he says he doesn't see an end to the conflict between hezbollah and saudi arabia. >> hezbollah is part of a coalition that is actually fighting a war on one side and there's another coalition fighting the war on the other side, so, and the statement that came from hezbollah is very clear. every accused cause rain of sending those car bomb to beirut and rest of the area where there is loyalty to hezbollah. in the end, i think hezbollah declared that he wanted to end the regime of saudi arabia and that is a statement declared as the saudis actually are trying to destroy hezbollah wherever they can have or they have their hands on it. >> tensions are high in eastern iraq where isil killed 40 people during a suicide attack at a shia funeral monday. militias reiterated to leave the town immediately. since january, they have been carrying out reprisal attacks on sunnies. five were killed and two kidnapped on monday. >>> the u.s. led anti isil coalition carried out 21 airstrikes on key positions in iraq and syria. 14 were in iraq, focusing on mosul and fallujah. on the ground, shia militias l

is determined to stop hezbollah >> i think that the gulf countries are determined not to allow hezbollah militia to determine the fate of not what goes on in lebanon but also because of the militia's involvement in syria, in iraq as well as in yemen. >> reporter: just days ago came more accusations from saudi arabia that hezbollah was aiding houthi rebels to plot and carry out attack in those countries. for the moment it's lebanon that could be most affected >>> north korea's leader has told his military to be ready to fire nuclear weapon $at any time. north korean state television reported that he made the announcement while supervising an in military drill. it comes lease than 24 hours after sanctions on north korea. japan has suspended construction work on the relocation of a u.s. air base on the ireland of okinawa. there are about 6,000 troops there. the government wants to move the base to a less tensely populated part of the island. there has been a standoff with officials and residents who want it shut down entirely. china is expected to raise defense spending by up to 8% this yea

>> hezbollah has changed nationally the pressure on hezbollah and iran has been for a long time america considered hezbollah as a terrorist group. however, the fact that this divide between the state and iran is a political divide. however hezbollah has been playing an increasing role and dealing with this divide by continuous involvement in activities. since 1983 they started the first with support of bombings in kuwait. they continue, and all these series have reached a point of a breakdown. the question is where will this lead us, and unfortunately, all that i see are increased tensions in the area because of the divide there is no compromise. there is always a winner and a loser. >> when you talk about that sectarian divide, it is not 50/50, it would appear that you have hezbollah on one side and pretty much everyone else on the other side. before the battle was largely rhetorical. it was strong language. this is a broadside against hezbollah. you've used the word "proxy," the proxy conflict in syria and arguebly that is reflected increasingly at yemen as well. >> but, and a big but

is determined to stop hezbollah >> i think that the gulf countries are determined not to allow hezbollah, a militia, to determine the fate not just of what goes on in lebanon, but also because of the militia's involvement in syria, in iraq as well as in yemen. >> reporter: just days ago came more accusations that hezbollah was aiding houthi rebels to plot and carry out attacks in both countries. it is leb i don't know that could be most-- leb i don't know that-- lebanon that could be most affected >>> danger oous chemicals have contaminated water here. tests were carried out. the area has seen some of the heaviest fighting in more years of civil war. global estimates show that fish are being caught annually three times more than reported and much of that catch is illegal. our correspondent reports from the western cape in south africa. small scale fishermen say they have little choice when it comes to making a living. >> reporter: fisherman here and his crew set out for the day's catch. it is made difficult by a small and unsafe boat and unpredickable weather >> sometimes when the wind c

. >> i think the gulf countries are pretty much determined not to allow hezbollah a militia to determine the fate of what goes on in lebanon but also because of the militia's involvement in syria, in iraq, as well as in yemen. >> reporter: just days ago came serious accusations that hezbollah was aiding rebels to plot and carry out attacks in the country and lebanon is a tiny county and sectarian is deep and most effected, al jazeera. >>> two policemen killed in a car bomb and rocket attack in southeast turkey and happened close to the border with syria. turkish security forces and emergency services were quickly on the scene. at least 35 people are reported to have been wounded in the explosion. the republican race for the white house has turned ugly, frontrunner donald trump was branded a fraud and phony in the latest t.v. debate on fox news and it was at times crude with time running out for the party establishment to stop him winning the nomination and allen fisher has more. >> reporter: attacks and insults and donald trump put on defensive straight away and the first question from f

