this is bbc news iran's president vows to punish israel for an air strike in damascus that killed five iranian revolutionary guards as tensions continue to flare in the middle east. as israel's campaign against hamas continues, more than a hundred historically important sites in gaza have been damaged — or destroyed and with the new hampshire primaryjust days away — can nikki haley catch up to donald trump's lead — for the republican presidential nomination. hello i'm helena humphrey. crisis continues in the middle east — after missile attacks were reported in syria, lebanon, iraq and yemen on saturday. the strikes highlight the growing risk that the war in gaza could trigger a wider regional conflict, pitting iran and its allies against israel and its allies, like the united states. iran's president, meanwhile,

has promised revenege on israel for an air strike on the syrian capital, that killed five members of tehran�*s elite revolutionary guards. israel has not confirmed or denied involvement in the attack. syrian activists say at least ten people were killed altogether in the strike, which destroyed a building used as a base by iranian military advisers in damascus. here's what those who witnessed the strike say happened translation: l was - using my asthma inhaler. my little granddaughter, who is three years old, was sitting beside me. i swear, ijumped and the inhaler hopped too. i tried to protect the little one like this. during the earthquake, it didn't happen like that. three huge sounds shook the whole area. within seconds, israeli missiles descended in a terrifying manner with a sound beyond description. a building collapsed instantly, cars were shattered, buildings demolished. it is a crime of the most heinous kind. meanwhile, in nearby iraq — us central command says iran launched ballistic millies

and rockets at al—assad airbase — a military airbase in the west of the country. us central command said most of the missiles were intercepted by air defense systems, and that a number of us personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. they also said at least one iraqi service member was wounded. live now to firas maksad, a senior fellow at the middle east institute. good to have you with us on the bbc, begin, if you would, by putting this in context for us, israel says it does not usually comment on its operations abroad, but there is a background to this in terms of iran military presence being targeted in syria. explain that to us, firstly. targeted in syria. explain that to us. firstly-— to us, firstly. absolutely, the operation _ to us, firstly. absolutely, the operation today, _ to us, firstly. absolutely, the operation today, killing - to us, firstly. absolutely, the operation today, killing a - operation today, killing a senior iranian intelligence commander in damascus, syria, has all the hallmarks of art

assassination. they have done this many times before, recently, israel dealt a significant blow to iran by accessing it in its top commander at fort syria, lebanon and iraq month by all means, if israel has an tradition of not outright admit and its role in such a tradition, it has the hallmarks of israel being behind it. after that, swiftly we heard from iran vowing to have a response, vowing revenge, what do you anticipate that we could, potentially, see here? to say that this is an israel versus hamas convicts, is the forest for the trees, is no longer that, forest for the trees, is no longerthat, it's forest for the trees, is no longer that, it's a conflict between iran and its proxy forces and allies in the region, and on the other hand between united states and israel, what we saw soon after the assassination, there was a

response through uranian proxies in iraq against an american base. many missiles, but and otherwise, fired against the united states, and it underscores the understanding that was achieved between the united states and iran back in the spring of last year when the united states national security advisor for the middle east met directly in negotiations in amman, which included a cap on iranian nuclear enrichment activities and also calmed the region. that has come apart under the pressure of the war in gaza and what we are seeing it manifest in various arenas in lebanon, gaza, and erected a and yemen, is an all out american— iranian confrontation. is an all out american- iranian confrontation.— confrontation. with that in mind, confrontation. with that in mind. what _ confrontation. with that in mind, what do _ confrontation. with that in mind, what do you - confrontation. with that in mind, what do you think. confrontation. with that in i mind, what do you think iran confrontation. with that in - mind, what do you think iran is looking to achieve your remark iran has several objectives? aaron would like to save it

proxies and allies in gaza, so we would like to work israel is attempt to damage hamas emma and i think these attacks in iraq and syria, iran would like nothing less than to completely eject the military american presidents from iraq and syria amma and those are two objectives iran will continue to pursue unless the war in gaza comes to an end soon and hamas is spirit.— hamas is spirit. let's talk about the _ hamas is spirit. let's talk about the potential - hamas is spirit. let's talk about the potential path l hamas is spirit. let's talk i about the potential path the de—escalation, is there any sense that you could see the us could have a role in that through its ally, israel, also cognizant of the fact we see some departures between israel and the us in terms of where it might stand in a 2— state solution to my how difficult is that aspect as well?— that aspect as well? that is exactly it — that aspect as well? that is exactly it might _ that aspect as well? that is exactly it might the - exactly it might the administration does not want to see this blow further out of control, president biden has an election to worry about, his

numbers in the polls are not doing great, he does not need another war in the middle east, so through attempt into bring the gaza, put that to an end, through winding down operations, starting to talk about the two state operation —— solution and normalization between israel and its arab neighbors, primarily saudi arabia, the biden administration is trying to temper down the conflict in the region. neither iran seems to be cooperative nor prime minister benjamin netanyahu and his refusal to talk about the day after or two state solution, none of these parties seem to be interested in the sentiment that the american administration is pursuing. in your assessment amma with all of these moving pieces, do you think there is the potential for this to boil over into an regional war?—

