US launches strikes on is in Syria as Syrian army relocates Kurdish fighters amid intensifying clashes

The US military says it has carried out a series of strikes across Syria targeting the Islamic State group. The strikes come as the Syrian army announces it has begun relocating Kurdish fighters from a district in the northern city of Aleppo, an area that has seen intense clashes in recent days.
Also in the programme: Venezuela’s opposition is reeling after recent political shifts that have left many activists in exile or in hiding. María Corina Machado, long seen as the movement’s leading figure, has been sidelined after President Trump questioned her support inside the country. With reports she may meet him next week, exiled opposition leader Freddy Guevara — a former vice president of Venezuela’s Parliament and co founder of the Popular Will party — discusses what the opposition hopes to raise in that conversation.
And in Gaza, children have returned to school this week for the first time in nearly two years of war. According to Unicef, the conflict has killed or injured 64,000 children.
Joining our presenter Julian Worricker to discuss these stories are Rana Mitter, British historian and political scientist and Ritula Shah, British journalist.
(PHOTO CREDIT: SDF fighters granted safe passage out of Aleppo after heavy clashes, Syria on January 09, 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock)