or the bashar al-assad regime. we had a 3-sided civil war in syria, for the better part of two years, it's not something that the region created. it's something we have to contend with. part of the process of identifying who we can work with in syria, and whether we can work with them will be managing the different issues, managing the different relationships. >> in divvying up the chores, the saudi arabias, were assigned the training and raising up of an army that will fight inside syria against i.s.i.l. >> we'll see how much they are doing and how much they are willing to do on that front as time progresses. the first step will be to identify where the adversary is, and identifying who we can work with. >> i do want to mention one thing, a decapitation approach was mentioned to dealing with i.s.i.l. in syria. if you look at the air campaigns that have been effective against groups like this, including pakistan and elsewhere, they are the campaigns where drones and air strikes hollow out the middle management. sep

now they will be fighting against bashar al assad and bashar al assad will attack them from the air. which he has done with significant success. not only against them but there's been 12,000 people who have been slaughtered in syria since the onset. if one of the free syrian army is fighting against bashar al assad and he is attacking them from the air, would we take action to prevent them from being attacked by bashar al assad? >> senator, let me begin the first part of your question, the 5,000. >> disbenz that. i'd like to answer the question will we if the free syrian army units are attacked from the air by bashar al assad, will we prevent those attacks from taking place and take out bashar al assad's air assets, both helicopter and fixed wing that will be attacking the free syrian army units? >> well, first of all, we're not there yet but our focus is on isil and that is the threat to our country and to our interest and to the people of the region. so what we are training these units for, yes, is a stabilizing no, sir syria as an option. but the first focus is as i just said as t

bashar al-assad, a large shia country in the region. now the air strikes in syria, while weakening i.s.i.l. could tip the war in favour of bashar al-assad and his forces and include fighters were hezbollah. how does the president obama administration handle all this. the syrian region disclosed that secretary of state john kerry sent a letter via iran, the same letter was delivered to syria's u.n. ambassador. >> we will not allow geography or borders to prevent us being able to take action against i.s.i.l. >>> embittered allies joined up with i.s.i.l., with the shia prime minister leading iraq. some arabs view support of the government in baghdad as support for shia militias. next to iraq, iran continues to be the most vocal critic. the president blames blunders by western countries for creating safe havens for terrorists. there's reports that the current negotiator, and the u.s. scraen discussed -- secretary of state john kerry discussed the process of isolation. hassan rouhani met marking the first time he met with britain. >>> we are

unless something is done about bashar al-assad. they'll fight bashar al-assad as welling. will we support a militia fighting two wars within the same country, which is effectively aiding people like saudi arabia's long-term aims in pushing bashar al-assad out. there are so many different secondary and tertiary effects that we need to consider. we need to look at history. we have done this with the mujahideen, and he turned into the taliban, and we saw the sitinger missiles used against us and the taliban, to great effect, defend afghanistan against the coalition. we need to see what happens when afghanistan moves into iraq. and they wipe out the security structures, the air strikes in libya, and the lack of governance, and there's so many examples that we need to learn from. >> you are shaking your head. >> no, i agree. we don't need to look as far back as that. what happens in libya, john mccain is on the ground. they said they have to arm the people, fund them, support them. they were up against a brutal dictator, and it ended in a pile of blood and bodies. if that is no

as for the plan in syria - air strikes will not help bashar al-assad. the goal is to defeat his military, they hope to do that with aid and training of the moderate forces, taking place in saudi arabia. the president promised a somewhat painless fight. some say that comes with risks. >> the main risk have that it will not work, the situation will be seen as getting worst, the islamic state will extend its hold on the territory, and will continue its campaign against ruthless brutality and the americans will be seen as ineffective. >> with falling poll numbers the president is under pressure to project strength and have a plan. he is reassuring the country it's one he can win with limited cost to the united states. >>> imran khan is in baghdad, let's talk to rula in beirut. let's start with you first. president obama says he has not ruled out air strikes in syria. how are his plans to fight the group likely to go down there. what is the reaction so far? >> well, we had an official reaction from the syrian opposition, saying they are willing and ready to