the gulf cooperation council branded hezbollah a terror group. a former middle east analyst says the decision to brand hezbollah terrorist organization could add to regional tensions. >> the implications for lebanon serious and for the u.s. a problem. it shows there's a difference of priorities between the saudi arabia and u.s. the problem seems to be the confrontation with iran and for us it's the struggle against radical extremists. therefore, our priorities are different and it leads to differences of opinion. for the lebanese it is a very serious problem because lebanon can only function on the consensus of the factions in the company. they've done pretty well in the last couple of years having a consensus on how to confront the challenges of al-qaeda and d.a.e.s.h. on their border and the army has functioned well. by putting pressure on hezbollah, you're putting pressure on the political system and driving a wedge between the various groups. will they hold together or put apart into competing factions more so >>> russian air strikes have bee

. >>> gulf countries declare lebanese group, hezbollah a terrorist organization. plus -- >> i'm rory challands at the moscow museum of cosmonautics, experiencing just a little bit of what the men who just returned to earth experienced after nearly a year in space. ♪ ♪ >>> so republican donald trump and democrat hillary clinton have proved themselves to be the undisputed front runners for the u.s. presidency. they are not under pressure to shake off the other challengers. al jazeera has special coverage out of washington, d.c. with felicity barr. >> thank you, dareen, yes, americans are digesting the news that it is trump and clinton who are likely to go head-to-head for what is arguably the most important leadership role in the world. it isn't quite over yet. but both are now focusing on key upcoming races in florida and ohio, and they appear to be unstoppable. trump swept across seven states mostly in the south scoring big victories. his closest rival was ted cruz who won in three, including his home state of texas. marco rubio claimed just one state, minneso

. >>> iran has accused the gulf countries of jeopardizing lebanon's stability by declaring hezbollah a terrorist group. >> reporter: the gulf cooperation council's formal designation of hezbollah as a terrorist organization is significant. many say it will have a wide-ranging impact across the region. >> this is a big deal, because saudi arabia is putting some order within the alliance. in previous times, the kingdom of saudi arabia, along with bahrain, and the emirates have already designated hezbollah as a terrorist organization. now we have the addition of kuwait and others. >> reporter: an escalation that indicates that lebanon finds itself once again on the front lines of a regional power struggle, coming as it does less than two weeks after saudi arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to lebanon's army. and other countries warned their citizens from traveling to lebanon. the decision, which iran called a mistake, underscores the regional division between saudi arabia, and iran, hezbollah's backer. much of the tension can be traced back to january. protesters were pro

is determined to stop hezbollah. >> i think the gulf countries are determined not to allow hezbollah, the militia, to determine the fate of no just what goes on in lebanon, but the involvement in syria, iraq, and yemen. >> days ago kale serious accusations in saudi arabia and yemenan. to plot and carry out attacks in both countries. >> for the moment it's lebanon, a tiny country whose sectarian divisions run deep that could be most affected. >> the paris talks to bring stability to ukraine are making no progress. he met with his counterparts from russia, germany and france. they are hoping to reach an agreement on a ceasefire so ukraine can hold elections in june. more than 9,000 died since separatists backed by russia took over eastern ukraine. the u.s. expended songs sanctions over its military center in ukraine. president obama signed an order targetting those connected to vladimir putin. it blocks a number of russian state companies from holding assets in the united states. >> the international olympic committee says 43 refugees athletes will compete in the summer games in rio. th

. >> reporter: escalation indicates lebanon where hezbollah is based finds itself on the front lines of a regional power struggle, coming as it does less than two weeks after saudi arabia announced it was cutting 4 billion in aid to lebanon army and after the united emirates and kuwait and bahrain warned citizens traveling to lebanon and urged any citizens in lebanon to leave and the decision which is called a mistake is a regional division between saudi arabia and iran hezbollah's backer. much of the growing tension goes back to january when embassy was stormed by protesters and protester against saudi arabia's execution of the prominent shia cleric-nimit-nimit and accused them of punishing lebanon. >> translator: does saudi arabia have the right to sanction the lebanese army and