for this to boil over into an regional war? absolutely my i think we continue _ regional war? absolutely my i think we continue to - regional war? absolutely my i think we continue to be - regional war? absolutely my i think we continue to be on - regional war? absolutely my i think we continue to be on an| think we continue to be on an escalatory path in the region, however, i say there's an upper threshold so far, that the us nor iran, nor iran and israel, are interested in entering a direct war. they come into use proxies, drawings, assassinations, everything short of a all out what directs, traditional conflict, but as it drags on there is the risk of a miscalculation in the various theaters of war across the region. various theaters of war across the region-— the region. firas maksad, alwa s the region. firas maksad, always good _ the region. firas maksad, always good to _ the region. firas maksad, always good to talk - the region. firas maksad, always good to talk to, i the region. firas maksad, . always good to talk to, thank you. meanwhille in tel aviv, thousands of israelis are rallying in the streets — and some even outside the home of prime minister benjamin netanyahu — demanding the government does

more to secure the release of hostages in gaza. protesters also called for elections so a new government can be put in place. our middle east correspondent mark lowen reports from jerusalem. in gaza's skies, where bombs have rained down, not an israeli attack, but an israeli appeal — for information on the hostages seized by hamas. around 130 are still not home. how many are dead is unknown. the subtext from israel — "this is why we're still on the offensive." but in israel, at the prime minister's residence, anger from families of the missing who want him to do more to get them back. polls show most think benjamin netanyahu should be prioritising their release. many here still feel failed by a state created to protect them. translation: i want to have a country that cares for us, i because our prime minister and the war cabinet doesn't. splits have spread to the top. gadi eisenkot of the war cabinet accused mr netanyahu of dishonesty by vowing total victory over hamas, adding that he was responsible for leaving israel open to its attack. a war cabinet at war with itself spells trouble for israel's leader.

benjamin netanyahu's growing unpopularity at home is increasingly echoed abroad — publicly rebutting the us by rejecting a two—state solution with a future palestinian state, and refusing allies' calls to ease the offensive in gaza. israel's great political survivor is looking isolated and vulnerable. after speaking to israel's prime minister, president biden tried to sound positive. could a possible future demilitarised palestinian state be discussed ? there are a number of types of two—state solutions. there's a number of countries that are members of the un that still don't have their own military. a number of states that have limitations. so, i think there's ways in which this could work. fears continue over the spillover of this war. and today, it hit damascus, where syria and iran say an israeli airstrike killed members of the iranian revolutionary guard.

israel doesn't comment on its attacks abroad. and so, as israeli troops pushed deeper into southern gaza, fires are being lit in different parts of this tinderbox region. and as the conflict escalates, the question is how far the flames will spread. mark lowen, bbc news, jerusalem. well as the war continues — more than half of all buildings in gaza have been damaged or destroyed by israeli strikes, including more than a hundred historically important sites. the bbc's yasmin khatun dewan has been looking at some of the sites damaged over the last three months. significant buildings damaged or destroyed in gaza include libraries, religious sites and places of ancient historical importance. you can see gaza city's al—hussein mosque behind me here. this image was taken on the 6th of january this year. but let's contrast that with an image from january 2021 prior to the recent conflict.

here's an image from more than ten years ago. it's ramadan 2013, and the man seen here is in the great omari mosque, the largest and oldest in gaza. the mosque opened in the seventh century on the site of a byzantine church. named after omar, islam's second caliph, its library was once filled with rare manuscripts, including old copies of the koran. the mosque has been damaged numerous times in the past, losing many ancient documents, but the remaining physical copies are now thought to have been lost. much of the great omari mosque appears to be reduced to rubble, with only its minaret still intact. this image here is from the 5th of january. the last year, in partnership with the british library endangered archives programme, some of the manuscripts were digitalized, the british library said the library of the great omari mosque is one of the most important and oldest national library

and archive centers in palestine, adding the project will help in protecting manuscripts through digitalizing them and providing suitable storage conditions. in its case against israel, south africa asked the icj to protect against further severe and irreparable harm, including that to heritage sites, the palestinian people under the genocide convention. israel has accused hamas of using mosques, schools and other civilian infrastructure to hide its fighters. turning now to the race for the white house. voters in new hampshire are gearing up for their part in the 2024 us presidential primary. on tuesday, new hampshire's voters will become the second in the country to cast ballots in the presidential election process. it comes after a dominant victory by former president donald trump in the iowa republican

caucuses. he won 51% of the republican vote, well ahead of florida governor ron desantis and and former un ambassador and south carolina governor nikki haley. gfthree days out from new hampshire, the latest major poll found mr trump holds a significant edge over ms haley in the state, 53% to 36%. ron desantis polling at just 7%. the florida governor has largely moved on to south carolina, the third primary state, where voters will not cast ballots until late february. nikki haley's campaign, on the other hand, says it it going for victory in new hampshire, ramping up up her criticism of the former president. today, ms haley even questioned mr trump's mental fitness for office, after he confused ms. haley with the former house speaker, nancy pelosi, during a campaign speech. here's that apparent blunder.. followed by ms. haley's response. nikki haley is in charge of security, we offered her 10,000 people, soldiers, national guard, or whatever they want,

