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One World with Zain Asher

Israel Strikes Targets In Syria, Advances Past Buffer Zone; Netanyahu Takes The Stand In His Corruption Trial; NYPD: Mangione Saw Killing Thompson As A "Symbolic Takedown"; Controversial Trump Picks Finding More Senate Support; CNN Visits A Damascus Suburb Hard-Hit By Civil War; Kremlin Silent On Assad's Whereabouts In Russia; Fast-Moving Wildfire Scorches Southern California; Aired 12-1p ET

Aired December 10, 2024 - 12:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[12:00:26]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: For the first time in 50 years Israel has set boots on the ground beyond Syria's demilitarized buffer zone.

BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now.

A new era began. Hopeful words from Syrian refugees as they return home. We take you inside Damascus as the first semblance of a new government

emerges.

ASHER: Plus, a key day on Capitol Hill as Donald Trump appointees meet with senators ahead of their nomination hearings.

GOLODRYGA: And wildfire in Southern California that's burning up the equivalent of five football fields every minute.

Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher, you are watching ONE WORLD.

We begin in Syria where there is certainly a great sense of anxiety and uncertainty, but also cautious optimism as a new and unpredictable era in

that country gets underway.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Mohammed al-Bashir, he's a rebel-linked government leader who holds a degree in Sharia law, has now been appointed the country's

caretaker prime minister for the next three months. And what's at stake is not just Syria's future, but a possible shift in the regional balance of

power.

In recent days, Israel's army has launched air strikes throughout Syria and deployed ground troops beyond the buffer zone for the first time in 50

years. The IDF also claims that it has destroyed Syria's naval fleet.

ASHER: Israel says its goal is to keep weapons from falling into the wrong hands, most likely the hands of extremists, but the country's prime

minister is also pledging to change, quote, the face of the Middle East.

Regional countries, meantime, are accusing Israel of exploiting the chaos in Syria in order to execute a land grab.

GOLODRYGA: One of the biggest challenges for the rebels now may be learning how to govern. And it remains to be seen if this complex patchwork of

different groups will actually be able to work together.

ASHER: Yes. But amid the rapid changes, gripping the country, war-weary Syrians are expressing some degree of hope and optimism for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say life is better now. During Assad's time, there was no food, no water, and no electricity. Now life begins again slowly. I

hope Syria will stand up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: CNN's Clarissa Ward spoke to some residents celebrating on the streets of Damascus after the end of a brutal 50-year dictatorship.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The first couple of days we were here, the streets were pretty subdued. There was a lot of

anxiety. And today, we're really seeing people are out and they are celebrating.

Take a look behind me, all these young people, they are celebrating. They are posing for photographs, holding up their babies to show with rebel

fighters.

And I actually wanted to bring in, I've just been talking here with this young Syrian woman, Judith (ph). Tell me how this one feels.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can -- is this working?

WARD: Yes. It's working. Look at me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can see, this is 50 years of silence. This is the reaction. Fifty years, he kept us in the dark. He kept us in the death.

This is the reaction of the Syrian people after 50 years of this regime, of this death, of this darkness. This is the new generation that will come out

to the light now. This is the reaction.

WARD: How does it feel for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me as a 25 years old daughter, this is my father and this is my mother. This is -- this is unspeakable reaction. This is me

coming to the light again. It's the rebirth of the Syrian people again.

WARD: Did you ever imagine --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

WARD: -- after 14 years?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No, no, no. For me, it's been 13 years. For my dad, it's been 50 years.

WARD: When you see. Look behind you. You see rebel fighters with their technicals, with their big weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is -- this is victory. This is the -- this is the happiness I have never witnessed before. I've been living 13 years in war,

in death and darkness. And this is amazing. This is unspeakable, actually.

This is -- here, you can see the breath of freedom. This is absolutely amazing. This is -- I hope we can do more. This is -- this is only the

beginning. This -- it has to be a mess in the beginning, but I'm sure we can do something more and more in the future.

WARD: Thank you so much, Judith.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.

WARD: And it really is sort of wonderful, honestly, to hear that kind of optimism. Because as I mentioned, those first couple of days, those first

few days, a lot of tension, a lot of anxiety, some chaos and looting in the beginning.

