i'm sumi somaskanda a multilateral coalition led by the us and uk launched strikes on houthi targets in yemen. us central command says the strikes targeted radar systems, air defence systems, and storage and launch sites for one—way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. the us says it is in retaliation to the group's attacks on commercial vessels in the red sea. the houthis are an iran—backed rebel group that control a large part of yemen. dozens of strikes have been reported on houthi positions, including in the capital sanaa and on hodeidah, the houthi red sea port stronghold. houthi positions in saada and dhamar have also been hit. both the us and uk have released statements confirming the strikes. president biden said in a statement: "today, at my direction,

us military these strikes are in direct response to unprecedented houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the red sea, including the use of anti—ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. in the last few hours, uk prime minister rishi sunak also released a statement, saying: "we urge them to cease their attacks and take steps to de—escalate." the houthi's leadership has already responded, warning that the us and uk will "pay a heavy price" for this "blatant aggression". joinine me now is barbara starr, long—time pentagon correspondent here in washington, previously for cnn2. always good to have you on. tell us more about what we know

about these targets. why are these? ~ . , ., about these targets. why are these? ~ ., , ., ., these? well, what you are talkin: these? well, what you are talking about _ these? well, what you are talking about our - these? well, what you are talking about our targets l these? well, what you are i talking about our targets like missile sites, radars, air defence, that sort of thing. all of that goes to what the plan is that the coalition is trying to carry out tonight and thatis trying to carry out tonight and that is to try and degrade houthi capabilities. they are not looking to wipe the houthis of the face of yemen and destroyed them entirely. they know that is not possible at that point but if they can integrate the houthi capability to launch these attacks in the red sea, that is what they are looking to accomplish because basically we are talking about the houthis, through these attacks, being able to shut down one of the most vital commercial shipping lines in the world. ships, both ways through the mediterranean, down at the red sea and go around

and deliver goods and services through the middle east and asia and now shipping is not going through the red sea because of these attacks. they are going all the way around africa. the cost a lot of money to do that and they want to get this shipping back to where it should be. we this shipping back to where it should be-— this shipping back to where it should loo-— this shipping back to where it should be. ~ . , ., ., should be. we have seen a lot of emphasis — should be. we have seen a lot of emphasis on _ should be. we have seen a lot of emphasis on the _ should be. we have seen a lot| of emphasis on the statements tonight about this being a multi nation coalition. what do you make of that? the multi nation coalition. what do you make of that?— multi nation coalition. what do you make of that? the us wanted it to be a multinational— it to be a multinational coalition and they have worked for several weeks to get other countries involved in it because in the middle east they did not want it to come across as a u.s.—led military operation in the middle east. they wanted to have a number of countries involved because, again, what they are looking for is a very focused effort here. there is a lot of concern that nothing will escalate, that nothing will escalate, that a broader war in the middle east, how iran might

respond. officials say the iranians are looking for a full out fight with the us. still, the idea was to something very focused, get the houthis to pull back and stop with these attacks. ~ , ,., ~' pull back and stop with these attacks. ~ , ., pull back and stop with these attacks. ~ ., ., pull back and stop with these attacks. ~ , ., ., ., attacks. we spoke to a former us army officer _ attacks. we spoke to a former us army officer who _ attacks. we spoke to a former us army officer who said - attacks. we spoke to a former us army officer who said he i attacks. we spoke to a former us army officer who said he is| us army officer who said he is not convinced that the strikes will deter the houthis and produce the capabilities and that we should expect a response of some sort from the houthis. what would that mean from the biden administration at the pentagon if this continues and indeed escalates? i think it is a good point. the us, for many years, has done a number of military operations throughout the middle east, aimed at integrating and deterring adversaries, and more often than not, it may rollback for some period of time — weeks, months — but it does not fully destroy an adversary

