Bloodiest onslaught in five years and. Syrian government backed fighters enter our freend provoking a response by turkish troops besieging the kurdish enclave plus. The negotiators are sitting right behind me ready to talk but we will not chase after a heated words at the u. N. After the palestinian president calls for an International Summit to resolve the conflict with israel also. We have to do more to protect our children days after the fall of the shootings president proposes a ban on devices that turn semi automatic weapons into machine guns. Theres been no letup in the Syrian Governments assault on eastern despite a growing International OutcrySyrian Forces are backed by their allies russia bombs rockets and shells have killed at least two hundred fifty people since sunday and the last rebel stronghold near damascus activists are describing the death toll in the last forty eight hours as a massacre and they say its the highest since a twenty thirteen chemical attack on the area east of the hotel has been besieged by the government since twenty thirteen. Four hundred thousand people are estimated to be trapped in the rubble held on klav eastern go so its only a few kilometers away from the Government Center of power the president ial palace there are fears the bombardment could lead to to a larger ground operation so in a lot of reports from beirut. Panic in the streets i. Didnt see. Fear in peoples faces. The. Neighborhoods flattened the airstrikes are almost continuous. Towns across eastern who are coming under intense fire i survived emerge in shock children traumatized. Theres been no wonder some four hundred thousand people are trapped in this besieged Syrian Opposition enclave nowhere is safe. The sound of fighter jets in the skies frightens the population. And muhammad and her son the same say they can only hope the walls in their home will save them if a shell or an airstrike hit nearby i didnt we have no choice but to stay in our hearts despite the instruments and shelling outbuilding and those in the street said i dont have underground shelter. The u. N. Says the humanitarian situation is spiraling out of control because of what it calls an extreme escalation of hostilities scores of civilians have been killed since sunday and the number continues to rise. There are hundreds of injuries as well doctors are appealing to the International Community to force the government to allow supplies in. Some of us for we have shortages in medicine and medical supplies because the regime has been hitting this area for weeks weve had to deal with many injuries imagine we know how to longer have blood bags. The un is demanding an end to the targeting of civilians but for the Syrian Government and its allies this is a military tactic. They hope that by inflicting suffering on the population they will turn against the rebels and force them to surrender. Eastern as the last remaining opposition stronghold around damascus comments made by russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov about what he calls using the experience in a free and there are causing concern the Syrian Government regain full control of the city of aleppo and lifeless thousand after months and a full blown military assault that. The main opposition body the Syrian National coalition is calling the latest wave of violence a war of extermination it is also condemning what it calls the international silence. This is not the first Bombing Campaign in eastern. Hundreds of civilians were killed in weeks of bombardment earlier this year many believe the renewed bombardment could be the final assault senator. Children inside these and of course i have used social media to plead for help everyone who can see on me we are hearing that as a vision has brought much tougher for this is just a good if i can give them phelps. And the child out in there is one of the arctic that the children would pack before direct. Im not from the fish which unicef says its so outrageous whats happening in the hotel its released a blank statement with a footnote saying we no longer have the words to describe children suffering and our outrage to those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts topple had a his unicefs regional director for the middle east and north africa we have been issuing in the seventy s. Many different day statements expressing more sadness but that doesnt seem to be rare at the same time our this morning didnt know any more how much through or i could express my sadness unicefs deep sadness about the reality we dare for decided who issue a blank statement that inviting go everybody responsible for what is going on in syria inviting with the simple question do you want out there responsible for these barbarians acts you still have the words to justify what you are doing these millions of boys and girls. And pro Syrian Government forces have entered the northwestern african region to help kurdish fighters there fend off a turkish assault by. Syrian state t. V. Showed pictures of their forces celebrating but as they did so Turkish Forces reportedly targeted them with shell fire turkeys president says his soldiers have now forced fighters backed by the Assad Government to leave the kurdish controlled parts of africa and theres a lot of on his votes to capture the area within days some of it ive read has more from gaza on top on turkeys border with syria a group of fighters loyal to president Bashar Assads government has retreated from the city of our free these fighters were trying to get close to the city after kurdish fighters had asked for help from the Syrian Government and it