[12:05:10]

Now that there is a degree of calm and control in the city, who are seeing people come out. And finally, just this outpouring of jubilation after more

than 50 years under the totalian regime -- totalitarian regime of Bashar al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad, his father before him, after 14 years of the

most brutal and ugly civil war. These people want the world to know that Syria is free and it's beginning a new chapter.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Well, let's bring in Alexander Gabuev. He's the director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, and he joins us live now from Berlin.

Alexander, thank you so much for being with us.

So the scenes that Clarissa Ward, our correspondent on the ground there in Syria, was describing and actually showing to us. We've seen similar scenes

like that before in the Middle East. Scenes of joy, jubilation, hope, optimism, after a dictator is toppled, and then those sorts of scenes

quickly descend into chaos and disorder.

Just walk us through what the priority of the rebels, of HTS, needs to be at this point in time, at this crucial turning point to prevent that from

happening.

ALEXANDER GABUEV, DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE RUSSIA EURASIA CENTER: I think that the country is really divided between various communities, sects,

ethnicities, and bringing the country together is a big task.

Assad was trying to do that through repression and dictatorship and brutalism, and he failed. Now bringing this country together is a

monumental task. And the other one is development, because Syrians interviewed by Clarissa also mentioned that electricity, access to water,

access to food, are key priorities right now.

GOLODRYGA: It's interesting, Sasha (ph), that the fall of Syria really signifies that at least in the short term, this proxy battle between Israel

-- between Russia and the United States in the region has been a failure for Russia. No matter how they try to spin it, it's interesting even

listening to the language now, Sergey Lavrov seemingly now saying that Russia may be able to work with HTS going forward, even though they've

given safe harbor and refuge to Bashar Assad and his family in Moscow.

I'm just wondering, the ripple effects of this are rather significant. Russia has military bases in Syria.

But if you travel thousands of miles away, what are the implications in terms of any leverage the United States may have now in a Trump

administration over settlement of the war in Ukraine?

GABUEV: I agree with you, Bianna. It's a tremendous humiliation for Putin intervention in this horrible civil war on the side of Bashar Assad, the

Syrian dictator, and bringing this war to a de facto conclusion victory for Assad with rebels being stuck in a little pocket on the Turkish border was

celebrated and presented by the Kremlin as its major foreign policy achievement that Moscow is back in great power game and that it's happening

at the expense of the United States. It's able to provide security and protection to its friends and allies.

And now the regime collapsing in Moscow being unable to protect it is really a big blow to Russia's reputation and to its standing in the Middle

East.

The big question is, what will happen to the Russian military presence? It has an air base in Khmeimim. It has a naval presence that goes back to the

early '70s in Tartus, in Lattakia province. All of this is now up in the air.

The Russians claim that they want to negotiate with the new government. But given the role that the Russian military played in brutalizing the Syrian

population over the last decade, it's very questionable that this basis will be able to stay.

However, I don't see a direct positive impact on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Russian forces are not living through Ukrainian defenses.

Russia has an advantage on the battlefield.

And with its resources being pulled back into Russia, most likely all of the focus will be on bringing Russia into the best possible position on the

negotiation table.

ASHER: Sasha, do you want to also talk about how HTS has sort of moderated some of its hardline views and really tried to sort of reinvent themselves,

I guess, in the eyes of the international community?

Just yesterday, we were reporting that HTS had essentially offered amnesty to soldiers who were conscripted under Bashar al-Assad's regime. They've

also pledged protection for religious minorities in the country as well.

They seem to be trying to show the world that they are actually ready to govern the country. What does all of this mean in terms of how the

international community, particularly the U.S. and its allies, are going to be able to work potentially with this rebel group?

[12:10:10]

GABUEV: Secretary Blinken has already outlined some of the conditions where the new government can be recognized by the U.S., and that means by the

America's allies. And that's everything you mentioned. It's respect for freedoms, it's respect for ethnic minorities. And it's an inclusive

governance and distance from Jihadist. That's where the roots of HTS are.

How much of the later deeds will be in accordance to the early positive signs and to the rhetorics of the leadership of HTS really remains to be

seen.

GOLODRYGA: What will you be watching in terms of Israel's actions as we noted for the first time, the IDF had entered the buffer zone there and the

Golan Heights, and even Israeli soldiers now were stationed on the Syrian side of the Herman Mountain. Israel says that they are there temporarily

and that they're there to protect their citizens at the border.