has declared the lebanese based on group hezbollah, a terrorist organization and told their citizens not to travel to lebanon. the moves are having an economic impact. >> visitors visiting beirut, this is perhaps the most popular destination, the down town full of designer shops and cafes. most sit empty. ever since war erupted in neighboring syria, tourism has dropped. >> things here are just getting worse. this decision by saudi arabia will affect us even more, we hope things get better, but all we have is hope. >> saudi arabia and its regional allies told its citizens to leave lebanon and warned against future travel speaks filing security concerns. they declared hezbollah, lebanon's most powerful political and armed organization a terrorist group. saudi arabia is seen for pushing lebanon to allow iran to become so powerful across the down theory. >> it's not just the sharp decline in tourists that has lebanese government leaders worried. they're also concerned that saudi arabia and gulf allies could impose restrictions on lebanese workers in the region, including canceling their

so hezbollah, while it has been weakened by the decisions made by saudi arabia and g.c.c. countries, again to bring russia back into the equation, the fact that russia is exiting the syrian conflict to some degree, that is going to put more pressure on hezbollah, on the background of all of that, is that humanitarian crisis that we are talking about, there's many refugees living in dyer situations. >> thank you. >> we've been trying to get more clarity on what vladimir putin meant by his statement, the details. the russian ambassador to the u.n. has been speaking out about the latest developments. >> our diplomacy intensified to achieve efforts in syria. we believe that we've helped undercut their infrastructure, and mind their infrastructure, destroy much of their infrastructure. the fight will continue >>> let's get more on this then, joining us live from moscow. a director of the center for political military analysis at the hudson institute. that's a washington d.c. based think tank. thank you for joining us on al jazeera, your reaction to the move, the announcement by

is determined to stop hezbollah >> i think that the gulf countries are determined not to allow hezbollah to determine the fate not just of what goes on in lebanon, but also because of the militia's involvement in syria, in iraq, as well as in yemen. >> reporter: just days ago came the issue of them carrying out attacks. it is lebanon, a tiny country, that could be most affected >>> at least four people are reported to have died in nigeria. residents said there was a misunderstanding between two of the countries major tribes. there has been april surge in the number of children the lord's resistance army has conducted in car. a campaign group tracking the rebels say they snatched at least 217 people since the beginning of this year. 54 of them were children. the members have taken as twice as many people so far in 2016 than it did in the whole of last year. the lra was originally formed in 1986 to overthrow the ewe began dan government in-- ewe began dan government - shall uganda in, government. if operates in car and in southern sudan. the director the international programs at invisible

also coming up, divisions in the arab league for the decision to label hezbollah as a terrorist organization. fighting breaks out at a rally for donald trump causing him to cancel the event >>> first to yemen and government forces have broken the siege of taiz. government forces backed by saudi- led coalition strike took key suburbs in the west and south of the city. fighting continues in the eastern areas. rob matheson reports. >> reporter: the seizure of taiz seems to be over for now. cheering crowds welcome the news that forces supporting the president appear to control western and southern parts of yemen's third largest city. >> the houthis are shocked. yesterday they were in control of many parts where today it is only in the strategic areas of taiz that caused that. >> reporter: forces are said to have broken through the houthi blockade. they're also reported to have opened a key southern supply route from aid. >> hundreds of-- from aden. >> hunteds of troops switched sides and this was the main reason why taiz was able to fall into the hands of government forces so quickly. the houthi

in yemen, they did the same with hezbollah. they armed the houthis since 2009 and when they felt confident, they went out from the county to take over, almost dominating -- the state controlled by iran, this is the strategy. they are still ambitious, undermining the sunni regimes in the region. they acted ready to sacrifice. they were ready to pay for those elements before taking account of the economic situation inside iran. we don't agree. the second is about the israel-palestine conflict. first of all, what is the place of this? we still hear about the instability in the middle east is the result of the palestine conflict. you can't stabilize the middle east. it was ridiculous in the past, it's ridiculous today. what is the linkage between the uprising? the revolution in egypt -- what is the connection between the ongoing civil war? almost half a billion casualties. this is because of israel. the sectarian violence in iraq. there is a conflict between us and the palestinians and there are many misconceptions. does it cause a

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen syrian and hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney, one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's

to hezbollah, which is here now another organization, delivering money and weapons, advanced weapons and so forth. delivering weapons to hue tees. t's a violation of u.n. rules. , that's oneountries reason to sanction this region. the second is the missiles, the ballistic missiles test. very provocative. believing that they are not going to be harmed because be. dn't and third is human rights issues. they succeeded in anxiousing the government. es, we hear that most of -- it succeeded to strength then grip of government nst last 30 years or so, going back to the revolution of 1979, hanging dissidents in the marketplace today. oppression system of if you are , there are easons t least three of them. >> another question similar to what my colleague asked about the kurds. in 2014 when prime minister netanyahu became the first head of state to openly endorse an independent kurdistan he, said such a state would serve as a bulwark against the rise of islamic extremism. can you elaborate more on that from a military perspective, how would israel benefit from an independent kurdistan? the se

to get to madaya we followed hezbollah. >> there's a tank right there. a bunch of soldiers up there. >> reporter: one rule. we couldn't film them. we had hoped to meet residents from madaya in a buffer zone without going all the way in, where rebel groups including jihadi factions have control. but the residents were too and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because

branding hezbollah as a terrorist organization. >>> syrian deportation, the plight of afghan teenage deportees in europe. an unruly crowd forces donald trump to cancel a campaign rally. while supporters and protesters fight it out. fight it out. arab coalition air strikes have hit rebl positions east of rebef ta'izz. retook areas in western and southern suburbs. part of the suburbs have been under houthi control for months now and heavy fighting. earlier my colleague nick clark spoke to the editor in chief of the yemen post, he says the advance in government forces is a major blow to the houthi fighters. >> right now the houthis are in shock in yemen. this was not expected. over 24 hours, yesterday they were in control of many parts of of ta'izz. strategic areas of ta'izz, complete fall for houthis. this is considered a major defeat for the houthis. probably the strongest defeat the houthis have faced since last july. >> reporter: since strategically what does it mean the houthis losing control of ta'izz? >> major. this battle has been on going for ten months. no side seemed to have

. ♪ iran accused gulf countries of risking lebanon stability by designating hezbollah as a terrorist organization and says it's reckless and hostile and we have more. >> reporter: the gulf cooperation council's form of hezbollah is significant and many say it will have a weighed ranging impact across the region. >> this is actually a big deal because saudi arabia is putting order within the alliance and we know the kingdom of saudi arabia along with bahrain and the emirates have already designated hezbollah as a terrorist organization and now what we have is the add did of kuwait, qatar and amman. >> reporter: indicates how lebanon where hezbollah is based finds itself once again on the front lines of a regional power struggle, coming as it does two weeks after saudi arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to lebanon's army and a week after saudi arabia, the united emirates kuwait and bahrain warned citizens of traveling to lebanon and urged any citizens in lebanon to leave, the decision which iran called a mistake under scores the regional division between saudi arabia and

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's not a great mass of

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,0 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea tha

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's not a great mass of

have been ramping up pressure on hezbollah which is backed by iran. the two nations on opposing sides of conflict in syria and yemen. i'm joined by a political professor at kuwait university. why this move, why now? >> this move is because hezbollah has changed tactic from a resistance movement, when israel used to occupy the territory. we were supporters then, but since 2011 hezbollah has shifted its tactics and became part and parcel of the iranian project to be the dominant power in the region, and it has been now wreaking havoc in syria and playing a role within the iranian fear of influence of abating, supporting, training and helping terrorist organization and cells discovered in kuwait a couple of months ago. they have a major accusation against them. plus there has been now evidence by the yemen government that was shown on saudi television that members of hezbollah militias have been training and helping the houthis carried out the major coup against the elected yemeni legitimate government, helping them and launching attacks against saudi ar

these are hezbollah fighters in syria. the shia group says its fight is to prevent rebels from moving into lebanon to launch attacks there. the gulf cooperation council and the arab league have recently labelled hezbollah a terrorist organization accusing the group of killing civilians in syria. a decision hezbollah leader says won't deter his group from sending fighters to syria. >> reporter: we are not ashamed and we do not need to justify our fight in syria. no-one gave us orders to send troops, not even iran. or the iotolah. going to ser i can't was our decision-- syria, it was our decision. >> reporter: this is one of the largest fighting opposition groups. based on the outskirts of the capital of damascus, it is backed by saudi arabia. it's one of the many rebel factions trained and financed by rich gulf countries and turkey who is studently anti bashar al-assad >> in syria we are working to bring about political change if possible to what is happening in syria in order to remove the man who is responsible for the mu

