zeina, what more do we know about this offensive?rter: well, syrian television, state tv quoted military sources as saying that the operation in the homs countryside has now begun. now, like you mentioned, this was an anticipated assault. rebels on the ground really were expecting this to happen activists have been telling me the syrian government has been warning them to lay down their arms, civilians to leave for sometime now. in fact the army has been sending reinforcements for the front lines around the homs country side for the past few days. i have been speaking to activistactivistsology who havep loading footage. they say in the early hours of the morning there were airstrikes targeting some areas. they believe that these were russian jet fighters. they also posted footage showing shelling in certain areas. and what they are saying is that there are saville generally casualties. and one civilian was saying that, you know, what are you hitting, you are just sit hitting civilian areas. people on the ground are afraid. what we un

, thank you, zeina hod never beirut there. >>> now, after months of talks to end the conflict in libker the u.n. has proposed a deep that includes a national unity government. it still needs to be approved by rival parliaments the country descended in the violence after the fall of muammar qaddafi in 2011. the two governments fighting for power are the general national corning the g.n.c. which operates out of tripoli. it came to power under an allowance that took over the capital city last year. the group drove out the international recognized government which operates in the eastern city of tobruk. this is recognitioned by the u.n. and the arab league. our diplomatic editor james bays reports from the u.n. in new york. >> reporter: there were smiles when after talks that lasted over a year the u.n. mediator announces its plans for a unity government in libya he said it had been a difficult process. >> that was not an easy task. we have been listen to many people inside and outside the die locker finally it will be six personalities. >> reporter: at its head, prime minister an archit

zeina khodr has more. >> u.s. president barack obama is calling the air strikes a recipe for disaster. urging the russian government to stop attacking troops in options to the syrian government. facing way to political talks sphwhrp there is no incentive 94 as a result many rm and no s announced that the warring sides were not holding rare show of united nations, the image ma opposition i in exile, it is demanding the international community makes it clear the head of the syrian government is not given a role in the transitioning processing. are full transfer of for minimum triz snooungs institutions cannot be partly of the opposition army. the opposition tells us they do not reject a political solution, they just believe it's a waste of time to engage in what they call brainstorming. they are ready to join the geneva 3 peace conference but government holding over power and not in their words reproducing the geem, no mood to compromise. it will not many accept bashar r al-assad's turning over of power as a positio

zeina hodder is live from beirut.ask you first of all, how confident can we be that these reports are accurate? >> reporter: first of all we all know that iran is an ali of the syrian government. we also know that iran has given vital support and has an advisory roam in syria. this is something that they acknowledge. they say that they have military advisers on the ground who work with the syrian government. and just a few days ago, they announced the death of one its top generals in syria. he was killed in the province of aleppo. now, what we are hearing are reports of iranian troops on the ground. now, the source of this information are a number of people close to the iranian government. one of those sources is a leading lebanese newspaper, which is very close to iran. in a front page article with a headline saying iranian troops arrive in syria to take part in ground operation. and in this article, just like other -- the other sources, they talk about, you know, details of this planned operation, how they are going

zeina khodr reports. fest. >> syria's kurds have been the most effective fighting force against i.s.i.l. on the ground. with the help of u.s. led coalition air strikes most of the areas are now under their control. they have been fighting alongside some arab groups and an assyrian christian group. they call themselves the democratic importances of syria. >> after the intervention, russian jet strikers and their strikes in syria, so now, the situation is changing very quickly. so this force is made up this kind of we can't see unification on the ground. >> the new group says its role will be to fight i.s.i.l. and push for what it calls a democratic and secular syria and once the war is over become the syrian army. >>> some of the rebel forces 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. russian hasn't shied away from saying it is targeting opposition groups, as part of its military campaign in s

including the free syrian army, zeina khodr reports. >> the syrians army says this is part of the military campaign to recapture the region. syrian military forces say the air strikes are weakening forces before a ground strike begins. i.s.i.l. is not flent this press part of the country. changing the balance of power on the ground. >> translator: we are the free syrian army, the closest syrian base is 60 cloments from here. >> the allegiance has been used. by syrian and russian governments ojustify their attacks. >> nusra is all over syria not just homs. the group has good relations with other brigades an the people because it is fighting the regime. they are using nusra's province the kill civilians and fight the operation. >> civilians have been killed in the recent strikes, only rebel controlled area in the province which is important for the gft's control. are the majority have hit antigovernment rebels who were advancing towards the state control latakia problems of. syrian military provinces are calling that corner of syria an al qaeda-overrun being location. the u.s. considers it a

al jazeera's zeina khodr has more now from beirut. >> reporter: this is a significant development. the democratic forces of syria like you mentioned, it groups the ypg, the syrian kurdish force, as well as some arab groups, christian fighting brigades on the ground. now they have formalized an existing alliance. and what we understand their role to be, it will to be fight i.s.i.l. and to fight for what they're calling a democratic and secular syria where all the different groups can live side by side. and they're also telling me that they're hoping that this alliance will be the nucleus of a new army in syria. i managed to speak to a high ranking official in what's called the autonomous region. what he is saying is 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 this new force has the back of both the united states and russia. and signs on the ground really indicate or lend really credence to those claims. >> zeina khodr in beirut for us. >>> zimbabwe says it will not file