said that it would not send its regular forces but would provide them with irregular militias and that should cause a popular for since this happened after turkish artillery hit these areas when it saw that these forces were going in it happened only a couple of hours after the turkish president they had a gun announced that he and his forces are in another phase of the operation because we know ongoing since last month and he promised his cabinet members that the city of offering is going to be captured by to forces and their allies these arab f. S. A. Fighters in a matter of days this operation has been ongoing since january the twentieth and it has come at a heavy toll to the turkish government as well i need to kill the saga at the same time it takes to make certain perforations in the field the seeding of the effort city will start rapidly in the coming days. Military sources on the ground have been telling us that it is easier said than done to capture the city of offering because its very tough terrain and these dry p. G. Kurdish fighters are locals to this area so the advance of the turkish government as well as the f. S. A. Fighters who say theyve captured a number of villages around the city of offering which will help them encircled and besieged have been very very slow their advance according to them has been slow not only because of the tough terrain but also because they want to avoid civilian casualties but as weve seen in the syrian conflict as more forces arrive as a bigger of powers come to take areas that they had they want to control its the civilians who suffered the most. But nothing is the latest flashpoint in syrias complex civil war on groups in the region including kodesh fighters eisel and turkeys backed fighters are tangled in a web of disputes and alliances with the United States russia and iran the cut is why p. G. Holds the a. T. O. Here in yellow which includes areas around freeing the green part shows land controlled by the fighters that took he supports it advancing on a train under the Turkish Operation called all of Branch PresidentBashar Al Assads government controls the area to the south now hes had a complex relationship with the white p. G. Assad has said he wants to take back control of the whole country while the kurds want an autonomy region in Northern Syria im going to says why p. G. Is linked to the p. K. K. The Kurdistan Workers Party its been fighting for more kurdish autonomy in turkey and other parts of the region but why p. G. Has been one of the u. S. Led coalitions most important allies in the fight against eisel in syria but turkey has been pressuring washington to stop backing the kurds michael page insofar lower the Hudson Institute who specializes in middle Eastern Affairs and hes joining us live via skype from virginia thank you very much indeed for your time whats this conflict in never trouble as soon as turkish troops cross the border into syria. Turkey said they were going to come in and they said they were orses. So what were seeing now is. Theyre going to actually do it. With the exception of actually fighting. The last four years so this is we just need to get attention when turkey is also saying as you mentioned theyre telling us to start working with the white p. G. And we seem to differentiate between white b. G. West of the euphrates when p. G. City of creditors early want to start and that could be an issue especially as one says it might be just sex. The consequences of this fighting between militias and turkey could be very severe why is it in president assads interests to do this why did hes being forced to do it another way p. J. Again theyre looking for a guarantor they dont see one of the United States and they were betrayed by russia and iran and often when turkey started moving conducting its military operation so now theyre hedging their bets theyre trying to leverage captured territory in iraq and theyre resorting other places with damascus in order to get down to thomas ridge you talk to so this is a this is quite an unseen dynamic was interesting also as these are arabian backed militias these are iraqi shia militias this is a lot theyre moving into her and theyre not going to be able to do much absent russias help and russias going to always stay out of this war so this should be a they just say to turkey shoot for Turkish Military operations in iraq from when it comes to what to start trying to do with these these Paramilitary Forces otherwise known as are just sit back to malicious michael say with me for a moment because russias foreign minister says the syrian conflict can only be resolved of all interest parties respect each others territorial integrity to second level as a hold on turkey and syria to settle the offing crisis through direct talks the old vision still im convinced that turkish interests with regards to ensuring security can be fulfilled and satisfied through direct dialogue with the Syrian Government i really hope that we will all continue to firmly stand against any attempts to untwist the kurdish problem for the sake of interests which lie in preserving and deepening chaos in the region and in crushing and destroying countries located so that. Michael given whats happening in africa is there any possibility that talks can happen to read between turkey and the assad regime. Well i think what turkey is able to show now is based on your earlier story what asses are doing. You know thats thats where you hear the russian message since you say why would you ask to stop doing things often when youre doing the same thing. And just very briefly michael what is the Tipping