operations. even tonight, the us defence secretary lloyd issued a statement from his hospital room where he is still at walter reed hospital saying that if the houthis do not back off they could face further consequences, so one of the tools you is to try and make it clear to the houthis that there will be additional strikes if they keep this up. but there is a lot of us, western targets throughout the middle east, whether it is business and economic targets, financial targets, military troops from a number of countries stationed in the region. a lot of concern that they could — could — be at risk. that they could - could - be at risk. ., , ., . risk. one more question. we saw republican _ risk. one more question. we saw republican congressman - risk. one more question. we saw republican congressman michael| republican congressman michael walters saying on twitter, or x, that this is treating the symptom and not the disease. what is your thought on that? i think a lot of people will tell you that the irani and threat runs very deep and very wide throughout the middle east right now from hamas in gaza to

syria, iraq, hezbollah, a number of groups in the region and the houthis in yemen. the iranians are providing weapons, training and capabilities. in terms of the houthis, we don't know yet how much the iranians were helping the houthis with critical intelligence and targeting so that they could fire their weapons in the hope to hit shipping in the red sea. so, this is a runny and threat runs very deep. now, people will tell you again, the iranians are not looking for a full out war but they are content to stir plenty of trouble through the militia groups they are supporting. thank you so much for your analysis tonight. good to speak with you. for more on the diplomatic response strikes, i spoke with former ambassador to malta and president of the middle east policy council, gina abercrombie—winstanley. good to have you on bbc news tonight. i want to start with that

statement that we were just mentioning in a narrowly worded, no mention of israel or gaza. is that the us trying to avoid further escalation? absolutely. the secretary of state has been very clear and the president has been very clear of our desire to not have conflict grow. this is an opportunity to show that this is indeed an international effort, that 47 countries being involved with the effort to secure shipping through that lane, the fact that four continents were represented in the countries that helped carry out this strike. so this is a place where in fact the united states is very much in lockstep with partners and allies in the region and beyond. in a very different way than it is with our position and support of israel's campaign

in the gaza strip. and yet, ambassador, these are strikes on yemen, on houthi targets there and the houthi leader said there will be a response. this is a group that is a proxy for iran. are you concerned about what this may lead to? the need for concern is real and there is a much more direct tie with iran from the houthis than there was between iran and the attack that hamas carried out against israel. keeping in mind that for the last two years the united states has been working assiduously with partners in the region to bring peace to yemen, to bring conciliation to the internal conflict and we've been supporting them to ameliorate the crisis that is happening in yemen. and so to be put in a position to have to strike the very port that we had been working to get supplies into for yemen

isa difficult position for the united states to be in. and one that the united states administration is trying to balance between securing free / shipping and ensuring that we can play a positive role in bringing greater peace and security to yemen and. ambassador, what about in the region? we have seen the foreign ministry of saudi arabia expressing concern over these strikes. what do you make of that? well, the saudis have been a very active party to the conflict in yemen. we have had to work with them, with prisoner exchanges and to try to bring reconciliation as they support the government of yemen against the houthi rebels. so they are seeing some of the frustrations that they have been dealing with in this

conflict and flagging that they must taken seriously. with the impeding shipping, 15% of seaborne trade goes through this seaway, 8% of global grain and 12% of oil and liquid natural gas, so this is something that has an impact on the entire international community. the united states is not alone in trying to bring this to closure and the yemenis must make a decision if they want to get back to the table to bring peace and stability to their own country or to continue to engage in perhaps in support of israel, but they really need to find a different way of doing that, not to keep their own country in desperate circumstances. a difficult feat at the moment. there are warring factions in yemen but i want to ask you about the secretary of state antony blinken who wrapped up a weeklong visit in the region to try and prevent an escalation. with these strikes, where do you think

this leaves those efforts by the secretary of state? it will have to be handled in a very, very delicate fashion. as we have seen, whether it is the northern border of israel, strikes in iraq and syria against us targets and the iraqi government asked the us to leave iraq so there is an option of removing us targets from iraq at least. nonetheless, making sure that the tit—for—tat that is going on is not suddenly let out of control again with missiles, mistakes made and miscalculations. so we will continue to try and contain it. this is something the entire international community support and the work will be done to try and do something. great to have your perspective on the story tonight. thank you forjoining us. for more analysis on the impact of these strikes on the situation in the region,