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >>> picture post card goes face to face with the refugee crisis.ontroversy in syria where textbooks could become a thing of the past. more on that in just a few minutes. >> ground-breaking... >> they're firing canisters of gas at us. >> emmy award-winning, investigative series. >> time now for a reminder of the headlines on al jazeera. another day of violence in israel and palestine. a palestinian teenagers was shot and killed near lion's gate in the old city of jerusalem. in a separate attack in a settlement outside jerusalem two palestinians were shot after stabbing israelis in critical condition. and syrian forces fighting islamic state of iraq and the levant are joining together with smaller rebel groupings to forge a new military alliance in the northeast of the country. >>> germany's ruling coalition is pressing ahead with plans to set up a so-called transit zone at its southern border to assess asylum applications. chancellor angela merkel has taken a welcome stance, but as jonah hull reports, there are signs this her policy may be losing pu

zeina khodr, al jazeera. >> russia says all its planes have safely returned to base and its drones are operating as normal. earlier this month two russian jets violated turkish air space. >>> dozens of people have been killed and several injured in a spate of suicide attacks in northeastern nigeria. police stopped them entering maiduguri. boko haram is suspected of carrying out the attacks. >>> greece's parliament has approved a new round of austerity. cuts to pension, increase in retirement age and harsher penalties for tax evaders. >>> hungary has closed its border with croatia to droll flow of thousands of refugees across europe. aid groups are warning that could leave many of them stranded in croatia. victoria gatenby reports. >> this is the village on the croatia hungary border. in recent weeks as many as 8,000 have crossed from croatia to hungary, from here. but authorities sealed off the crossing point with razor wire. they now face traveling through slovenia, or stranded in croatia where temperatures are starting to fall. >> bottled up in croatia not knowing which direction to

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >> at least 18 people died when female bombers blew themselves up as police stopped them from entering maiduguri. the armed group boko haram is suspected of carrying out the attacks. greece's parliament has approved a influence round of austerity measures. hundreds of greeks protested outside athens ahead of the vote. increase of retirement age and harsher penalties. these are part of the austerity measures before aid can be released. >>> aid groups are warchg, warning, many will be stranded in croatia. victoria gatenby reports. >> this is the town on the hungary-croatia border. thousands have crossed from this point into hungary. refugees desperate to get to austria or germany, now face traveling through slovenia, the authorities are struggling to cope. >> you're going to have thousands of people being bottled up in croatia, not knowing which way to take. i was in crootd yah a coupl crof weeks ago and the situation on the ground was absolutely disastrous. >> reporter: hungary's right wing government has built a razor wire fence, it was forted to seal

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >> prison riot in peru. authorities say, the disturbance broke out in pixis. the violence quickly spread to the prison's rooftop. after they tried ostorm the prison. >>> tens of thousands of people have protested in the german capital against a planned transatlantic free trade deal. bad news for europeans. jonah hull reports from berlin. >> it may sound a bit dull but if you live in europe or the united states, you ought to know about the transatlantic trade and investment partnership. it is an agreement being negotiatebehind closed doors, that aims to harmonize trade rules and standards. thousands are out on the street because they think it is a bad idea. they're wary of what one campaigner called an all out assault of european companies by transnational exeant. >> ttip as it's known will create the world's largest free trade zone. a market of 800 million people that could add $100 billion a year to economic output open both sides of the atlantic. in practice, it could affect everything from jobs to your in

zeina khodr. al jazeera, beirut. >>> military vehicles have lined the banks of the river in pyongyang ahead of a massive parade. earlier kim jong-un paid tribute to his father and grandfather. >>> chinese officials were attending thattending theattend. lee young minh says kim jong-un wants to use the celebrations,. >> huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of world war ii, in that sense kim jong-un wants to show the world that is he as powerful in .respects as the show of force to the entire world. so politically, he looks to be fairly stable, the economy is another question. politically is he terribly isolated. the chinese are keeping a distance. as you know president putin has enjoyed closer ties to the north koreans in the last several years but over the long term china and north korea knows they simply cannot do without each other. in that sense, kim jong-un has wanted to reestablish a relationship with china. >> food and fuel sthornlings a e becoming more acute in