But in addition to what we're seeing, the constant bombardment of the Syrian military sites, the naval fleet now being just the latest by the

Israelis, what will you be watching for going forward as Israel is trying to reestablish what a recalibrated Syrian leadership may look like?

GABUEV: Israel's goal is very clear. It was unhappily living with the devil that they know being the Assad family and the Ba'ath Party regime in Syria,

rather than the devil they don't know, which is possibly chaos.

So the first move is to destroy everything what can be potentially dangerous to security of Israel. And that's being not the small arms, but

the long range missiles, planes, all of the hardware that the Syrian army has abandoned and stashed.

So all of the depots that Israel has knocked out could end up in the arms of -- like in the hands of a really dangerous groups or in the black market

and ultimately go to Gaza and go to various places and be turned against Israel. So they knocked that out as well as the fleet.

I think the two moves that you need to watch is how much Israel will try to fortify the land that they have taken from Syria and how durable will be

Israeli presence there.

And two, how much Israel will try to work with other countries in the region, in particular Turkey in establishing some security arrangements for

the interim period.

ASHER: And it's interesting because, yes, as you point out, you know, it's one thing to have the devil you know. It's another thing, in your words, to

have the devil you don't know. And, obviously, Israel's priority is to make sure that these chemical weapons, for example, do not get into the hands of

extremists, into the wrong hands, basically.

When it comes to HTS, I mean, obviously, you know, they have just sort of toppled the Assad regime, and now they're witnessing, you know, their

weapons sort of depots, the ammunition, chemical weapons sites, et cetera, being bombed by the Israelis, you know, they're seeing all of this, and

they think what? I mean, obviously, they're sort of powerless against the Israeli army to a certain extent, but how do they manage all of that?

GABUEV: I don't have my crystal ball, so I don't know what they're thinking is. We know that the ability to react is limited. Their first order of

business is to establish control over the territory that they want to govern. And that means sorting out a lot of relationships, particularly

with the armed -- the different armed opposition groups like the Syrian, pre-Syrian army, the Kurds, what happens to you, pockets of ISIS out there

in the desert is also important.

They have small arms. They have protected mobility. And probably they have just enough for sorting out these issues.

I don't think that the push to retaliate against Israel or do anything about it is a big priority for HTS.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. And when asked about it, about Israel's presence now in the buffer zone there in the Golan, the White House says that Israel has a

right to defend itself. So just sort of a blanket statement in support thus far of Israel's actions.

Alex, we'll have to have you back. Sasha, we go back and forth. We'll have to have you back to talk about the other area of expertise for you and the

role of China in all of this. Because China has been rather muted having significant leverage over Iran. We haven't heard much of a China presence

in all of this that's transpired the last few weeks. We'll have to leave it there, but we'll love to have you back on. Thank you, Sasha Gabuev. Thank

you.

[12:15:00]

GABUEV: Thanks for having me.

ASHER: I'll call on Alex. Thank you, Alex.

GOLODRYGA: I'll do Sasha and Alex, exactly.

ASHER: Appreciate it.

GOLODRYGA: We appreciate it.

ASHER: All right. A defiant Benjamin Netanyahu took to the witness stand for the first time Tuesday in his long-running corruption trial.

In testimony that lasted several hours, the Israeli prime minister said he was astonished by the injustice of being put on trial and that he was being

hounded because of his security policies.

GOLODRYGA: Prime Minister Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Now, if he's convicted and it's upheld on appeal, he will

be forced to resign.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest from Tel Aviv.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is the first time that a sitting Israeli prime minister has taken the stand in his own

defense in a criminal trial.

It is an extraordinary moment not only for the history that is being made as the Israeli prime minister walked into this courthouse and then began

testifying in his own defense, but also because of the moment at which it comes with Israel facing a multi-front war.

That was part of the reason why the Israeli prime minister sought to delay this very moment of testifying in this case, unsuccessfully, though, as the

judges ultimately ruled that he would have to show up to testify in his own defense, a process that could take several weeks.

We expect that the prime minister will testify as many as three times a week for as long as six hours per day, initially beginning with questions

from his own defense attorneys, who have been giving him a lot of running room here to make comments about foreign policy, accusations against the

media, as he really tries to make his own case.