al-assad. assad has been in a civil war for nearly three years with members of he opposition who do not want him to be in power anymore. they have been suffering great losses at the syrian army's hands. these members of the u.s. senate believe that the obama administration should do more than simply ask for money to provide weapons to the free syrian army, that they should be taking the fight as it were to the syrian government as well, that is something which the defense secretary as well as the top military officer, are not agrees to at least not right now. >>> for the first time, people in parts of eastern ukraine, the center of the pro-russian rebelian will be able to decide their own future. it is one of three big decisions made by the kiev parliament in the midst of a shaky ceasefire. a new law gives special status to the separatists eastern region. in that means they will be allowed to govern themselves for three years. it's also approved an agreement which links ukraine politically and

but early on, years ago, against the regime of bashar al assad. and many people will be waking up tomorrow and saying okay, it's great the u.s. and its allies are taking this kind of action right now against isis, but had this kind of decisive action taken place earlier, had there been more pressure put on the regime of bashar al assad, perhaps more pressure put on some of assad's key allies like iran and russia, we would not be reaching the stage where we're at right now where we have an extremist group that is so far forward in the way it decides to implement its interpretation of islam. they would not have been allowed to exist and thrive in syria if the kind of action that we're seeing taking place right now had taken place years ago. >> stand by, arwa. >> we want to bring in peter beinart right now. peter, tell us your impressions of everything you've been hearing tonight. >> well, it's a remarkable diplomatic achievement. there wasn't -- i don't think it was expected that there would be this much arab support. so on the diplomatic front goin

bashar al-assad, he offered to incoordinate with the u.s., the u.s. made it clear that they are not going to coordinate with the bashar al-assad government, military action in syria, it's a tricky situation. there's not been many european allies or others willing to step up to the plate for military action in syria. >> lisa stark at the white house, we'll get back to you. i have nick schifrin on the telephone from our middle east bureau, what are you hearing tonight? >> well, john, what is the most stri striking moment of this is it came up quickly. you know, president obama indicated this, and most people in the region expected the long drawn out process in which the u.s. would determine how and who to strike in syria. most officials said look, what we do in syria is go after senior i.s.i.l. leaders and that is not what they are doing tonight, which is some kind of sustained operation. from the bases within the region, it will include one in turkey, qatar, the united emirates, including from aircraft carriers at sea. this is a decision made by sentco

>> i think the sharp al-assad -- bashar al-assad is laughing in a way because he's happy to see americans fight his strongest enemy. both russia and iran continue to support him, so for the time being, the syrians have all reason to be happy, to be content. the americans are doing business for them, and this is really, if you wish, a very ironic turn of history. two or three years ago, it looked like americans' only interest was toppling bashar al-assad. >> looks like a totally new political calculus. thank you very much. we'll be right back after a short rate. plenty of news ahead. >> stay with us. >> welcome back to the show. president barack obama says a new global agreement on climate change needs to include strong commitments from him urging economies. >> obama addressed the climate change summit in new york hoping to build momentum at home and abroad for a global deal on climate change. it would include a new tax regime on carbon emissions and a new carbon trading treaty. >> for ban ki-moon, they're a just too few regular climate summits -- there are just too few regular climate sum

al-assad. be if al qaeda or others. >> reporter: an important part of the speech from sergey lavrov saying, i think, i told you so, to the americans and the others, that since the beginning of the war they warned about terrorism, suggesting that some of those that the u.s. supported at least with words were now the problem. >> let's go to ukraine. the ukranian conflict caused deeper divisions hitting the european union and the u.s. against russia. did lavrov give any indication on how to resolve that? >> yes, he did. basically he wants to go on with what happened already, which is the process negotiated in belarus, the minsk process. this is how he laid out the way forward. >> translation: russia is prepared to continue to actively promote a political settlement under the minsk process and other format. however, it should be crystal clear that we are doing this for the sake of piece and trapping wilty of the you rain -- tranquility of the ukranian people. >> things in ukraine are playing out th