Point do you think at which russia and the u. S. Have to get involved in this particular conflict and obviously the possible wider consequences of that well i think i think were partitioning decisions i mean if it happens west of the euphrates we allow turkey to decide what happens if secretary tell us and said something that i thought was very. I didnt like the language and i dont like we have sounded to our u. S. Advisors working with white b. G. On the ground he said to turkey just be specific just try to be specific meaning try to try to be absolutely your target you know the why p. G. And s. Deaths concern him because hes basically saying to turkey just make sure you get y. P. G. Forces and try not to kill a bunch of us that doesnt send a good message i think that that because everything seems to be divided u. S. Policy was the euphrates is different than u. S. Policy hes in the euphrates and and russia i think just wants to stay out of this war and its i dont like to say complex because its over use but it is a very complicated situation michael i was going to get your opinion on this michael thank you very much indeed Michael Pridgen there. Plenty more ahead on the news hour including a lawyer linked to u. S. President donald trump pleads guilty to lying to the f. B. I. Dire warnings from the u. N. Refugee agency about a humanitarian disaster in the democratic republic of congo. In sports frances greatest ever a limpy and wins another gold at the winter games in pyongyang china. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has proposed a new International Peace summit with israel one that rules out the United States as the chief broker in an address to the Un Security Council abbas said palestinians had lost faith in the u. S. Governments ability to mediate abandoning a twenty five year long policy diplomatic editor james bays reports from un headquarters on what was a tense session president abbas is presence here was rare and carefully calculated normally his ambassador attends this monthly meeting he came himself to express his displeasure at the trumpet ministration he suggested its decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital and to cut funding to the un agency that helps palestinians disqualified it from leading peace efforts instead he proposed a new approach for any out of grammar digicam i would call for the convening of an International Peace conference by mid two thousand and nineteen based on International Law and relevant un resolutions with Broad International participation including the two concerned parties and regional and international stakeholders. President abbas left immediately after his speech nothing unusual there in terms of u. N. Protocol he was the only head of state in a room full of ambassadors and had another engagement to attend it didnt stop the israeli ambassador using it to score a point i expect that means that our battle stay with us and have a dialogue unfortunately is once again running away. The u. S. Ambassador came to the meeting accompanied by the two men President Trump has tasked with leading negotiations Jason Greenblatt and his own son in law jared cushion she said president abbas had a choice the United States stands ready to work with the palestinian leadership our negotiators are sitting right behind me ready to talk but we will not chase after you the choice mr president is yours it was a Security Council session full of drama and theatrical but the reality is depressingly familiar this meeting in no way brings any closer to a resolution to a conflict thats already lasted over seventy years james zero of the United Nations israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu is remaining defiant despite being a broiled in two more bribery scandals on top of an ongoing corruption Investigation Police gnowledge one of his closest advisers tried to bribe a judge into dropping a criminal case involving netting news wife back in twenty fifteen yeah efforts is accused of using a middleman to offer the judge help in being elected attorney general if she closed a case against Sarah Netanyahu is excessive Household Spending on tuesday police also revealed that her fence was one of several of neff and thats an yahoos confidence to be arrested over a separate probe into allegations of corruption at israels biggest Telecoms Company basic last week investigators recommended the Prime Minister should be indicted in two Corruption Cases involving bribery and fraud and netanyahu says hes the victim of a witch hunt i should google. Whats happened in recent days is simply total madness scandalous they bring to crazy fabricated claims as part of a witch hunt against me and my family that has gone on for years but any claim that i acted on the benefit of basic at the expense of road. Considerations as she found it to its core. The second client concerned in the appointment of the attorney general is no less crazy militias to a never consulted his on this matter you never proposed anything to me on this issue and you know what i dont believe that he suggested this possibility with anyone. U. S. President donald trump is recommending a ban on devices that can turn firearms into machine guns it would include socalled stocks which were used in the Las Vegas Mass Shooting in october where fifty eight people died its unclear whether the bomb stalks were used in last weeks shooting in florida which killed seventeen people heidi joe castros joining us live from washington d. C. Heidi this is a move that we wouldnt really expect from a republican president is this an indication do you think that the trump