But then the more serious cross-examination will come from the prosecution. And there are three cases that are involved in the trial that the prime

minister has been facing for four years now. They are Case 1,000, Case 2,000, and Case 4,000, all of them effectively boiling down to allegations

of corruption, that the Israeli prime minister offered favors to wealthy businessmen in exchange for more favorable media coverage or in exchange

for lavish gifts, some several hundred thousand dollars in champagne bottles, in jewelry, and other gifts that these businessmen allegedly

provided.

Now, the prime minister and his attorneys, of course, maintain that he is innocent. And we have heard the prime minister already on the stand making

his case, defending himself against these allegations, insisting that he is innocent.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: All right. We are getting a glimpse into the possible motive behind the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO. CNN has obtained a police analysis of

the suspect and what they found, coming up.

GOLODRYGA: And imagine images of a fire that triples in size every hour. Just imagine that. That's exactly what happened in California. We'll have

details of the fast-moving danger, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:20:32]

ASHER: All right. New York police say that Luigi Mangione was driven by anger against corporate greed, specifically the healthcare industry.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. That's the word from an NYPD intelligence report obtained by CNN. Police accuse Mangione of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian

Thompson last week in Manhattan.

The report goes on to say that he viewed the killing of Thompson as a, quote, symbolic takedown.

ASHER: Mangione is an Ivy League graduate and was valedictorian of his high school class. One from a classmate says that his actions seem totally out

of character.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FREDDIE LEATHERBURY, MANGIONE'S CLASSMATE, GILMAN SCHOOL: I can tell you that this is one of the last people you think would do something like this,

you know. He was one of the nicest kids, most friendly kids that I had known at Gilman.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLODRYGA: Brynn Gingras takes a closer look at the arrest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC ADAMS, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: We have a strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city last week.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a five day manhunt, the main suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian

Thompson, is in custody.

Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old former valedictorian from Maryland who police believe carried out the heinous act in Manhattan last Wednesday, was caught

while eating in a Western Pennsylvania McDonald's.

JOSEPH KENNY, CHIEF OF DETECTIVES, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT: We did not have his name prior to today.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione not on police radar as he had no arrests in New York City or elsewhere.

LUIGI MANGIONE, SUSPECT IN THE KILLING OF UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO BRIAN THOMPSON: To the class of 2016, a kind of class that only comes around once

every 50 years.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione graduated from the prestigious Gilman School, a private all-boys high school in Baltimore, Maryland in 2016 where

he was top of his class.

MANGIONE: It's been an incredible journey and I simply can't imagine the last few years with any other group of guys.

GINGRAS (voice-over): He went on to college at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated with a bachelor's and master's in

engineering. A former classmate called him, quote, a totally normal guy. Police now trying to figure out what changed.

Authorities say he was carrying a multi-page document pointing to a possible motive. It railed against the healthcare industry and suggesting

that violence is the answer.

Quote, these parasites had it coming, end quote. I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done. It read.

KENNY: We don't think that there's any specific threats to other people mentioned in that document. But it does seem that he has some ill will

toward corporate America.

GINGRAS (voice-over): Mangione comes from a prominent Maryland family that owns Lorien Health Services, a nursing home chain in the state where Luigi

volunteered in 2014, according to his LinkedIn page. They also own country clubs in Maryland.

A look into what is likely his Goodreads profile made earlier this year shows he called the infamous Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, a political

revolutionary. Quote, it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out, it reads.

Authorities sifting through social media postings like this one to glean more clues.

KENNY: We're still working through his social media. We're going to do a complete scrub of that.

GINGRAS (voice-over): This while authorities work to connect Mangione to their crime scene through possible DNA, fingerprints and pieces of evidence

like this fake ID, which is also the same one the suspect used to check in to a hostel on the Upper West side of Manhattan before the murder.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Well, some of Donald Trump's most controversial cabinet picks are back on Capitol Hill this hour to lobby senators.

ASHER: Yes. CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju has the very latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pete Hegseth, who is Donald Trump's choice to lead the Pentagon, is back on Capitol Hill today with

some critical meetings, including with one swing Republican vote. That's Senator Lisa Murkowski, someone who has broken ranks with her leadership,

with Donald Trump time and time again, will meet this afternoon with her as she has really kept an open mind about this nomination, has really not

waited much on this. But she could be one who's someone to watch here as Hegseth nomination appears -- his prospects appear a little bit brighter

than they were just a week ago.

Why? Because of his efforts to try to consolidate Republican support. The pressure that's been coming on the outside, particularly on one senator in

particular senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. She sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee and has been seen as a pivotal vote herself.