we repel bashar al-assad's arias sets that will be attacking them? >> any attack on those that we have trained who are supporting us, we will help them. >> it shows you how tricky any intervention in syria is going to be, isn't it? >> it does show you how complicated it is. and it was perhaps an opportunity for senator john mccain one of the president's leading critics to essentially criticize the obama administration's failure in his view of not helping the free syrian army as long ago as two years ago, when there might have been in his view a better opportunity to defeat bashar al-assad's army. now, of course, the fact that isil members are both in syria and iraq is a complicating factor for the u.s. government as it tries to figure out how to confront the threat. and that shows our viewers how difficult it is going to be for the obama administration to explain what exactly is the ultimate goal and the exact strategy. >> all right. rosland, thank you. >>> for the first time people in parts of eastern ukraine will be able to decide their own future.

al-assad regime. guarding to "the guardian", it has allowed saudi arabia and qatar to ship hundreds of tonnes of am unations and equipment cross the border. in 2013, i.s.i.l. forces swept across northern syria and northern and western iraq, capturing iraq's second-largest city mosul in june. when i.s.i.l. took the city, it seized 49 turkish diplomats and their families as hostages. critics charged before that hostage situation, turkey chose to overlook the black-market oil smuggled into turkey. by some statements black-market oil supplies i.s.i.l. with as revenue. >> if i.s.i.l. is smuggling oil. maybe some turkish people benefit from that, and it's not a great threat to the security of turkey. it gives funds to the islamic state, but turkey's view of the islamic state is lightly ambivalent in that they are termed to see the end of bashar al-assad, and they don't, in looking at syria, see many players there who are likely to achieve that aim. >> one of turkey's most complicated relationships is with i

you want them to go after bashar al assad targets in syria as well, right? >> dealing with the root cause of the problem. the root cause is the assad regime itself. it is the main incubator of the terrorist organization in syria and even the world. >> we see the u.s. going after isis targets in syria, al nusra targets in syria, khorasan targets, this khorasan group. but i see no inclination that the united states or any other countries are going after bashar al assad. >> for us, we have been fighting two fronts since the first quarter of this year, fighting isil and fighting the regime itself. we know the international community at one point in time they will understand that the assad regime must go in order to put an end to all terrorist organizations in the middle east and in the world. >> how many of your troops, your moderates, free syrian army troops will go to saudi arabia for training? >> the program as it's set -- it's only set for 5,000 troops. but we have our own plan and proposal to the u.s. to train the trainers instead of training the soldiers.

they'll fight bashar al-assad, not i.s.i.s. i have never seen a more complex situation than syria, iraq is easier, if they wake up. >> we'll solve t. >> we are getting there. >> i hope you are right. great to see you. thank you. for more on the coverage of i.s.i.l., check out aljazeera.com, click on the i.s.i.l. tab at the top of the web page. we have an update on a public health threat in the united states. a brain eating amoeba has been blamed for deaths, jonathan martin has an update. >> reporter: in st. john parish outside new orleans water has forced schools into a state of emergency. >> what we are doing is taped up the water fountains and are providing water dispepsers. and wipes and hand san tiesers. >> reporter: last month samples of the district's water supply revealed the presence of a potentially deadly brain-eating amoe amoeba. state water officials say the water is safe to drink. but it could lead to an infection if it cabinets into the naval cavity or brain. >> you look at the water fountain, a child bends the he

