This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Nick Miles, and in the early hours of Monday the 2nd of December, these are our main stories.

Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has appeared in Damascus alongside the Iranian foreign minister

as he tries to marshal support from allies against a surprise rebel offensive.

The UN is pausing aid deliveries into hunger-stricken Gaza because of convoys being looted.

Protests are continuing in Georgia, despite the Prime Minister appearing to row back on his unpopular pledge to suspend EU accession efforts.

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We begin in Syria. The Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, has met the Iranian foreign minister

Abbas Arachi in Damascus, welcoming support against a rebel offensive that's taken large parts of his country.

Mr Assad said allies' help was vital for confronting what he called terrorists.

The president hasn't been seen until now, despite the rebels sweeping northern Syria last week.

His other ally, Russia, has been aiding his air force to carry out

intensive air strikes on rebel-held forces in Idlib and Hamar provinces. The Syrian

Defence Ministry said dozens of fighters had been killed. Monitors say civilian casualties

have also been reported, including in Aleppo, which has fallen to the rebels.

Our correspondent Barbara Pletasha reports.

Rescue workers emerge from the wreckage of a crushed building.

Through a curtain of dust, you can see they're carrying two small children to safety.

This video posted by the Syrian Civil Defense Group, the White Helmets,

shows the aftermath of air strikes on the rebel stronghold of Idlib, southwest of Aleppo.

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