the north. now, the russian aerial campaign is going to enter its third week, a lot of questions are being asked what has been achieved on the ground. well, we do know that the air strikes have now placed the opposition on the defensive, the government is now ma