. >> what about the free syrian army, focussing on bashar al-assad and not fighting i.s.i.l. >> it's viewed as a root cause for extremism in syria. many commanders are on the ground, and men - they've been two sides of the same coin. i.s.i.s. was allowed to operate in syria, and the bashar al-assad regime purchased oil from i.s.i.s., fuelling the conference and the operational capabilities of i.s.i.s. >> many think bashar al-assad benefits. if he's seen as a bull work against terrorism, he'll manage to stay in power. i have to challenge you about the moderate syrian opposition. there are reports that steven sotloff, one of the two american journalists, was sold to the terrorists by moderates, and a congressman questioned whether the moderate free syrian army is moderate or an army. what do you say to that? >> steven sotloff was captured by i.s.i.s. there's suspicion that it was a fixer that he hired that beprayed him. i agree with the white house when they send out a statement that there's zero evidence that the vetted moderate free syrian army were the ones that kidnapped steven sot

al-assad government, doesn't want to see the rise of the islamic state as a competitor to bashar al-assad. there's a shared - there's a shared purpose here, but not necessarily a shared path. >> it's a shame politics gets in the way. all these people in syria and iraq. pj crowley, thanks. >> my pleasure. >>> the u.s. is busy recruiting nations to join the fight against i.s.i.l., the group is women. >> it's important they come to this place, here you forbid to live among the creatures. >>> i'm joined by mia boom, professor of security studies, and author of "bombshell", a book about this topic. mia, it's great to have you on the show. the fbi reportedly confirmed three young women of somalia dissent from minnesota, st. paul area left the area to join i.s.i.l. one 19-year-old said she was going to a birthday shower and called her family a few days later admitting she was in syria. last week shannon connell from engaged to an i.s.i.l. terrorist, a guy met online. given the horrors, why are young american women leaving home to ramallah. with reactions from the palestinians. >> well, laura, th

and bashar al assad will expand the state he has right now. it won't be as large as syria once was, but it will grow and there will be some areas that remain contested with air strikes probably for many years to come. a lawless area similar to the one we have in parts of pakistan. and that's not a great outcome, by the way. >> i want to bring in dr. g e s georges, one of the things you've been articulating well as this debate is going on internationally is how important it is to understand where isis came from and what that tells us about what might hurt them the most. and what would be their biggest vulnerability if there could be an international multinational effort against them? >> you know, rachel, i know in the united states the american elite is very much fascinated with the use of force. that sever time we see a crisis, we basically call on our air force and boots on the ground and we think there is a magical wand that can be basically resolve the problem. in fact, isis cannot and will not be defeated by american firepower. potent and

bashar al-assad reacted in such a way that it is unbelievable. you have 200,000 thousand people that have been killed. >> and refugees. >> and refugees. he is a dictator. you remember the chemical weapons. therefore, by no means shall we support him. by no means. >> do you believe -- did isis get money from arab countries? >> today, i hope not. this is to charge that i heard yesterday, the countries that helped build up isis because they were opposed to bashar al-assad are now fighting isis. is that true? >> i think that there has been a financing. it can be states. it can be persons. it can be foundations. or somehat some people ar states -- that it was possible to have a sort of agreement which would protect them if they were giving money, but it was completely foolish. because these guys -- and it is new if you compare them to al qaeda. al qaeda were not wanting to have a state. these ones are wanting a state. syria, palestine. be saudit it will arabia, turkey, and then why not u.s.? >> that is why it is essential. to stop them now with everyt

what would the ultimate goal have to be - the end of the bashar al-assad regime? >> the ultimate goal should be to end the crisis leading to the creation of i.s.i.l. the root causes it extreme brutality of the regime against the people, the indiscriminate bombing of people. we have captive audience i.s.i.l., student that are not getting education, and they are easy targets to i.s.i.l. to end the group, we have to end the root causes of those, and make sure that civil society in syria, the local communicate yes are resilient and stronger. we have to focus on education, job creation, strengthen civil society. it should play a major role. ending i.s.i.s. will not just be by bombs, but coupled with development, education and strength thing of civil society. it is, at the end. day, war goes on. a year ago, the terror targets would have been considered a sideshow. today they are the focus. >> they are the main event. >> there's no question about that. we saw in syria's passive response last night to the air strikes, where they had air defence systems on, but they were n