zeina khodr has more. >> reporter: u.s. president barack obama ais calling the situation a disaster. focus on defeating i.s.i.l. the syrian opposition is calling these attacks a russian aggression and is now refusing to attend planned meetings at the u.n. to pave the way for political talks. >> there is no 911 now as a result of this military intervention, there is no incentive to engage in a political solution. >> reporter: in july, u.n. and arab league spokesman suggested working group meetings on a road map for peace. in a rare show of unity, the syrian national coalition and both moderate and conservative groups say the initiative is unacceptable. it is demanding the international community makes it clear the head of the syrian government and its pillars are given a role, the transitional governing means the transition in power. agencies cannot be part of the national army. the opposition tells us they do not reject a political solution. they just believe it is a waste of time to engage in what they call brainstorming s

zeina hodor reports from buy root. >> syria said kurds have been the photo effective fighting force against isil on the ground. with the help of the coalition airstrikes, much of the northeast areas along the border with turkey are now under their control. they have been fighting alongside some arab groups and a syrian christian group that alliance has now been formalized. they call themselves the democratic forces of syria. >> after the russian jet fighters and airstrikes in syria, so now the situation is changing very quickly, so this force is made up, this kind of unification on the ground. >> the group's role said it will be to fight isil and push for a democratic and secular syria and one day become syria's new army. it's leaders say they have the backing of the u.s. and russia. >> the announcement was made days after the u.s. said it was ban dong plans to train some which 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. >> russia hasn't she'd from saying it

let's go straight to zeina hodr who joins us from beirut. what happened this morning? >> reporter: according to the russian defense ministry, as they carried out a number of airstrikes targeting 10 isil targets and they mentioned that eight of the isil facilities hit in idlib, in the northwestern province of i hadlic where he is ill does not have a presence. as you can imagine, the opposition is asking a lot of questions saying whether or not this aerial campaign is, in fact aimed at fighting i see ill or whether they are targeting groups opposed to the government of the babar al-assad. what we understand from activists is that there were airstrikes in homs in towns like reston and telvisi. they uploaded video showing people trialing to leave the area in panic, and showed the aftermath of what they are calling russian airstrikes. there was no mention in the defense ministry's statement of targeting this area. it's not the first time the homs country side has been targeted. there have been a number of civilian casualties there. sammie, the opiniposition is asg what isil

zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: they are pushing into opposition territory. taken ground in the hama country side. this is the first major coordinated assault by the syrian army and russian affairs since russia intervened in the conflict. the threat is not from i.s.i.l. but opposition groups. >> rebels are losing because they are coming and you tack from the syrian regime i.s.i.l. the russian army as well as the kurds. the russian air strikes are weak.ing the kurds. just trying to hang on to territory especially in aleppo. >> reporter: and in aleppo the opposition has lost ground to i.s.i.l. whose fighters stormed into the northern country side and captured villages along with the military base. it was the most significant advance by the armed group in months. the opposition said i.s.i.l. launched the ra tac attack whily and its allies are within firing range of the road cutting it off with besieged rebel held areas in the city and now i.s.i.l. is close are than ever to what was once syria's commercial center. >> feel the war has abandoned them. russia is hit

al jazeera's zeina hodor has more from beirut. >> this is a significant development, the y.p.g., the syrian kurdish force in northeastern syria, as well as some arab groups, christian fighting brigades on the ground, now these, all these groups have fought together against isil in previous operations, but now they have formalized an existing alliance. what we understand their role to be, it will be to fight isil and for what they are calling a democratic and secular syria where all the different groups can live side by side. and they're also telling me that they're hoping that this alliance will be the nucleus of a new army in syria. i managed to speak to a high-ranking official in what is known as the democratic autonomous area in the northeast, an area under the control of a 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 this new force has the backing of both the united states and russia, and signs on the ground really in

. >> zeina khodr joins us live from beirut.wful let's start with what the russian mission is. >> reporter: if you ask anyone in the opposition they believe that the russian mission has really nothing to do with just defeating and degrading isil. for them the russian minute is to help the syrian government in its war against its opponents on the ground. now, russian officials are using isil really as a blanket term. you know, even not mentioning, for example being targeting news remarks even though vladimir putin the russian president himself said that nusra is on that terrorist list and the russians trying to justify their actions in saying that the al qaeda-linked group so a terrorist list of the united states. so it's very difficult to to say exactly who they are targeting on the ground. there have been airstrikes in hamas and this morning we are hearing about airstrikes in the countryside. a variety of rebel groups operate. some of them are so-called moderate groups but others are more conservative. is russia considering the

zeina khodr is live from beirut. a strategic area with a major highway - how is that battle going? >> well, fierce fighting on the ground as well as heavy air strikes. according to activists on the ground, they suspect these are russian war planes, and as well as that there's government shelling. this whole rebel-controlled territory in the northern homs countryside is coming under fire. there are reports of casualties, a number of them fighters, but a number of them civilians as well. this is a populated area. tens of thousands of people live there. a lot of these people are displaced people that moved from other areas in syria to escape the fighting. what we understand from activists on the ground is that people are afraid. according to them, there's no way out. we know that the northern countryside of homs has been surrounded by government forces for years. there's a few routes out. they lead to government controlled territory. people that are wanted or fear arrest will not go to the areas. civilians are fought in the middle of this offensive. this is the second ground offensive