i spoke with adam clements, former us army attache to yemen. great to have you in the studio to help us understand the story. firstly, we do not know that much yet about the targets that have been hit but from what you have heard and seen so far, what has been targeted? thank you very much for having me, and i think, as barbara said, there were some limited strikes and what the uk prime minister has signalled this is some type of way to signal protection of some of these international shipping points, but we do not yet know the effects. we do not yet know the effect and i am fairly pessimistic, actually, on the effect that this will have four houthi capability to strike targets. why is that? contextually, the houthi has been fighting a year

long conflict and they have a lot of experience in trying to hide equipment and supplies from the saudi—led attack. so on top of this as well the houthis will play differently to their domestic constituencies, they will play a victimisation card, yemen has a deep standing narrative since 2000 when the united states also conducted their attacks against al qaeda. so i think the houthis will definitely seize on this narrative. like what kind of retaliation should we expect to see from houthis? it should we expect to see from houthis? , ,., ., ., houthis? it is important that there is some _ houthis? it is important that there is some sort _ houthis? it is important that there is some sort of - houthis? it is important that there is some sort of face i there is some sort of face saving measure. i do not necessarily, i think there is an element, rather, over the past few days, on tuesday when houthis attacked and i think

there is an element of retaliation to maintain some of the face to their domestic audience. so i think the houthis will respond similarly in this attack and we see that in houthi social media and their websites and messaging. last question — if we are to see a retaliation, if that is likely, do you think we will then see the united states and the uk led coalition doing more to protect the red sea and this shipping route? that is the most important question. what are the objectives, the military objectives coming out of the strikes? strategically, also, i think what we are discussing takes resources from intelligence and so when you take sources away from iraq and syria that is significant. when you have what is going on in gaza, strategically for the united states taking resources away that could be used back in ukraine against russia. that is a significant concern

from policy standpoint. on using military resources. great to have your insight on this story. thank you so much forjoining us. we have been seeing a more international reaction. russia has called for an urgent meeting of the un security council to discuss the strikes in the situation in the red sea. you can head to our website for the latest updates. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at a major story making news in the uk now. a post office fraud investigator who was involved in criminal inquiries into sub postmasters has come face to face with some of the subpostmasters he investigated. at the public inquiry, stephen bradshaw denied claims that he and others "behaved like mafia gangsters" when looking into losses at branches. our business correspondent, emma simpson, was listening to his evidence.

stephen bratcher admitted sunning a statement that arise in for a bus. sunning a statement that arise infora bus. he sunning a statement that arise in for a bus. he said sunning a statement that arise infora bus. he said he sunning a statement that arise in for a bus. he said he was not technically minded. the enquiry also heard he was sent a memo about a court case, how guilty plea to a lesser charge of fraud might be acceptable as long as the said it has nothing to do with horizon. hundreds of sub postmasters were wrongly prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after being falsely accused of stealing money. some of them were at the inquiry today to witness his testimony, including jannet skinner. she said it was disappointing not to receive an apology from mr bradshaw for the damage he caused. the inquiry continues on friday. you're live with bbc news. taiwan will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on saturday. the results are expected to have major implications for the island's relationship with china. under president xi jinping, china has vowed to bring taiwan under its rule, and has not ruled out the use of force to achive this goal. taiwan has accused china of intimidating its citizens in an attempt to influence

saturday's elections. the us, a top ally to taiwan, says it opposes any outside influence. for more i spoke with my colleague in taipei, steve la i. whoever wins this election could impact the trajectory of the relationship notjust with china but us as well. it is its largest trading partner, making up more than 20% of its exports. all three parties want the same thing, someone to remain in control of its destiny and it puts it at odds with china but also with the us and its democratic values. how these parties approach or walk this line between the us and china and where they differ on how they proceed on that line is

