we're going to need a lot of shovels by tuesday i think in boston. cyril? >> ivan, thank you very much for the update. love the snow. always love your effects. thank you, ivan. the syrian government forces are gaining ground in eastern ghouta, this area outside the capital that is still held by rebels. an activist says they captured a major down on saturday after he described what they called hysterical shelling and air strikes. analysts believe it's just a matter of time before pro government troops seize the entire enclave. as many as 400,000 still live in the area and it's believed more than a thousand civilians have been killed in the ongoing campaign over the last two and a half weeks now. cnn's ian lee is tracking event. he is in turkey. he joins me live from istanbul. ian, is it a forgone conclusion really that the regime is going to take eastern ghouta? >> cyril, when you look at the momentum of the syrian army backed by russian air support,