says it will not coordinate with president bashar al-assad. they still fee very strongly that they are not going to coordinate with his troops. if you hear in the past few weeks, analysts and figures who are close to the syrian regime they have been hypotheticalling and make it very clearly that behind the door coordination with the united states through spirit partners, partners like the iraqi government who have very good relationship with bashar al-assad. even if there was no official coordination with damascus they were behind closed doors concerned partners coordination. they are trying to save face because initially the syrian foreign ministers had made it clear that damascus, they might try to stop it. now tonight we find they did not stop it, air doofnses -- defenses did not do anything. happening after coordination, we don't know. >> that's rula amin. in damascus. one of the concerns about all of this has been if i.s.i.l. is stopped in iraq and stopped in syria that it might move toward jordan. what is the likelihood of that and why i

the fact of the matter is, bashar al-assad was not going for years ago and is not going today. that said, it is a pretty horrible regime. tom and i both know it. i spent three years there. we are in no way supporting the syrian regime. we can catalog her since. it would be a good idea. we are defending our own national interests against a mortal enemy. now, that said, if we are able to do great isis and syria to some significant degree, the primary beneficiary would likely be more moderate elements of the sunni opposition. it could also create a climate in which many who stand with bashar al-assad, not because they like him, they are the alternative is worse great if they no longer saw isis is that mortal threat to them, you can see a dynamic developing within the regime community that could make change possible, could make negotiation possible, and, why not be optimistic. >> tom? >> i will defer to ryan on that one. i have a good grasp of the internal dynamics and syria right now. one thing is necessary in showing up the opposition -- if you are going to be in this game, you n

al assad. >> let me be clear here the only group that has been fighting isil is the opposition. they've been fighting a multipart war. we're going to help them with part of the air power -- >> isis has been fighting against these groups. we're not going to get it into. fights against bashar al assad's government, they all fight amongst themselves, more than 100 of these groups. but if we prop up isis and it's a -- that means -- and we prop up isis as enemies that means bashar al assad is getting propped up. it's not like that's a secret. >> with all due respect that's a little oversimplified. we're going after isil because isil is a threat not just to iraq and syria but the interest of the united states. >> true, but it's a threat to bashar al assad. a year ago the president says he got to go and he didn't go anywhere. but now, the unintended consequence is this makes things easier for bashar al assad. >> i would disagree with that. >> we are equipping, training, boosting the opposition. that's

in the video bashar al-assad looks happy, is he a winner? states have to talk to their neighbours, if we have our differences with the mexicans and canadians, we have to talk to them. the iraqis have to talk to the iranians and the syrians, and know what is going on with their neighbours, it doesn't mean that they are happy with the bashar al-assad government. i have been doing iraq long enough to remember when they were upset about the bashar al-assad government funnelling foreign fighters from syria into iraq, in the 2006, '07 and '08 period. there are tense relationships with the neighbours, but you still have to talk to them. >> congress may vote on wednesday on arming and training syrian moderates. a congressman said it's not clear if the moderate free -- free syrian army is moderate. how big a problem will it be figuring out who we work with? >> it will be an issue. the free syrian army does exist. it's a loose group of militias that for the most part defend the towns and villages that they live in, it's not nothing. it's helpful, keep

will the battle with isis drive our country into a fight with bashar al-assad? >> reporter: for the first type the united states is on offense against isis. less than a week ago president obama promised the united states would start hunting isis targets wherever they are. this time it meant south of baghdad where they destroyed an area where six isis vehicles were destroyed in a separate strike. there have been 162 airstrikes in iraq since isis started causing trouble. so far the strikes have been focused on protecting americans and humanitarian aid. right now' retired general john allen's job is to figure out what the coalition needs in their fight against isis and figure out what each ally is willing to contribute. senior administration officials are warning syria's bashar al-assad not to get in the way of airstrikes against isis. we know where assad is keeping his air defenses and they will be targeted if they take aim and fire in the u.s. pleants that may appear in the sky over syria. >> there will be rules of engagement related to any military orders the pr