where... is the different point of this election. tell us more about the parties facing off here. if we start with the ruling party, the dpp party that is in power at the moment, the democratic progressive party, they've been in power for two election cycles, eight years. since they've come into power they've had a more antagonistic relationship with china. it is thought a vote for the new leader would be more of the same, fractures relationship with china. it peaked when nancy policy visited taiwan and that resulted in numerous military exercises from china into the taiwan strait ramping up into the taiwan strait ramping up tensions in the region. a vote for him is seen as a continuation in that regard. if you talk about the other two parties, one the oldest party in taiwan and they have been in

power in the past and are trying to get back into power now, their platform is more based along dialogue with china and they want a closer relationship to take down the tensions. and the newest party only formed four years ago, the taiwan people's party, they are trying to what the line between the dpp and the k tea. they want to increase spending when it comes to defence and they also want the other parties to have more autonomy for taiwan going forward. there are subtleties but there are things the electorate is also weighing up the electorate is also weighing up with election up tomorrow. what issues are voters concerned about? we what issues are voters concerned about? ~ ., , concerned about? we have been here for a _ concerned about? we have been here for a few _ concerned about? we have been here for a few days, _ concerned about? we have been here for a few days, attending i here for a few days, attending some of the rallies and speaking to people on the street and the key thing that we keep coming back to is the domestic issues are plain quite a significant part so it is not just that geopolitical decisions that come into

people's mines. stagnant wages over the past two decades, a very aggressive housing market making it hard for people to earn property, those are two of theissues earn property, those are two of the issues in peoples minds. over the last two decades, some may be thinking that a change is in order although the newest party has yet to have the opportunity to present its credentials in that regard. really interesting. we will be watching your reports over the next few days. lawyers for the south african government outlined their case in the hague, alleging israel's military of carrying out genocide in gaza. lawyers from south africa demanded that the international court ofjustice order an emergency suspension of israel's military campaign in palestinian territory. speaking to the court, tembeka nicholas ngcukaitobi, advocate of the high court of south africa, said, "the intent to destroy

gaza has been nurtured "at the highest level of state." he went to to directly call israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, among other israeli leaders, a "genocidal inciter" and said genocide was "evident from the way "in which israel's military attack is being conducted." israel will present its case on friday, rejecting the accusations of genocide as false and baseless. here's anna holligan with more from the hague. this is the peace palace, home to the international court ofjustice — the un's highestjudicial body, based in the hague. today we have been hearing from south africa, accusing israel of having genocidal intent, committing genocide against palestinians in gaza. evidence presented in court, they referred to the military bombardment, which has led to the deaths of approximately 23,000 people, according to the hamas—run health ministry, but also the forced displacement of much of the population,

the deliberate attempt to impede medical supplies — a slow death, according to south africa, due to starvation and dehydration and lack of access to medical supplies — but also statements from senior israeli officials which south africa says are evidence of genocidal intent. in terms of what happens next, israel will have a chance to present its defence on friday for three hours and then the judges here could issue a ruling on these interim measures — an emergency injunction requested by south africa within weeks. it's important, to be clear though, this court doesn't have the power to stop the war itself but any decision against israel could have a considerable political impact. let's turn to some important news around the world. the us federal aviation administration formally notified boeing of an investigation, after an alaska airlines

737 max 9 depressurised during flight. the door plug on that aircraft fell out, forcing an emergency landing. the faa will investigate if boeing failed to make sure its completed aircraft conformed to its approved design and faa regulations. max 9 planes have been grounded since the incident. ajudge is now deciding what punishment donald trump will face in a civil fraud case after ruling that the former president fraudulently manipulated property values. new york attorney general letitia james is seeking a penalty of nearly $370 million and a lifetime ban on business dealings in new york. as lawyers wrapped their closing arguments, donald trump told thejudge he did nothing wrong. ecuador�*s president, daniel noboa, says the country is in a "state of war" against its gangs. he has deployed more than 22,000 soldiers to fight the gangs, and try to maintain peace. ecuador�*s gangs were emboldened this week, after an infamous narcotics boss, known as fito, escaped a high—security prison.