zeina hodr has more. >> reporter: they are pushing into opposition territory.he syrian army says its forces have taken ground in the hama countryside. this is the first major coordinated assault by the syrian army and the russian air force since moscow intervened in the conflict. for the syrian government, the threat here is not from isil but opposition groups. the russian army and the airstrikes are weakening the rebels. now it's taking priority especially in aleppo. >> the opposition has lost ground to isil who se fighters stormed into the northern countryside and captured villages along with the military base. it was the most signifcandle advance bid armed group in months. the opposition says, isil launched the assault while rebel forces were focused on reinforcing defenses on other fronts. this is the only road leading to opposition controlled districts in aleppo city. the army and its alleys are within firing range of the road, cutting it off would besiege rebel held areas in the city. now, isil is close erg ever to what was once syria's commercial capitol

the united states as zeina khodr reported is abandoning its train and quip program. they have dropped 50 tons of weapons and ammunition into syria. >> there's been another air drop today. >> absolutely. and what they're aiming for we understand is to actually push towards raqqa which is of course the de facto capital for i.s.i.s. within syria at the moment which would be a huge coup, it would be a very difficult military challenge to carry out. hither to kurdish force ves have been very reluctant to move out of the areas in which they feel secure. one commentator said today, there was almost a trophy to be had here that the americans want to get oraqqa by their proxies on the ground faster than the russians goat palmyra with their proxies. >> claiming the support of russia, but how does all that work gm. work? >> it's complex. they've had quite left wing politics. and the kurdish groups here are operating in areas quite some way away from where the russians are bombing. they don't really threaten the regime of president assad at this moment so i don't think this is p

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >>> iran has once more denied reports that it's sending ground forcesa. the head of the national security committee met syria's president bashar al-assad in damascus. he says he would consider any request by syria's government for sends ground forces iran a strong ally of syria already has military advisers inside the country. let's brings in a retired lebanese generally joining us from beirut reports of a syrian and russian military operation aching itaking place in the soun aleppo province. how significant is this operation? >> i think that the syrians launched attacks in several front in the north and in the south and the middle area of homs as well. so the -- it seems that they the the measured offensive now is in aleppo. so far the syrian army units supported by hezbollah fighters attacked the country side little southern country i side of aleppo and the syrian fighters have thrown leaflets in the city dominated by rebels calling the armed people to surrender to the syrian army. so it seems that the principle access of offensive is in aleppo. >> ho

zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: the battle has begun.eld to understand are coming you were fire. this is a coordinate assault between the syrian army on the ground and the russian air force. it is the second offensive of its kind since the military intervention of russia. its air force is providing support to its allies on the ground as they try to advance in to opposition territory. but civilians are caught in the middle. >> translator: this is a civilian area, isil is not here you russian dogs. the whole world should see this. >> reporter: activists are reporting fighters as well as civilians are being killed and injured. 10s of thousands of people live there. many of them displaced from fighting elsewhere in the country. and this corner of syria has been surrounded by the army for years. the only roads out lead to government-controlled territory. >> translator: people are afraid, people have start today leave the areas that are being hit but can't leave the country side because all the roads are blocked there is only one route out it'

zeina hodr reports. >> reporter: russia's aerialcame campaign is in its second phase.t targeting command and control infrastructure. air power is being used to assist the syrian army and its alleys recapture territory. >> in the short-term, it's clear that putin wants to protect assad. it's clear that he wants to stick his finger in the eye of the west to position himself as a key global leader and to get the west to speak to him on the terms that he wants to deck tate. >> operations against the opposition are proving to be difficult. rebels are fighting back. russian airstrikes may have been effective in hitting vital targets, but so far, the syrian government and it's alleys appear to have made no significant gains on the ground. government forces are on the offensive in the countryside of the northern province of hamma and in the nearby province of idlib. the syrian government announced a major ground operation in the northern country side of homs on thursday. on friday, their forces moved in to rebel territory south of the divided city of aleppo. the area being tar

in syria, aims at pressuring the opposition in to agreeing and to a peace deal and verdicting. >> zeinaer beirut thank you for bringing us the latest on syria there. the u.s. says a final push to retake the iraqi city of ramadi is imminent. iraq forces say they have made significant advances to take back the city from isil fighte fighters. rah mad is a the capital of the largest province anbar. imtiaz tyab has more from baghdad. >> reporter: a very fast moving situation around the western iraqi city of ramadi. a city which has been in the hands of isil since may of this year. it was a stinging blow to the iraqi security forces who had to beat a hasty retreat when isil seized the city. since then the prime minister has promise today retake ramadi but there have been very significant delays to any major operation to retake that city. one of the key issue is his a bill end to get past which gives dover sunni tribal fighters in' bar to be a part of the iraqi security forces as they retake that city. much similar to legal cover given to shia militia fighters as well. now the reason for the d