start with bashar al-assad, he is a guy - we are essentially intervening in his country without u.n. authorisation. he says you can't do it without our permission. the u.s. didn't ask, they informed him, he said "yes, we were informed, we welcome any help fighting terrorism", so much so that he's alienated two allies - iran and hezbollah. tonight, the leader of hezbollah gave a speech saying, "yes, we are against i.s.i.s. and fighting i.s.i.s., but don't want the u.s. to fight them." so is the case with iran. >> very interesting. >> interesting reactions. >> interesting times and voices. i expect we'll hear more. thank you so much. >> my pleasure. >>> when we return, our indepth coverage of the strikes on syria, a key figure on capitol hill tells us whether the president has gone far enough. can i.s.i.l. be stopped without hitting harder. also ahead - the view from syria. images from the tart site delivered to the world from social media and act visits about their >> my name is shaquan mcdowell i'm a 17 year old teenager. i go to a public high school outside of the city limits of atl

out, you bring in al nusra, the al qaeda offshoot or, you know, bashar al-assad. i think the hope would be in syria that we could do a decapitation strike like we did with osama bin laden, and hopefully at some point have the russians interseed to come up with a negotiated solution, you know, down the - down the road. it's hard to see, you know, us go in and take it over on the ground. >>> professor landis, does that willingness signal a squeamishness or a complication of how complicated this is once soldiers are standing on terra firma. . >> absolutely. turkey is reluctant. most of the i.s.i.s., and the rebels go back and forth between turkey. they have refused to join in the military side of this and allowing us to use the bases and others to fly military sortees. they will join us in resupply efforts, but not on the military side. that is because they don't think we should prescribe the al qaeda wing, and some other islamists force, that they want to see brought into the rebels, we disagree with the neighbourhood over who the good guys are or bad guys are. the

who can forget the bashar al-assad government. the united states does not consider the government legitimate, does not want to work or coordinate or want the air strikes to help the bashar al-assad government stay in power. has the government responded at all to news of the air strikes? >> well, yes, the syrian foreign ministry issues a statement saying that the envoy of the united nations was actually informed by the united states that they were to be carried out. we have no official confirmition from washington. the syrian government and the state media showing that the air strikes were carried out after it gave its approval. at the end of the day washington made clear that it does not want to coordinate with the damascus government even though there are reports that there's some sort of coordination since the sunni and iraqi government enjoyed both sides and the u.s. is working with the iraqi government. it's a complicated situation. this is just the beginning. >> it's a complicated web. thank you for that. zeina khodr with a b

. >>> bashar al-assad rij eem says it was not formed that i.s.i.l. targets would be hit. >>> we have a report on kurdish fighters repelling attacks, and the refugee situation. >>> for the first time the united states has carried out air strikes in syria. they targeted fighters begonging to the islamic state of iraq and levant, saudi arabia, u.a.e., jordan and bahrain were involved. qatar is said to be providing support. pentagon forces say u.s. fighter jets started to hit targets on monday. most of the areas targeted are targeted near the iraqi border. fighters, checkpoints and weapon depots are under fire. it has been in i.s.i.l. hands, it was the capital until mosul fell in june. washington informed the u.n. envoy of the attack against the i.s.i.l. targets in rafah. this statement was released: john kirby went on to say:. >> let's go to our correspondent imran khan, joining us live from the iraqi capital baghdad now. imran, how will the u.s. air strikes in syria be received by the iraqi government? >> well, the official line is that they will be we

this, of course, as we're waiting for any response from president bashar al assad. as i said we haven't heard as i said we haven't heard couple months. last time he spoke was in july and had nothing to do with the fighter. >> thank you, john huddy reporting live for us. >>> for more on the impact of the air strikes we go to florida congressman and fox news contributor lieutenant colonel allen west. >> good morning. how are you doing? >> i'm good. the president said the goal is to degrade and ultimately destroy isil. will the air strikes which began just after 8:30 last night be enough to accomplish that goal? >> well, it's a start, and when you look at what is happening now, this would be the phase one of an air campaign to degrade certain selected capabilities of isis, so i would look at their command and control being degraded, their logistical re-support capability and ammunition stocks being degraded as well as some of their training bases, because we know that they are recruiting young jihadi warriors from across the world so we want to take that away from them