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,0 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "ge committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's not a great mass of

. >>> still to come on this program, the gcc six arab nations declare lebanon's hezbollah a terrorist organization. >>> and the european union announcing a 700 million euro aid plan to help refugees trapped in greece and other european countries. ♪ ♪ >>> time to run through the top stories for you here on al jazeera. the u.s. president has welcomed the united nations decision to expand existing sanctions against north korea, the toughest sanctions in 20 years. the u.n. security council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution of pyongyang's nuclear tests in january and a rocket launch in february. >>> republican donald trump and his democratic rival, hillary clinton have pulled further ahead in their races for the white house after mass voting on what was called super-tuesday. >>> rebel fighters have attacked the indian console late in afghanistan, killing at least two civilians and a police officer. no group has yet said it was behind the attack. >>> european union plans to spend $760 million to deal with the refugee crisis within its own borders. much of that money will go to gre

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's

in yemen, they did the same with hezbollah. they armed the houthis since 2009 and when they felt confident, they went out from the county to take over, almost dominating -- the state controlled by iran, this is the strategy. they are still ambitious, undermining the sunni regimes in the region. they acted ready to sacrifice. they were ready to pay for those elements before taking account of the economic situation inside iran. we don't agree. the second is about the israel-palestine conflict. first of all, what is the place of this? we still hear about the instability in the middle east is the result of the palestine conflict. you can't stabilize the middle east. it was ridiculous in the past, it's ridiculous today. what is the linkage between the uprising? the revolution in egypt -- what is the connection between the ongoing civil war? almost half a billion casualties. this is because of israel. the sectarian violence in iraq. there is a conflict between us and the palestinians and there are many misconceptions. does it cause a

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can'tabout a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families georgeough the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with georgef the reasoof thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on toot a great mass of people, it's a lot of individuals who have their own stories that deserve to be treated with dignity and with respect. >>

in lebanon and the gulf cooperation council over hezbollah's influence across the region. >> reporter: down town here feels like a big building site. old quarters have been restored and modern towers have been built where bombed out buildings stood. the prices are high and few lebanese can afford to buy here. these developmenteds are not marketed to locals but sold to wealthy buyers from the gulf. saudi arabia alone accounts for 85% of foreigners investing in property in lebanon. it would appear saudi arabia interest in the property market is declining sharply. through 2015 the number of sales to gulf citizens dropped by around a third >> it has to do with the political tension since the break out of war in syria. a lot of people lost interest in the lebanese market, but they made a handsome profit in lebanon for a long time. >> reporter: whatever the case, since war broke out in neighboring syria five years ago, gulf investment in the higher end of the property market helped keep the industry relatively stable, but over the past month an escalating dispute between the lebanese govern

hezbollah is, of course, a large and political pores here in lebanon. it also is an armed force and also offers other support in lebanon as well. hezbollah as we know is close to iran. some describe it as a patron of iran. many see these measures taken by saudi arabia and its g.c.c. allies as sort of a rebuff to iran. in saying that, saudi arabia does have considerable support here in lebanon. in fact, just last month the former prime minister has returned back to lebanon after several years in self-imposed exile. he is seen close to the leadership and somebody who may be able to smooth over ties as well as other leading lebanese politicians. as we've been sighing that is a lot of concern here in lebanon. many don't want to see ties with saudi arabia worse than they already are. paying close attention to this meeting in riyadh to see whether any further measures will be taken against lebanon >>> thank you for that update. under dog democratic candidate bernie sanders has pulled off a surprise victory against front runner hillary clinton in the race for

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have been too dangerous a place to stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from a sides. the biggest number, around 200,000 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney met through the irc. >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea people,

and hezbollah wouldn't let us go farther in. >> what we can't show you are about a dozen sir sxwran hezbollah guys who have accompanied us up here. we understand there are about 500 or 600 fighters in the town from different rebel factions. apparently, until the cease-fire went into place this would have stand. >> reporter: this is one of 18 areas across syria that are under siege. half a million people are trapped by forces from all sides. the biggest number, around 200,000 200,000, by isis. the people of madaya and so many others used as pawns, unable to escape, longing for peace, for quiet, for a safer country. like the families george clooney >> these are people who have left because of incredible tragedy. and they're people who had real lives. and their worlds were destroyed. >> one of the reasons we've released videos with george clooney. one of the reasons that the "game of thrones" cast are so committed to working with us is they've seen a dehumanization of these people. and i think the most important thing is to hold on to the idea that it's not a great mass of people, it's a lot of