She's had -- she's someone who has served in combat, someone who has endured sexual assault herself. And has, of course, Hegseth has said that

he opposes women serving in combat. He said that in the past. He's not walked back those comments. And also has been accused of sexual assault.

He's denied those allegations.

[12:25:06]

But Hegseth, in his conversation with Ernst, appears to have at least one or over for now. She says she is supporting him through this process, not

quite a yes yet, but is moving very, very close.

Now, the question is ultimately, will all Republican senators fall in line? Or will most of them? Remember, 50 Republican senators out of 53 need to

vote to advance a nomination, because the vice president, soon to be vice president, J.D. Vance would break any tie.

And I caught up with Senator John Cornyn, who is a senior Republican. He sits on some key committees, has met with several of these nominees. And I

asked him if Republicans were willing to fall in line behind Donald Trump.

SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): Well, we haven't had a single hearing or a single FBI background check completed. So I think as frustrating as it is for some

people, there's a process. And I'm foreseeing the process through so we can make informed decisions.

This isn't just about doing our job of advice and consenting to the Constitution. It's also about making sure that these nominees are properly

vetted so that there are no surprises later on that weren't identified beforehand.

RAJU: But there are still some other controversial nominations, including Kash Patel to lead the FBI. Donald Trump is, of course, essentially

threatening to fire the existing FBI director, Christopher Wray, even though Wray is serving for a 10-year term. He has three years left on that

term and is starting to push him out with someone who's been very loyal to him and his agenda, Kash Patel.

Despite that controversial move, Republicans, in a lot of ways, are falling in line behind what Donald Trump wants to do with the FBI.

Also with Tulsi Gabbard. She is someone who has been picked by Donald Trump to be the director of National Intelligence. But even her views on Syria

and on Russia have caused a lot of concerns within the ranks, the moment no Republicans are coming out and opposing her, which is why the Trump team

and Republican supporters of Trump believe that ultimately he will get most, if not all, of these nominations ultimately confirmed.

Manu Raju, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Our thanks to Manu for that report.

Still to come for us, restoring order after the ouster of Assad. Syrian rebels take the first step towards forming a new government. We'll bring

you the details and analysis ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:30:02]

ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD, I'm Zain Asher.

GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.

Returning now to our top story. A new era begins in Syria.

ASHER: Yes. Rebel groups are preparing to take control of the government after a 13-year civil war.

On Monday, the leader of the main rebel group, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, met former President Bashar al-Assad's outgoing prime minister.

GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, Israel has launched airstrikes across Syria and deployed troops into and beyond a demilitarized buffer zone at the border.

The IDF says that it is destroying anything that might be a threat to Israel.

ASHER: Going back to Syria's long civil war, it began after a largely peaceful uprising 13 years ago, shortly after the Arab Spring had rocked

the Middle East.

GOLODRYGA: CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reports from a Damascus suburb hit hard by the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in Darayya. This is a Damascus suburb, one of the hardest hit areas in Syria by the war. It all started

here as a peaceful uprising.

In 2011, people took to the streets in peaceful protests. They were met with violent repression. That turned into an armed rebellion and that civil

war.

The regime used some of its most horrific tactics in Darayya. It was besieging, bombing and starving the civilian population and the people of

Darayya into surrender.

And you see the scale of destruction here. And it's just so hard to imagine what people went through.

And speaking to residents of Darayya, people who had to leave their homes years ago, they say that most of the destruction we're seeing was caused by

barrel bombs. This was used a lot by the regime in different areas. These are crude, unguided munitions where they pack explosives into barrels and

just drop them from the skies.

And you can see what this has caused. And you can think back and imagine that there were civilians, that there were women and children here.

And speaking to people, they say that their sacrifice, all that they went through, is worth it. Because they say now they finally have the chance at

handing over a different, and you in a free Syria, they say to their children.

But they say that this is up to the rebel groups and the different opposition groups right now to ensure that that is what happens.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, in Darayya, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Meantime, the Kremlin is remaining silent on the exact whereabouts of Bashar al-Assad and his family who have been granted asylum in Russia.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more reaction from Moscow on the collapse of Assad's regime.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Syrians celebrate the end of the Assad regime, ransacking the former

leader's luxurious palaces --

(CHANTING)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, was handing out medals to Russian soldiers, marking Heroes of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

The Kremlin confirming Putin personally granted Bashar al-Assad asylum here.