they say, have you to have the consent of bashar al assad before you go in. even if you are going in to do him a favor by getting rid of his enemy. i think this is not the end of the game. i think it would be -- it's a long haul. i think we're going to be seeing so many different things developing including hopeful liv if the united states clarifies for us, what are they saying to the iranians as far as their role in syria, how are they going on with their support of bashar al assad, who the president of the united states has lost legitimacy, and what are they doing next door to saudi arabia, the ally in this coalition, and i mean exactly in yemen. >> yeah. it's a fascinating game of three-dimensional chess. thank you for helping us understand it. we appreciate it your customers, our financing. your aspirations, our analytics. your goals, our technology. introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. banking. loyalty. analytics. synchrony financial. enagage with us. ♪ [music] jackie's heart attack didn't come with a warning.

airstrikes aimed at isis, there will not be any coordination with bashar al-assad, which could lead to a bigger confrontation. >> we will certainly want to de- conflict and make certain that they are not about to do something that they might regret even more seriously. but we are not coordinating and it's not a cooperative effort. reporter: when asked today whether or not he will take out the voices. >> there are contingencies related to self-defense when it comes to rules of engagement. and in the scramble, officials are opening to get allies to get help from foes like iran. even vladimir putin who is close to al-assad noted that blabber pruden was helpful in destroying chemical weapons. >> there's not an opportunity for us to do that but we will take an opportunity to avenge that opportunity. reporter: once said i reject this offer to iran about isis because u.s. has corrupted us in this issue. the white house did not shoot that down although they said there is not a formal request, there were backdoor conversations in meanwhile on syria, and dean are officially today told us that ba

syrian rebels put aside their differences to take on isis as well as bashar al assad. anncr: now you can merge the physical freedom of the car, with the virtual freedom of wi-fi. chevrolet, the first and only car company to bring built-in 4g lte wi-fi to cars, trucks and crossovers. hi mom. you made it! anncr: it's the new independence. watch this. sam always gives you the good news in person, bad news in email. good news -- fedex has flat rate shipping. it's called fedex one rate. and it's affordable. sounds great. [ cell phone typing ] [ typing continues ] [ whoosh ] [ cell phones buzz, chirp ] and we have to work the weekend. great. more good news -- it's friday! woo! [ male announcer ] ship a pak via fedex express saver® for as low as $7.50. would let me take you home. pak via fedex express saver® the power of allegra relieves your toughest indoor and outdoor symptoms fast and stays strong for 24 hours. stop suffering. start living. >> in the headlines at this hour, french planes joined the u.s. on isis targets in iraq. on thursday, they targeted four isis wareho

the fact is that bashar al assad doesn't control syria. he controls the spine of syria which is a very small portion and it's mostly a failed state which is why it is such a logical place for isil to organize and let's remember the l in isil, is levant. it's not just syria and iraq. it's also jordan, lebanon and the entire region and i heard you talk about saudi arabia and the uae. it's phis thnice that they are supporting us, but frankly, i think dennis ross who is a special assistant to several presidents has it it right when he says that saudi arabia ought to be convening a regional conference to fight against isil because i believe that if isil gets more traction and more real estate it's going to want to make mecca the capital of this faux caliphate that they're trying to set up so it's very much in their interest to get onboard. >> you talk to americans around the country and the question is always posed. we give all of this funding to saudi arabia, we sell them our arms and same thing for jordan, but when it comes to actually be a p