these are hezbollah fighters. they say they prevent rebels running into lebanon. hezbollah has been labelled a terrorist organization, a group accused of killing groups in syria. the hezbollah leader says it won't deter his group from sending fighters to syria >> translation: we are not ashamed. we don't have to justify our fight in syria. no-one gave us orders to send troops, not even iran. going there was our decision. it was our will. >> reporter: the army of islam is one of the opposition's largest fighting groups. based on the outskirts of the capital, it is backed mainly by saudi arabia. it is one of the many rebel factions trained and financed by rich gulf countries and turkey. >> in syria we are working to bring about change, political change, if possible, to what is happening in syria in order to remove a man who was responsible for the murder of 300,000 people, the displacement of 12 million and the destruction of a nation. >> reporter: but many regional players are involved in the conflict. iran and russia are bad's main backers-- bashar al-assad's main

the move deepens the growing rift with lebanon where hezbollah is a leading political power. this comes a day after a speech by the hezbollah leader, accusing saudi arabia of districting car bombings in lebanon. >>> the european union says it is going to spend $760 million to deal with the refugee crisis inside its own borders. and there has been a warning by the u.n. that a humanitarian crisis is developing at the front end between greece and macedonia, where the build up of refugees continues. >> reporter: they have escaped the violence in their homeland, but they are still struggling to find a stable existence as they try to make their way into central europe. now a potential lifeline as the e.u. announces an emergency financial package to deal with the largest influx of refugees since the second word -- world war. >> this is to provide basic necessities, including food, emergency health care, shelter, clean water, et cetera. >> reporter: a significant portion will go to greece. it's the main entry point for the migrants. more than a million have entered the e.u. via greec

gulf arab states had imposed sanctions on hezbollah in 2013. in retaliation for intervention in the civil war. more recent saudi arabia have imposed travel restrictions on lebanon and reduce diplomatic ties. lots more still to come including the rise and rise of donald trump. we look at what is behind the billion airs political surge towards the white house. plus. nigeria sues shell over an oil spill that has blighted the region. find fantasy shows. when it comes to the things you love, you want more. love romance? get lost in every embrace. into sports? follow every pitch, every play and every win. change the way you experience tv with x1 from xfinity. >>> welcome back. top stories on al jazeera. donald trump has so far won the most states on the republican side of the u.s. presidential nomination race. he has walked away with seven states after super tuesday. on the democratic side hillary clinton came out on top. she also won seven of the u.s. states. rebels have attacked the indian consulate in jalalabad. more on super tuesday. donald trump

and gulf states has rattled the economy, the tensions are over the gulf cooperation's concern that hezbollah is becoming too influential in the region, the shia dominated movement is lebanon's most powerful political, and sorm armed group and aligned with iran and last month they cancelled billions in aid to forces and gcc issued travel warnings to citizens as well as declaring hezbollah a terrorist organizations raising concerns they could leave lebanon altogether but others say it's unlikely. >> i can assure you whenever the political situation you see them back directly in 48 hours because we have a lot to offer them. >> reporter: one of the more curious aspects of beirut's restore downtown area is they are empty and the people who own them really come here once a year during summer months but tensions between gcc and lebanese government don't ease, they will be empty when they are completed and may not have any one to buy them. al jazeera, beirut. >>> cuba has seen great success in the world of ballet and the editor lucy explains way from the capitol havana. >> reporter: you can tell by

to hezbollah and other areas. they deliver money and weapons and advanced weapons. there delivering weapons in yemen. even in other countries the second is the ballistic missiles test. very productive. we're not going to be harmed because on. [inaudible] another reason is human rights issues. they succeeded in sanctioning the government and it succeeded to strengthen in the last 30 years or so going back to 1979. if you are looking for reasons to sanction this regime. >> over here on the left. >> just another question similar to what my colleague asked about the kurds. in 2014 when prime minister became the first head of state openly to endorse an independent, he shared such a state with bulwark against islamic extremism. can you elaborate more on that from a military perspective, how is their benefit from an independent. the second question is this us-led coalition against isis doesn't seem to be any room -- >> why do you take one of the two questions. i want to see if we can get to others as well. >> okay, i take one of the questions for the first one is a mention