zeina khodr reports from beirut. >> russia's campaign is in its second space, it is not just targetingommand and control, air power is being used to assist syrian army to reclaim territories. >> it's clear putin wants to back assad, to put his finger in the eye of the united states. >> operations against the opposition are approving to be difficult. the rebels are fighting back. so far the syrian government and its allies appear to have made no significant gains on the ground. government forces are on the offensive in the country side of the northern promise of hama and idlib. the syrian government announced an operation in homs on thursday, on friday, moved south on the divided city of aleppo. the area being targeted is close to a main road that would link aleppo to government areas further south. the latest offensive comes as russia's campaign enters, no longer threaten the government and its stronghold of latakia but vladimir putin, russian's president said a political solution is his goal. rebel groups as well as the main political government in exile are refusing to be engaged in

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >> the u.n. is calling on moscow and washington to come together and help solve the syrian chris he. special envoy said today that russian intrerchtion int intervd introduced new component into syria. >> the working groups which was what syrians were always asking. the possibility of all included, everyone part of discussions of their own future, need a take place sooner than later. >> mr. de mastura discussed the danger of syria being partitioned. russian jets intensified their attacks near latakia province. the alawite minority to which he belongs. cia covert program started in 2013. al jazeera, john terret has more. >> u.s. made bgm-79 toe missiles, free syrian army fighters call them asset tamers as they are said to be driving rebel gains in the northwest of the country. video posted online reportedly show the u.s. made weapons smashing into tanks in syria. it's beginning to feel like a cold era proxy war, two great powers facing off, without actually facing each other in combat. >> putin has

zeina khodr reports on what this means on the ongoing conflict. >> help of the u.s. led coalition air strikes much of the northeast areas along the border with turkey are now under their control. they have been fighting alongside some arab groups and an assyrian christian group. that alliance has now been formalized. they call themselves the democratic coalition of syria. >> now, the situation is changing very quickly, so this force is made up of, this kind of, we can't say unification on the ground. >> the new group says its role will be to fight i.s.i.l. and push what it calls for a diffraction and secularized syria. its leaders say they 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 forces that have already been vetted. the united states has already worked with brigades who are part of the democratic association of syria. >>> among the groups coming under fire are conservative brigades like arar ashem and el nusra front. they are no

zeina khodr, hdges al jazeera, >> joining us is mark kimmit. the administration is dropping back to what many had pushed for over many years, to arm the kurds and many fighting assad. is it too little too late? >> well, i don't think so. i think that there's plenty of time. assad is not going anywhere with the support that he's getting from the russians, these rebel forces are under pressure. but i'm glad to see the administration finally realized the futility of this haft hearted effort they have been doing so far. >> i realize you suggested they needed to do more. the risk of giving heavier weapons, again is this another halfway measure? how are small arms going to help in face of russian armed syrian forces? >> it is not. one would hope this is a portfolio of countries that are providing support, not simply the americans providing the small arms but one would hope the arab countries in the region would be providing more robust capability so these forces do have the items they need to take on the russian equipped and iranian equipped assad fo

zeina khodr joins us from beirut.ell us more about the new military offensive and support from the russian military. >> well, the army issued by a statement saying that a ground offensive is under way to goat areas suffering from terrorism. that statement did not mention areas that have been targeted. what we understand from military sources, and the opposition, an offensive began yesterday in the countryside of the western province of hamas. a strategic location for warring sides. it is located between three provinces, the provinces of idlib and latakia, which is the strong hold, part of the core area. now, with this offensive. and with the russian air strikes, the government is hoping to push them back and protect the area. this is a strategic fight. it is the first time we see coordination between the russian army. the aerial campaign began a week ago. they were targetting opposition errors in hamas as well. now we are going to see the coordination and whether or not they can make advances on the ground. the syrian

zeina khodr, al jazeera beirut. >>> syrian government force ves now beeshave been accused of cag out strikes in the north of the country. civilians were seen running away from the area after the strike which took place near a market in al babtown. fighters from i.s.i.l. have destroyed a nearly 2,000-year-old structure in the ancient city of palmyra. the association of human rights, say one of the top tourist attractions in the middle east before the civil war there. >>> let's bring in faddy haikura, joining us live in the studio. the russians said it was an accident, their plane coming into turkish air space, the turkish saying no it wasn't. >> turkey feels this was perhaps a premeditated russian incursion into turkish air space. >> with what in mind? >> i think that turkey is deeply unhappy with the russian air campaign against the anti-assad forces primarily located northwestern syria. turkey has expressed its unease, regarding this russian air campaign. the fact that russia established an air base in latakia on the syrian coastline, on the mediterranean sea, and president erdogan