Naturally, such decisions cannot be made without the head of state, the Kremlin spokesman said. It is his decision.

The Russians refusing to comment on Bashar al-Assad's exact whereabouts or whether his wife, Asma al-Assad, once described as a rose in the desert in

a controversial article in "Vogue Magazine," is with him.

Moscow says Assad was granted asylum on, quote, humanitarian grounds.

Even as Syrians storming his palace in Damascus discover the lavish life the former dictator was leading, finding a huge collection of luxury cars,

including Ferraris and a Lamborghini.

[12:35:07]

The full brutality of the regime also coming to light as people stormed the notorious Sednaya Prison, infamous for torture and killings, desperately

trying to free those incarcerated here.

Syria's transition, also on display in the Russian capital.

PLEITGEN: As of this morning, the flag of the Syrian opposition flies above the embassy here in Moscow.

The Russians, formerly the biggest backers of Bashar al-Assad, say they understand there is now a new reality in Syria.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia's air force played a major role in helping Bashar al-Assad turn the tide at the height of Syria's civil war and push

rebel forces out of much of the country. Also making Vladimir Putin one of the most influential players in the Middle East.

And Moscow maintains not just a major air base in Syria, but also its only port in the Mediterranean Sea, where Putin's navy conducted large-scale

exercises just last week.

But the Russians acknowledge the future of their military presence in Syria is now uncertain. And their capacity to influence Syria's future appears

limited, Putin's foreign spy chief seemingly acknowledging.

The situation is obviously complicated, he says. The thing is, Syria is a country composed of many diverse parts, and whether various factions

represented in the opposition are able to reach an accord will, in many ways, define the fate of the Syrian people and Syria as a state.

The Russians say they are in touch with the armed groups now controlling Syria, and while Moscow says it currently does not see the security of its

bases here threatened, its forces have been placed on alert.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GOLODRYGA: Well, turning back to Israel for the first time ever, a sitting Israeli Prime Minister has been in court to answer criminal charges.

Benjamin Netanyahu has left court after taking the stand on charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.

Netanyahu said he was astonished by the absurdity and the injustice of being brought to trial, but vowed to puncture what he called fabrications

and baseless accusations. The court says he has to show up to give evidence three days a week.

Time now for The Exchange. We want to bring in an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and a former member of the Israeli Parliament, Ksenia Svetlova, is

the executive director of ROPES, a Regional Organization for Peace, Economics and Security. And a non-resident senior research fellow at the

Atlantic Council. Ksenia, it is really good to see you.

So former prime ministers, former presidents have been prosecuted, they have been convicted, they have even served jail time, but this is the first

time that a sitting prime minister is facing trial right now and taking the stand, the prosecution rest of the case over the summer.

A reminder, this case began four years ago and ultimately culminating with something that Prime Minister Netanyahu has been delaying, delaying,

delaying for many, many years. And his critics would say that he's weakened and really tested the judicial system in Israel along the way here.

But you view this as a rather optimistic moment for the judicial system to hold, to show that everyone is to be held accountable under law. Walk us

through why.

KSENIA SVETLOVA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROPES: Well, first of all, I can tell you that frankly, until today's morning, many Israelis were uncertain, then

Benjamin Netanyahu will eventually take the stand.

There were many hypothesis about what can he do and what can he say in order to avoid this very unpleasant situation for him.

Eventually he's there testifying. And since he was denied to postpone, you know, this stand and he was also denied the right for responding for later

hours, playing with the hours, playing with the dates, it seems that -- I think it's a powerful sign that Israel's judiciary is still standing.

It is still strong despite the vicious attacks from within the government against the Supreme Court, the judges, the Attorney General, many members

of Knesset and many of the coalition call to fire her as we speak.

But at the same time, everybody should be equal in front of the justice. And we see that by this step, by bringing Prime Minister to the court

without, you know, taking again, you know, into consideration his many reasons why he should be exempted from that. He's still there. And I think

it's a powerful system to every Israeli, powerful sound to every Israeli.

Our democracy is still very strong. And our judiciary is still independent.

[12:40:59]

ASHER: When it comes to delaying, I mean, obviously he's been accused of delaying the trial, but also even just prolonging the war in Gaza as a --

as a ploy to sort of keep himself out of jail and keep himself in power. But, obviously, as you point out as well, time has caught up with him. Here

he is having to testify.