lebanon and hezbollah is a major political player. farmers saying they're worried about the impact of their livelihood. in. >> harvesting green onion is not easy. first they have to loosen the earth around the delicate crop so that when it is picked it is not damaged. the ground is rocky and the work is time-consuming. the owner said that growing crops like green onion which are destined for gulf countries are worth the care because they're usually profitable, but not any more. >> our industry has been badly affected. we can no longer track our produce through syria and the gulf. the crossings are now closed. more than 30% of our income is gone because of this. >> the only way now to send produce to the gulf is by sea. but the costs are high and cut deep into profits. losing a third of all revenue because of the war in anybodying syria have hit farmers hard. but a growing concern is the escalating diplomatic dispute between political leaders in lebanon and gulf countries. more than three-quarters of produce are sent to gulf states, wh

and syria, bashar assad is dependent on iran and hezbollah. in yemen, we did the same with hezbollah. they armed the houthis since 2009. they went out from the country to take over sinai, almost dominating other sites. the strait of hormuz controlled by iran, this is a strategy. they are still ambitious regarding undermining the sunni regimes in the region. very active, ready to sacrifice. in their time other sanctions they were willing to pay for those elements before taking account inside iran. this is biology. we don't agree with. the second is about israeli-palestine conflict. first of all, what is the place of existence? we are still here. the ability in the middle east -- you can't stabilize the middle east. it was ridiculous in the past. it is ridiculous today. what is the linkage between the uprising in tunisia and israeli-palestine conflict? a counterrevolution in egypt. what is the connection between the ongoing civil war, almost half a million casualties, countless. this is because of israel, this is because of the israeli-palestini

over the council's concern that hezbollah is becoming too influential in the region. dominating lebanon's most powerful, social group. and it's also online with iran. last month, the government canceled billions in aid to the lebanese security forces, and they issued travel warnings to its citizens, hezbollah, a terrorist organization. gulf incident investors could leave lebanon all together. but others say that it's unlikely. >> i can assure you, whatever the political situation, we have a lot to offer them. >> one of the more curious aspects of ba beirut's restored downtown area is many of the luxury apartment buildings remain empty. the valued he's who own them only come here once a year, in the summer months ago. but not only will these properties that are currently under construction stay empty once completed, they may not have anyone to buy them. aljazeera, beirut. >> now, rangers are shot dead alive after they escaped from the nairobi national park. the rangers said that it was agitated and had to be shot to prevent further injury. it's the second time this mon

in lebanon, hezbollah is amassing an arsenal of increasingly sophisticated rockets and artillery that well may be able to hit every city in israel. tonight, you will hear a lot of rhetoric from the other candidates about iran, but there's a big difference between talking about holding tehran accountable and actually doing it. our next president has to be able to hold together our global coalition and impose real consequences for even the smallest violations of this agreement. [applause] we must maintain the legal and diplomatic architecture to turn all the sanctions back on if need. if i'm elected the leaders of iran will have no doubt that if we see any indication that they are violating their commitment not to seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons, the united states will act to stop it, and that we will do so with force if necessary. [applause] iranian provocations, like the recent ballistic missile tests, are also unacceptable and should be answered firmly and quickly including with more sanctions. those missiles were stamped with words declaring, and i quote, "israel should be

and arab league declared hezbollah a terrorist organization. it is the political group which is aligned with iran. the sharp downturn in ties has rattled the financial sector. so now if you're the 300,000 lebanese working in gulf countries could be sent home. >> they do represent between 7 and 8 billion dollars a year. we don't feel that the saudi position is hostile to the lebanese people, but it is also one of the consequence that lebanon had to absorb because of the syrian war. >> reporter: as part of efforts to diffuse tensions, the lebanese prime minister has said lebanon has wronged arab gulf countries and has promised to make amends. >> reporter: the g.c.c. is sfleeg frustrated with the rising influence of hezbollah. for years the gulf states have provided lebanon with military, diplomatic and economic support and although there are concerns that ties could worsen even further, many here are hoping that it's history of durability and flexibility will help steer it through whatever happens next >>> the former mayor of toronto rob ford has