it has just started and we have to watch developments closely. >> zeina hodor reporting from beirut. >> other nations have criticized saudi arabia saying it has not done enough to stop the fighting in syria. we asked what the country is doing to prevent saudi money from filtering to extremist groups in syria. >> there may have been saudi's supporting al-nusra front. this is the al-qaeda franchise, if you will in syria. the allegation is not that the saudi government is doing this, but saudi citizens are doing that. >> long time ago, saudi declared al-nusra a terrorist organization, therefore any support to goes to al-nusra is subject to criminal prosecution inside saudi arabia. am i going to say there is not a single saudi who has contributed to that funding? of course not. but if any such thing has happened, it would be a violation of the law and it would be chased and the full strength of the law would be applied to those people. >> saudi arabia says it has given $700 million in humanitarian aid to syrians, and according to the u.n., about 500,000 syrians have been living in saudi

zeina khodr reports. >> reporter: a new phase in russia's intervention in syria. now air power is being used to support a syrian army counteroffensive in the ground. areas in southern idlib and northern hayna are coming under fire. strategically situated along the main highway between the cities of damascus and aleppo. and it seems the government had informed the residents of the planned assault. the. >> translator: after the syrian regime threatened to attack the city only rebels remain. >> tens of thousands live in the town of farna buda. dlents about this region arresie threatened to fight back. aid agency oxfam. >> international community in oxfam's opportunity is failing across the board when it comes to this area crisis. we have looked at three key areas. the aid response, the willingness of the rich countries to resettle refugees from the region, and the international efforts to stop the violence. >> reporter: russia's military campaign have complicated an already complex war and its officials have made clear that they consider the majority of opposition gr

zeina hodor, al jazeera, beirut. >> let's get more on those missiles fired from the kass subpoena sea into syria by russia. peter, russia, it seems has opened a new front in its military campaign in syria. >> that's right, in a four year war, conflict, a new front opened by russia unexpectedly this morning. a couple of hours ago, the minster announced that 26 cruise missiles were targeted against 11 isil positions. this is the caliber cruise missile, code named nato, code name is sizzler. the russians would have had to a ply for permission. iraq, iran and syria for flying rights for the missiles, which traveled 1200-kilometer long trajectory. you may ask yourself why is russia sending a salvo of cruise missiles into syria when it has pilots with eyes on the targets that they're prioritizing every day from the air base, well, perhaps it's a measure of a reminder from russia of russia's reach in this conflict. >> you mentioned the country that is russia would have had to talk to, to ask permission for these missiles to overfly, what about the united states, would russia have talked to t

zeina khodr is follow developments. i understand there has been a shift in the russian strategy of air strikes, tell us what is going on? >> well, yes, the russian military intervention is entering a new phase. over the past week we see russian care strikes targetting positions like you mentioned. in the countryside of hama and idlib. positions that surround the strong hole in the west. they were weakening the defenses of the rebels and the air strikes stopped the air strike advance, they were advancing as of late. now the air power is used to allow the syrian army to push into rebel controlled territory, we understand there's a ground offensive in the northern countryside. the government is trying to push into towns, to secure an important corner of syria where damascus, aleppo, the main highway between the cities passes through under the control of the rebel. now it is clear that the russian aerial campaign objective is to change the balance of power on the ground. what have been hearing is that they are promising to

over to zeina hodor in beirut, lest we forget about the people on the ground in syria. what do you hear from your contacts in syria? >> the opposition is quite worried. they believe these airstrikes could be a prelude to a ground offensive on some front lines opinion russian airstrikes have targeted isil controlled territory like in palmyra, and two other areas. the majority have been taking place in opposition controlled areas, the northern homs countryside, and in idlib. you talk to people in these territories, got activists, they believe these airstrikes want to weaken the defenses of the rebels, so that it will allow for a ground offensive. now, the areas that have been hit are really strategic, very important for the syrian government if it is to protect what is known, really, as the core region, the areas under the control of the government, the coastal province, as well as damascus. according to the opposition, these airstrikes are helping the syrian government survive, strengthening its position, and undoubtedly, when you strengthen its position on the ground, y

zeina khodr, al jazeera, beirut. >> doug olivant, tell us about the rift between turkey and russia over a drone they shot down. what's the significance? >> well, one of two things probably happened with this drone. let's stipulate that it's russian, clearly that's the most likely culprit. two things happened, it went there deliberately or accidentally. either are plausible cases. when you put a drone up in the air you have to maintain a link with a controller, usually on the ground, some ground station. it is entirely possible that that droarthat drone went behina mountain, like losing cell phone signal. when that happens, that drone can wander off and go wherever. it's entirely possible that it lost signal and went north. it is also possible that the russians are looking north trying to probe into turkey, trying to see if there are any supply lines coming through turkey and not coincidentally probing nato, if a drone violates air space, thereto there's no cause for them -- >> i was going to say what message is russia saying or turkey saying, in this instance? >> if you send something o