When you think about what the next few months and years hold, if he is convicted, he will of course have to resign. He may even end up going to

jail.

When you think about the Israelis having to go through yet another election, I mean, Bianna and I were just talking about how many elections

Israelis have gone through over the past four or five years. I believe it's at least five, if not more.

What does that mean for political instability in the country at a time when you're juggling not just the war in Gaza, you've also got instability in

Syria that, of course, Israel shares the border with? And then you've also got what's happening in Lebanon.

Yes, there is a ceasefire happening right now, but it is extremely fragile. And so with all of that going on, I mean, the last thing Israelis need is

more political instability.

SVETLOVA: Well, this is exactly what Benjamin Netanyahu says when he urges the court to postpone, to delay, and perhaps even to cancel the trial.

And he said it today, we are fighting, I'm fighting on the seven fronts. And this is what I need to do in the midst of all of this drama?

Well, his opponents say to him a simple thing. If you're able to fire Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, in the middle of the war and to replace

him with another Minister of Defense, who has less experience, who has actually zero military experience, then you can also do the trial and you

can also do the elections.

Now, I'm afraid that it will not be happening so fast for the simple reason the testimony of Netanyahu, the cross examination, all of these processes

might take a lot of time.

How much time? We are talking about years here. We are talking at least about a couple of years ahead of us of the continuation of the trial. And

then there will be, of course, you know, a possibility for appeal and the sentencing. So this whole process might take three to four years. This is

according to Israel top legal experts.

So we are not looking today at any quick, you know, reelection or resigning from the prime minister.

Theoretically, yes, this is what might happen. But since the trial might be dragged for quite some time, I think that we will go to the election before

any of this will happen. And then Netanyahu will also have to leave the results. We don't know whether he will be able to secure another term as a

prime minister.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. I believe his term ends in 2026, if I'm not mistaken.

Ksenia, it's great to have you on too, because you've wear multiple hats as an Israeli who served in Knesset. You can talk to us about this trial. You

can also talk to us as a Russia expert and as somebody who actually foresaw the fall of the Assad regime, whereas many others, many other experts

around the world were blindsided by the lightning pace that we saw Assad flee the country.

Now comes the question of what next, specifically as it relates to Russia's role and influence in the region. You were quoted as saying Russia has been

exposed for what it really is a power that over promises but under- delivers.

What can the United States, for example, use to its advantage in that type of situation right now? Because things are tenuous here in the U.S. with a

transfer -- a transition to another administration. President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that he doesn't think the U.S. should be involved

at all in Syria.

SVETLOVA: Well, and that might be very dangerous, because the only reason why Russia initially was involved in Syria is because of the power vacuum

that was created there since the U.S. was not interested for many reasons that, of course, resonate for, you know, many Americans, the decision to

get a little bit of a distance from this, you know, multiple Middle Eastern crisis and wars.

But at the end of the day, this is what allowed Russia to establish its basis there in the first step-place.

So now, when it's significantly weakened in the Middle East, I think it's really up to United States and other countries, such, of course, countries

in the European Union and Arab countries.

Let's not forget about them. They can play a huge role together as a coalition in stabilizing what used to be the black hole of the Middle East,

a country that became a front-base for Iran and served as a major bridge -- land bridge between Iran and Lebanon and Hezbollah in bringing into

weapons.

So if we want for these achievements to be permanent, meaning, the weakening of the Iranian axis and also Russia, basically, living alone its

client and running away now, it's stuck with Assad, but without any -- most possibly military power in Syria, which also projects to its opportunity to

work and also influence the African scene, because Syria used to be a major hub for all of that.

[12:45:11]

So if we don't want the return of what happened in 2015 and the return of Russia, of Iran, Syria, somebody needs to be there. And I'm not saying that

it should be only the United States, but the United States is already there. It's playing a powerful role.

And today, when we have received that there is a major threat against the Syrian Kurds in Manbij area and Deir ez-Zor, perhaps in other traditional

Kurdish held territories.

I think that basically there is no other element that can protect them, the minority, and also secure that, you know, Iran will not return to what it

used to be, the dominating power within Syria.

ASHER: All right. Ksenia Svetlova, thank you so much for being with us. We'll be right back after the short break with more.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GOLODRYGA: A fast-moving wildfire is ripping through Southern California, tripling in size in just one hour's time.

ASHER: Yes. I want to -- I want to show you this video from Malibu, just outside of L.A., where the fire is burning through the equivalent of five

football fields literally every single minute.

We know that mandatory evacuations are underway. There's not any homes and businesses that are under threat.

Pepperdine University was forced to cancel classes and tell students to shelter in place.

Let's bring in meteorologist Derek Van Dam for a look at the current conditions in California.

And what is so frightening here, Derek, is just that the pace at which this fire continues to grow. What's the latest?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Zain, Bianna, you know, this is explosive fire behavior. And it is so dangerous because it can catch people

off guard. But it happened in the middle of the night as well.

There were preemptive power shutoffs with this strong Santa Ana wind event that is common this time of year. But it is the ferocity of which had

happened and it unfolded overnight that really took a lot of people by surprise.

So you talked about how it burned the equivalent of five American football fields per minute. You could think of that as an American football field

size every 11 seconds. That's how fast this thing continued to erupt in size.

And this is just some of the aerial visuals of that fire, the Franklin fire that was and continues to burn just outside of Malibu.

So here's a look at the evacuations that have been in place. Anywhere you see the shading of kind of a pink and yellow. There were evacuation

warnings in place because we recognized that this area was very vulnerable to the strong winds, the low relative humidities, and the dry vegetation on

the ground.

[12:50:15]

So what we noticed overnight is this kind of eastern section of the fire that was growing rather quickly. But then the spot fires got overtaken by

another direction of the wind.

And this fire was burning so hot, at one stage, it was actually altering the weather and the wind patterns around it. Some of the winds started to

rotate back into the fire helping flame, additional fires and additional spot fires.

Pepperdine University was in a shelter in place as the fire encroached on the campus. They even used some helicopters, flew into this area called

Alumni Park where there is a few different lakes located at Pepperdine University, took the water from there, helped extinguish some of the flames

within this area. But then of course we saw additional flare-ups on the eastern side of this particular fire.

So there are red flag warnings in place for southern portions of California. This is all in advance of what was this Santa Ana wind event

that is still ongoing.

But I want you to know this particularly dangerous situation. We call this a PDS, the National Weather Service here out of Los Angeles actually issues

these, but very rarely, it has to fit a certain criteria for that to occur.

The last time it happened, back in November of this year, we had the mountain fire that caused so much damage in Ventura County. This time,

we're focusing our attention on Los Angeles County where Malibu is located.

These wind gusts, yes, that's impressive. That is hurricane force. Of course that's at the top portions of these mountains into Southern

California, but it funnels down into these valleys and the ravines below.

And unfortunately if you get a spark, that's when you start to see the flames and that erratic fire behavior that you saw.

The good news is, Zain and Bianna, the winds are going to relax, but we have to wait till the second half of this week. We still have another 24

hours or so on this extreme fire behavior. Back to you.

GOLODRYGA: All right. You'll be watching it closely for us. Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

Well, there's an old saying, those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. And that's what these survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki are trying

to change. Details of their Nobel Prize winning efforts, straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. This year's Nobel Peace Prize winners are worried that the world will forget the horror of the nuclear bombs. Members of Nihon

Hidankyo, an organization of survivors from the two bombs dropped from Japan accepted the prize today in Oslo, Norway.

[12:55:04]

GOLODRYGA: They are young people to take up the mantle of the fight for a nuclear free world. The average age of Japan's atomic bomb survivors is now

85. And the group worries that there will soon be no more eyewitnesses left to tell their story.

ASHER: And as we leave you on a lighter note, the holiday season is, of course, filled with so many wonderful traditions around the world.

GOLODRYGA: Yes. Check out these festive lights in Colombia. This is part of a religious tradition called the Night of the Little Candles. People take

part by lighting candles in their homes and on street lights. How pretty.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NOEMI GIRALDO, MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA (through translator): It's a tradition we've lived for many years. It's a time of unity, of sharing, of being

together. A month of joy despite all the difficulties we face.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: As part of the celebration, families also visit cemeteries to decorate the graves of their ancestors and other loved ones with flowers

and, of course, candles.

GOLODRYGA: Well, that does it for this hour of ONE WORLD. Thanks so much for watching. I'm Bianna Golodryga.

ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. "AMANPOUR" is up next. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:00]

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