. >> reporter: -- of 10-year-old noor alaa who tweeted their plight to the world. >> the children are in danger o before it's too late. >> reporter: today it was almost too late. an explosion blew out theiapnel glass through their home, slashing alaa's forehe we reached their mother, shamza khatib, an english teacher, after the blast. hoghnow? are they okay? >> yeah, okay. but they are afraid of warplanes. they are under the blankets. >> ror feels like her family and neighbors have been abandoned. >> the world is just watching what is happening in ghouta. why? >> reporter: the syrian regime and its russian backers insist this week's assault is aid but with a civilian death toll in the hundreds, many of the victims are children. a sobbing father couldn't bring himself to let go. the state department has condemned the bombing, jeff, but the u.s.il different part of the country while the russians continue to prop up the syrian regime. >> charlie d'agata, thank you warplanes to their technical limits. >> that's the fun part of the job. okay - let's try this. it says you apply the blue one

an explosion blew out their windows, sending shrapnel and glass through their home, slashing alaa's forehead. we reached their mother, shamza katib, an english teacher, after the blast. how are your daughters doing right now? are they okay. >> reporter: she told us she feels like her family and neighbors hav have been abandon. >> reporter: the syrian regime and its russian backers insist this week's assault is aimed at rebels, but with the civilian death toll in the hundreds, many of the victims are children. a sobbing father couldn't bring himself to let go. the state department has condemned the bombing, jeff, but the u.s. military has been focused on fighting isis in a different part of the country while the russians continue to prop up the syrian regime. >> glor: charlie d'agata, thank you very much. there is much more ahead on tonight's cbs evening news, including rare access to high-tech war games. >> reporter: we got the first look inside war games designed to push warplanes to their technical limits. >> that's the front part. just for a shot. but why go back there, when you can stay

noor and alaa, ages 10 and eight, are believed to be trapped amid some of the worst bombing in the seven-year-old civil war. the assad regime, backed by russia, is trying to wipe out resistance in giewt aoutside damascus. hundreds of civilians have been killed. a message posted by the girls today was interrupted by bombs. ( explosions ) >> glor: our charlie d'agata spoke to their mom today. the family has had no food for three days, calling it the hardest 72 hours of the war. in mexico today, surveillance cameras captured the moment an explosion blew a hole in a ferryboat in play del carmen on the caribbean. investigators are looking into whether it was caused by a natural gas leak. 18 people were hurt there, including at least two americans. the injuries are not considered life threatening. the reverend billy graham, one of the most stirring an stirrind charismatic creatures of the 20th century died today. the reverend graham was 99 years old. he was a counselor and confidant to more than a dozen presidents and his crusade filled areinas for decades. here's jim axelrod. >> we are united and are