let's cross to zeina khodr. where are the reports coming from, how credible are they? >> well, the pro-iranian media - we have been seeing the reports for some time, ever since the russian military began in syria. forthcoming information. one is from a leading lebanese newspaper, considered pro-iranian, a headline saying thousands of iranian troops are arriving in syria, a front page article detailing what the men will do on the ground. we know iran is an ally of the syrian government, and they provided financial, political and military support over the years, and we know that iran plays an advisory role on the ground. they don't shy away and say military advisors are there. a high-ranking general was killed. these reports are coming out saying that thousands of soldiers have been arriving, and took pard in operations. they'll take part in grounded operations in aleppo, a lot of detailed information. some suggesting that iran wanted to give a message to the world, that we are still here. we are a major player in the conflict and we have a say. since russia intervened,

peace objective. >> zeina khodr, thank you for that. >> u.s. secretary of state john kerry is planning to visit the middle east to help calm tensions between israelis and palestinians. israel tightened security around occupied east jerusalem following a wave of points, 32 palestinians and 7 israelis have been killed since october. >> mike hanna joins us from occupied east jerusalem. tighter security measures, what is the situation like. are things as tense as in the last few days. >> indeed they are. what we see is a change in police procedure. those entering the gates of the old city through which the police wish to search, it's done at a distance. no hands on searches. clearly a sign that the police procedures slightly altering in terms of the threat they perseize of attack. rising panic, scenes of panic in a mall overnight when rumours spread of a terror attack about to take place. also on a train they came to an emergency halt after passengers believe an attack was imminent. linked to the panic seen in israel is intensified security measure

zeina hodr has the report. >> reporter: the airstrikes, a recipe for disaster, the u.s.irstrikes targeting groups opposed to the syrian government and focus on defeating isil. the syrian opposition is calling these attacks a russian aggression and is now refusing to attend planned meetings at the u.n. to pave the way for political talks. >> there is no incentive to engage in a political solution. >> in july, u.n. and arab league announced the warring sides were not ready to hold formal talks. he suggested working group meetings to agree on a roadmap for peace. in a rare show of unity, the main political opposition and exile, the syrian national coalition and moderate and conservative armed groups say the initiative is unacceptable. it is demanding the international community makes it clear the head of the syrian government and its pillars are not given a role in the transition process or in the future of syria. the transitional governing body means the full transfer of power and military institutions and security agencies cannot be part of the national army. >> the oppos

let's go to zeina hodr. what's happened this monk? >> the shavn defense ministry released add statement saying they carried out 20 sorteees over the last 24 hours and mentioning they targeted 10 isil positions, but what we understand from activists on the ground is that there has been intense air activity and airstrikes in at a time northern countryside of the central city of homs. the activists are mentioning areas like reston and teldizi. these are rebel strongholds and not isil strongholds. video uploaded by act visits show people getting in to their cars, scrambling to leave the area. people undoubtedly scared. we don't have much information on whether or not tlerp there were casualties. like i mentioned, this is what is activists are saying and the russian defense ministry saying on day 5, they are continuing their aerial campaign and targeting positions belonging to isil. >> stay with us. all we are going to do is look at the itstitute of the study of war. so russian airstrikes are targeting syrian opposition groups in areas far

zeina hodr reports. >> reporter: the opposition is expecting a war.he syrian army has warned that it plans to advance in to the northern country side of homs. what is known as the rastan plains has long been a defendant strongheld for the rebels. it is surrounded by government bases and opposition fighters say the army has been reinforcing its positions. anti-aircraft weapons have done little to stop russian military jets from targeting this region. since the first day of russia's intervention, the homs countryside has been hit almost on a daily basis. we are prepared for a fit. we don't have enough ammunition like tows, concourse, milan. we don't have that hear. >> the rebel-controlled enclave is under a blockade. it has been like that for years. the only way out is to pass through army checkpoints making it hard for rebel groups to get the ammunition they need many have joined together. they say the threat required they put their differences aside. >> we have created a joint operations room. we have united our forces. all of the big groups have come

zeina khodr is live for us in beirut, the lebanese capital. how credible are the reports massing there, and what are they building up for. >> well, as we all know, iran is a key ally provides much-needed support over the years. financial, military, political. iran doesn't shy away, announcing that a top general from the revolutionary guard was killed on the front lines in aleppo. these reports are incredible, coming from pro-iranian forces. one example is a lebanese daily close to iran had an article. in these reports, they give detailed information on what the troops are going to do. they are going to take part in the ground campaign in hamas, and a ground campaign in the city of aleppo. they were receiving air support from the russian military. >> why all this information. they are forthcoming, since the russian military began. the past line is we don't have ground troops in syria. many are considering this a message to the world. iran is here. they are a player in the war. we are not going to be overshadowed by the russians. at the end of t