in recent days, gangs have set off explosive devices, burned vehicles, and kidnapped as many as 178 prison officials. authorities say at least ia people have died in the fighting since sunday, but as the bbc�*s will grant reports, many are already trying to get back to normal life. that is a bit more life today than yesterday. you can notice for example a big covered market. the stores that had been closed for two straight days forced to reopen for economic reasons. so many people cannot go so many days without liking. a lot of movement. plenty of people who decided not to venture outjust yet. a sense in which the city and country wants to get back to normal but there is still this uncertainty hanging over them, unsure of what the next few weeks and months have installed. and finally, a huge ancient city has been found in the amazon, hidden

for thousands of years by lush vegetation. the houses and plazas in the upano area, in eastern ecuador, are believed to be the oldest ever discovered in the amazon, built around 2,500 years ago. archeologists say the discovery changes everything known about the history of people living in the amazon. it was previously thought that such large settlements were only in highland areas of south america, like machu picchu, in peru. thank you for watching bbc news. head to our website for all the latest updates on our top stories. thank you for watching. hello there. it was another day where some of us had sunshine, some of us had cloudy skies on thursday. the cloud, again, was coming in from the north sea, bringing with it some patches of drizzle for east scotland, eastern areas of england, but as the cloud came around the area of high pressure that's dominating to the northwest, it actually mixed in some slightly drier air, just above the cloud layer, as those winds went across the mountains, and that drier air evaporated the cloud. and so, what a glorious

day it was across parts of the highlands, with not a cloud in the sky. we're going to have a similar kind of weather prospects, really, over the next day or so. with these clear skies in place in scotland, it's a very cold night in places. temperatures getting down into minus double figures, —10, —12 degrees, something like that. whereas where we keep the cloud, that is across large parts of england, wales and northern ireland, it'll stay largely frost—free. and so, for friday morning, it's another day where cloud will vary quite a lot. the cloud thick enough across eastern areas of england to bring us a few patches of drizzle at times, particularly during the morning. the afternoon tending to become a little bit drier. the best of the sunshine — well, scotland. cloud might break in northern ireland, and the northwest of both england and wales could also see some breaks in the cloud. now, temperatures give or take around about six degrees, bit colder than that, though, in the sunshine in scotland. on into the weekend's weather prospects — we start to get a northwesterly wind moving in. thicker cloud brings the threat of a few showers for northern scotland, maybe an odd spit of rain for northern ireland, too. still quite cloudy

across england and wales, but probably a better chance of seeing a few cloud breaks, little bit of sunshine coming through, and it continues to be cold for the time of year. but then, as we get into the second half of the weekend and into monday, across northern areas of scotland, northerly winds start to blow harder and we start to get showers turning to snow. some accumulations are quite likely, so we could start to see some disruption across one and two routes. elsewhere, though, through sunday and monday, little overall change in the weather picture. some sharp frosts, a lot of dry weather, some spells of sunshine. beyond that, though, into next week, we could see some areas of snow affecting northern areas of the uk early in the week, and maybe a system coming up from the south later in the week. there is still quite a bit of uncertainty about those kind of features, but the potential for seeing some disruption is certainly there. the highest risk initially across parts of northern scotland. bye for now.

voice—over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines for you at the top of the hour, which is straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. does israel's continued military assault on gaza

represent an act of genocide? thanks to south africa's intervention, the question is now before the international court ofjustice in the hague, something which most israelis have greeted with a mix of disgust and disdain. my guest today is gideon levy, journalist, commentator and long—time critic of his own country's leaders. three months into this war, prompted by hamas's attack on southern israel, what has happened to the israeli mindset? gideon levy in tel aviv,

welcome to hardtalk. thank you.