the decision was made a day after the hezbollah leader accused the kingdom of directing car bombings in lebanon. amnesty international is accusing the russian and syrian governments of deliberately targeting hospitals over the past three months. it says it was to make way for syrian troops to advance on aleppo. it adds that the syrian government intensified their attacks. the u.n. security council says it's working on a draft resolution demanding an end to hospitals being attacked. the absence of syrian kurds at next week's geneva talks will make it incomplete. some have been blocked from attending. y.p.g. says i.s.i.l. has caused 43 death of its fighters. 140 bodies of i.s.i.l. bodies it killed during a three day battle to recapture the bordertown. three civilians also died in the fighting. a new life in europe. that's the dream for many refugees from conflict torn countries. over 3000 iraqis have given up on that dream and are heading home. >> reporter: it is a busy day at baghdad international airport, packed with iraqis for whom life hasn't worked out how they hoped. their visit

al-assad is dependent on iran and hezbollah. n yemen, the same with hezbollah. they've armed the houthis since 009 and they went out from the county to take over -- [inaudible] almost dominating -- [inaudible] the state of hormuz controlled by iran. this is a strategy. and they are still ambitious regarding exporting the revolution, undermining the sunni regimes in the region, ery active, ready to sacrifice . in the time of sanctions they were ready to pay for those elements before taking the economic situation into account inside iran. this is ideology. we don't agree with it. the second is about the israeli-palestinian conflict. first of all, what is the place of this con thrict? we -- conflict? we're still here. the instability in the middle east is the israeli-palestinian conflict. you can't stabilize the middle east. it was ridiculous in the past. it is ridiculous today. what is the linkage twiege the uprising in tunishia and the israeli-palestinian con applicant? the revolution and the counter revolution in egypt? what about the ongoing civil war, countles

. >>> the arab league has declared ebb lebanon's hezbollah a terror organization. nearly all of the 22 members supported the decision, with just lebanon and iraq expressing reservation. >>> with just days to go the syrian opposition has finally agreed to attend peace talks in geneva on monday, but it is down playing the chances of reaching any agreement to end the war. talks between the government and the opposition group will lay the foundation for elections next year, says the u.n. special envoy. as fighting continues on the ground in syria, the ability to treat those injured is becoming increasingly difficult. even in neighboring turkey medical centers are feeling the strain. doctors say they are at breaking point as they struggle to help those coming across the border. lawrence lee sent this report. >> reporter: the syrian government and its russian allies sometimes claim fighters hide in hospitals but surely not this one. it's a children's unit. such are conditions in town close to syrian's northern border with turkey. this firefighter says they have no water

as well as hezbollah, most powerful organization, a terrorist group. it is seen as saudi arabia punishing lebanon for allowing hezbollah, a patron of rival iran, to become so powerful across the country it is not just the sharp decline in tourists from gulf states that have leaders worried. they're also concerned that saudi arabia and its allies could impose restrictions on these workers in the region. including cancelling their work permits. more than 300,000 lebanese workers live in gulf countries. they send home around five billion dollars in remittances every year. it is a major portion of lebanon's economy and foreign currency reserves >> the one who should be heard is the people that support saudi arabia in lebanon. a large part of the country shows the future movement and other organizations are big supporters of saudi arabia and they actually work in saudi arabia. >> reporter: lebanon has been caught in the rivalry between shia led iran and sunni led saudi arabia. it is pushing lebanon towards iran. it is unclear that iran is willing to step up

and it declared hezbollah a terrorist group. the move was seen as saudi arabia for punishing lebanon, for allowing hezbollah to become so powerful across the country. it's not just the sharp decline in tourists that has leaders worried, they are also concerned that saudi arabia and its gulf allies would impose restrictions on lebanese workers in the region, including canceling their work permits. more than 300,000 workers live in gulf countries. it's a major portion of lebanons economy and foreign currency reserves. >> the one who can be hurt is the people who support saudi arabia, at least in lebanon. a large portion of the country, at least, the future movement and other organizations, they are big supporter of saudi arabia, and they actually -- they are the one who work in saudi arabia. >> reporter: lebanon has been caught in the regional rivalry between iran and saudi arabia for years. many lebanese politicians argue the recent actions by gulf states is pushing lebanon towards iran. however, it's unclear if iran is willing t