News Wrap: Syrian rebels breach Aleppo in biggest advance in years

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• William Brangham:

  Welcome to the "News Hour."

  The more than decade-old civil war in Syria appears to be reigniting, as rebel fighters breached Aleppo, Syria's second largest city, following a surprise large-scale offensive this week.

  It's the first time they have set foot there since they were ousted by a brutal military campaign eight years ago, and it marks the most significant challenge to President Bashar al-Assad's government in years. Videos released by the Syrian Civil Defense, or White Helmets, showed the city and its surrounding villages in ruins.

  Syrian government forces and their Russian allies have countered the insurgent in tax in recent days with airstrikes. The U.N. says at least 27 civilians, including eight children, have been killed in the fighting.

  There are also simmering tensions elsewhere in the Middle East. The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah militants appears to be holding, but the Israeli military conducted another airstrike today after it says it identified — quote — "terrorist activity."

  This video claims to show the destruction of a Hezbollah rocket launcher, and more footage shows Israeli troops operating in Southern Lebanon, where they can remain for up to 60 days. A senior Israeli commander said their focus for now is enforcement and that they are watching Hezbollah closely.

• Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, Israeli Defense Forces (through interpreter):

  If Hezbollah make a mistake, it will be a big one. we are prepared to return to offense and return to combat. Yes, we are now in enforcement mode, but we can very clearly, in a very short time, give the opposite order and move forward again.

• William Brangham:

  The Lebanese army has accused Israel of breaking the cease-fire several times since it went into effect. There have been no reported casualties in these Israeli strikes.

  Iran plans to expand Iranian enrichment at its two top nuclear sites, sparking concern in the West that added enrichment capacity could bring more uranium up to weapons grade levels. The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, says Tehran has acquired thousands of advanced centrifuges to purify uranium faster.

  But it says Iran only plans to purify to 5 percent levels. Uranium must be enriched to 90 percent for a bomb. Recently, the IAEA reprimanded Iran for not fully cooperating with it. Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

  Ukraine's military said it struck an oil depot in Russia's Rostov region overnight. Cell phone video posted this morning claimed to show the Atlas oil facility ablaze. It comes amid repeated Russian strikes targeting Ukraine's power grid as freezing temperatures start to set in.

  Meantime, Russia's new defense minister met with his counterparts in North Korea today. He noted that military cooperation between the two countries is expanding.

  Regarding U.S. assistance to Ukraine, Russia's military claims to have shot down at least 10 U.S.-made ATACMS missiles fired by Ukraine over the past week.

  Heavy monsoon rains have Malaysia gearing up for what's expected to be the worst floods in a decade. More than 90,000 people have already been displaced and three have died. In many parts of the country, roads and villages are underwater. And officials fear the flooding could be more severe than in 2014, when 21 people died and 250,000 were displaced.

  Malaysia's monsoon season starts in November, and it could last until March. Back here at home, Thanksgiving has left a chill across the eastern half of the country. Temperatures in the Midwest and especially in the South are well below normal. It'll plunge to near or below freezing tonight for more than 13 million people in places like Louisiana, Mississippi and Northern Florida.

  Meanwhile, up north, the cold is more visible. Snow has fallen in places like New York and Ohio. In greater Buffalo, New York, where over a foot of snow is expected to blow in from Lake Erie through the weekend, officials say they're prepared, but ask people not to take unnecessary risks.

• Mark Poloncarz, Erie County, New York, Executive:

  The snow totals through Monday are significant, but these are not amounts we cannot handle. Because it's falling over basically a two-day period, we should be able to handle these as long as vehicles are not on the road that don't need to be on the road and getting stuck.

• William Brangham:

  For those returning home from Thanksgiving in these areas impacted by lake-effect snow, the National Weather Service cautions, travel could be very difficult to impossible.

  Stocks finished in the Black with across-the-board gains on this Black Friday. It was a shorter trading day today, but the Dow Jones industrial average still managed to reach a new record high. Tech stocks drove much of the momentum today, sending the Nasdaq up over 150 points, and the S&P 500 also climbed into new record territory.

  And a passing of note. Robert Dixon, the last known remaining soldier from the U.S. Army's all-Black unit, better known as the Buffalo Soldiers, has died, according to The New York Times. The Buffalo soldiers were formed after the civil war and continued until 1948, when the U.S. Army was desegregated.

  During World War II, Corporal Dixon was stationed at West Point, where he trained cadets to be skilled horsemen. After retiring from the military, he went into ministry. Robert Dixon died in Albany, New York, in mid-November, according to his wife. He was 103 years old.