this is silly. >> this is exactly what bashar al assad had hoped for. he's off the front pages. the strongest force isis have been degrade by source other than his own. and he can use his own forces to ramp up against against the nonisis opposition. for hirths i can understand why the deputy minister is saying this, they're trying to portray the country as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem or the cause of the problem. but i don't think the international community as a hole is buying that. it's a delicate line, you even have voice it's in west saying advocating a tacit alliance with al assad. advocating he's the lesser of two evils compared to isis. for al assad, this is quite the boon, and they're going to try to leverage it as much as possible. >> when you've been there for the murdering of some 200,000 people, and we're now actually propping him up in some way, not an intended consequence, but not an unforeseen one, either. you just wonder, is there another thing that we could be doing. do you have any thoughts on what else we might be able to do to at leas

if you keep bashar al-assad isolated, and go after i.s.i.s. in the north, with whatever ground forces come through. you can take care of i.s. in that spot. they don't necessarily threaten the city. that's the issue. they have a photo. that'll dictate what we do. >> will the united states try to facilitate a regime change? >> they'll have to plan for that. the saudis will want one kind of government. the ground force that is there in that country dictates what happens for the next regime. >> they talk about the i.s. having money. how does the u.s. defeat the islamic state group financially? >> we cut off the ways for them to be funded from qatar and kuwait. some techniques, they allowed i.s. to found their shoulders, they have to be shut off in the outside and not sell goods and services, like the iraqi oil and the like. it's like retrigs by other means. >> how does the u.s. address the idea of recruiting foreign fighters? >> that's something that we do between the border of turkey and syria. we have to get the turks to understand it's too poro

and a comment about bashar al assad, and he has a military, and is he all-in with this? >> no, no. >> and is the united states military concern eded a that he may -- >> may benefit from it. >> no, not fire. he does not have that capability, but can he benefit from them taking out isis? potentially, although it is more complicated, because he was allowing isis to be his shock troops against the moderate syrian army that the west is now trying to back. the free syrian army was pushing back bashar and isis, and so this may help him or hurt him, but one of the things that the u.s. is very scared about is that unlike 9/11 when terrorists had to come over here and nefariously get visas from the fake and the underhanded ways, these people do not. they are american citizens and european citizens, and et cetera, and all they have to do is to come back to the united states or europe and create mayhem. >> this is smart for al qaeda to do this, because what they do is to bring the bombmakers to the place where the delivery systems are already there. outfit the delivery system, which

he is also due to meet president bashar al-assad. he is expected to seek permanent residence in damascus. >>> there has been intense fighting and air strikes in the district of damascus as government troops try to take it back from the rebels. [ explosion ] >> reporter: syrian state television shows what it says is the government's latest push to recapture joba. the eastern district of damascus was taken by rebels in march last year. it is only hundreds of meters away from the city center. [ explosion ] >> reporter: now there has been an unprecedented military campaign by the syrian government to clear it. rebels say the regime's air force is carrying out up to 20 air strikes a day. the destruction is extensive. tanks and other heavy weapons are used while army soldiers advance. the army says this tunnel was used by the rebels to bring in weapons and other equipment. but the rebels deny the syrian army is advancing. activists posted videos online that appear to show rebels touring the area. >> translator: the district is under our co

the other one bashar al-assad, you know that we don't want to support them. by no means. in fact, if you remember bashar is the origin of dash. you know that bashar has liberated prisoners from prison. and they are the leaders of dash. maybe you know that during years, bashar has not fought dash. and today, i mean today, dash is having a lot of oil and part of this oil is sold to bashar. therefore we have not only-- . >> rose: by dash? >> yes, by dash. and it has been decided and it's excellent, by u.n. recently to cut the financing because now people there are maybe states who finance dash. and through oil and through different means. and we have to cut them. but to come back to your main question, we have not only one adversary, we have two. and we have to organize ourselves. i mean u.s., france, arab countries and the coalition, in order to fit against the two. >> rose: are you pleased that the americans are using their air power in syria? to attack isis. >> it's quite okay. and it's quite okay. and we have said and i say today that we are supporting them, yes. >> rose