zeina khodr has more on what this means for the ongoing conflict. >> reporter: syria's kurds have been some of the most effective force against i.s.i.l. on the ground with the u.s. led coalition air strikes, much of the areas on the border are under their control. they are fighting with an assyrian group, calling themselves the democratic forces of syria. >> after the intervention of russia use strikers and their strikes in syria so now, the situation is changing very quickly, so this force is made up, this kind of, we can't say unification on the ground. >> the new group says its role will be to fight i.s.i.l. and push for what it calls a democratic and secular syria and one day become syria's new army. its leaders say it has the backing of the u.s. and russia. the announcement was made days after the u.s. said it was abandoning the training of forces and the u.s. has already worked with brigades who are part of the democratic force he of syria. russia hasn't shied away from saying i.t. is targeting opposition groups as part of its military campaign in syria. among the groups coming u

. >> zeina khodr live in beirut. >> n.a.t.o. is ready to defend turkey if the air space is violated. n.a.t.o. secretary has been speaking in brussels ahead of a meeting, and are expected to discuss russian activity in syria and ukraine, and the situation in afghanistan. live to that meeting in brussels, and our correspondent there is neave barker. how is n.a.t.o. expected to react to respond to this increasingly muscular military strategy from russia. >> well n.a.t.o. is most certainly well aware that tensions between the alliance and russia continues to worsen. since russia began air strikes. the concern amongst the alliance is russia is targetting more than i.s.i.l. and al-qaeda-related groups operating within syria, and other groups backed by the united states. they may find themselves on a list of legitimate russian targets. the message here from the n.a.t.o. alliance is that russia's plans, whatever the long-term plans are, are tragically flawed. and do, in the long run, run the risk of making the conflict last longer. the

zeina khodr reports. >>> the battle in northern homs countryside has begun. rebel-held town are coming under fire. this is a coordinated assault between the syrian army on the ground and the russian air force, the second offensive of its kind since the military intervention of russia, the air force providing support to allies on the ground, as they try to advance into opposition territory. civilians are caught in the middle >>> this is a civilian area. i.s.i.l. is not here. you russian dogs. the whole world should see this. >> reporter: activists are reporting fighters as well as civilians are killed and injured. tens of thousands of people live there. many of them displaced from fighting elsewhere in the country, and this corner of syria has been surrounded by the army for years. the only roads out lead to government controlled territory. >> people are afraid. people started to leave the areas that are being hit. they can't leave the countryside because the roads are blocked. there's one route out. it is under government control. people are afraid they'll be

zeina khodr has more from beirut. >> what we saw over the last week is russian air strikes trying to weaken the defenses of the opposition, to stop a rebel advance towards the countryside. today that air power is being used to provide support to a ground operation on the ground. this is what we understand from activists. there's intense military activity in the southern idlib province, northern hamas countryside. a strategic corner in western syria, because it is situated on a main highway that links the southern city of damascus to the northern city of aleppo. now, activists are reporting intense air strikes, they are talking about surface to surface missiles. what we do understand is that the government did give a warning to people in the village and understand that thousands of people have started to fully as of yesterday. they told them they had to push into the town. the russian aerial campaign is helping to capture territory. russia is calling it or using i.s.i.l. as a blanket term. for most of the opposition groups, most on the ground are terrorists. so the russian strikes sto

. >> zeina khodr has more from beirut. >> the russian military entered a new phase.he air power is used to launch an offensive on the ground. we saw russian air strikes target the opposition in the countryside of homs and hama and idlib. targetting opposition positions on the front line that's surrounding government control territory in the west. the aim of the air strikes from to stop the advance, the rebels were advancing towards laticca, to weaken the defensive. now it's a major offensive on the ground. the government trying to push north. >> now the opposition is telling us they will fight back. they said the latest defensive is to displace the tens of thousands. we have seen video of families packing the belongings and heading north. the area in the rest of the country is strategic, located on a main highway between two cities. damascus and aleppo. it is under the control of the rebels. and the government will open the fi way. if it wants to push towards the north to capture territory. what is clear is that the russian aerial campaign is to help the government c

zeina khodr in beirut. n.a.t.o. describes russia's involvement in syria as a troubling escalation.hey have been speaking in brussels where defence ministers are meeting. >> in syria we have seen a troubling escalation of russian military activities. we will assess the latest developments and the implications for security of the alliance. this is particularly relevant in the view of the recent violations of n.a.t.o.'s air space by russian aircraft. n.a.t.o. is able and ready to defend all allies, including against any threats. >> neave barker is in brussels where n.a.t.o. is meeting and worried about russian incursions into turkish air space and worried that russia appears to be escalating a civil war. >> yes, absolutely aware of that, and they are concerned about that too. they are worried about the increase in tensions between n.a.t.o. and russia. ever since the air bombardments of specific targets in syria started, it posed security concerns for n.a.t.o. countries, including turkey. of course, all of this came to a head off the back of two apparent incursions by russian jets into