they turned it down, they don't want to talk about that, these are very dishonest people. these things happen because guess— these things happen because guess what? when you're 18, guess what? when you're18, that— guess what? when you're18, that is— guess what? when you're18, that is what happens, you are not as— that is what happens, you are not as sharp as you used to be. it is _ not as sharp as you used to be. it is not — not as sharp as you used to be. it is not personal. you know i voted — it is not personal. you know i voted for _ it is not personal. you know i voted for him twice, i was proud _ voted for him twice, i was proud to— voted for him twice, i was proud to serve in his administration, is the fact that— administration, is the fact that we _ administration, is the fact that we have a country in disarray _ that we have a country in disarray and a world on fire, and — disarray and a world on fire, and we _ disarray and a world on fire, and we need to know that we are not given— and we need to know that we are not given our kids options of 282 — not given our kids options of 282 euros going into a presidency. for more on the new hampshire primary — and nikki haley's chances, i spoke to cbs political reporter caitlin huey burns. good to have you good to have you there, what can we expect from the final days of campaigning?- from the final days of camaiuanin? fl , ,, from the final days of camaiuanin? v , ,, ., campaigning? it's i shipped out to be a race _ campaigning? it's i shipped out to be a race between _ campaigning? it's i shipped out to be a race between nikki - to be a race between nikki haley and donald trump, nikki haley and donald trump, nikki haley is far behind the bows of donald trump here in new hampshire but is trying to

appeal to independent voters in the state to try to make up some ground and those opposing donald trump are seeing this state as really the last chance to try to defeat him and prevent them from becoming the eventual nominee. if prevent them from becoming the eventual nominee.— eventual nominee. if we take a look at her _ eventual nominee. if we take a look at her recent _ eventual nominee. if we take a look at her recent comments, | eventual nominee. if we take a l look at her recent comments, we saw her basically talking about donald trump's mental ability, linking it with his age, what do you think that tells us like the fact that, to a certain extent, she took the gloves off when she has the difficult balancing act of trying to appeal as the anti—trump candidate without angering his base. ,, . , candidate without angering his base. ,, ., , ., candidate without angering his base. ,, ., ., base. she has tried to tow the line between _ base. she has tried to tow the line between criticizing - base. she has tried to tow the j line between criticizing donald trump policies but not attacking him personally, and when you talk to some of her supporters, independent voters, some of them i've told us they wanted see her be more aggressive to donald trump if she wants to really challenge them. so, what happened was, he

made these comments at a rally the night before, essentially confusing her with nancy pelosi, then in an event today, she went after trump and question his mentalfitness, so, we are in this final strip —— stretch of the campaign, she is still pulling behind donald trump my human sends a commanding lead here, so every kind of last push to try to get her case out there, you are seeing the attacks intensify. that talk about ron desantis, could new hampshire potentially be make or breakfor him? it’s be make or break for him? it's interesting _ be make or break for him? it�*s interesting because he has all but seated new hampshire to nikki haley and donald trump, he has been pulling in the single digits and reshuffled to focus on the next primary which is in south carolina, but she has actually just added is in south carolina, but she has actuallyjust added a new stop tomorrow in new hampshire, coming back to the state when

he originally hadn't plan to at this stage, at least not tomorrow. so there could be a bit more competition there, but if you think about it, his supporters would be back in donald trump, so he has been trying to squeeze in —— and squeeze nikki haley and prevent any momentum for her, but he has acknowledged that this is a state that donald trump is poised to win.— state that donald trump is poised to win. and what about for nikki haley, _ poised to win. and what about for nikki haley, if— poised to win. and what about for nikki haley, if she - poised to win. and what about for nikki haley, if she can't i for nikki haley, if she can't close that gap on donald trump, what could that mean for her? she insist she is staying on through her home state of south carolina, but in south carolina, but in south carolina, donald trump isaiah commanded lead there as well and the support of top officials in the party there, he's actually bringing the south carolina governor here to new hampshire to campaign with him, kind of a slight to nikki haley, he has stated on new

hampshire because this is the place where new hampshire independent voters place a outsize role,. she thus if she cannot compete here, in a state is more favorable conditions in terms of the electorate, it really questions about where she can go forward. it is all about collecting delegates, but when states is a real sign of momentum, and if she cannot when a state, it does raise questions about the future above —— overcome pain. find above -- overcome pain. and donald trump _ above -- overcome pain. and donald trump in _ above -- overcome pain. and donald trump in terms - above -- overcome pain. and donald trump in terms of - above —— overcome pain. and donald trump in terms of what she's running up against in terms of challenges, there are 91 criminal charges currently against them, when you speak to her voters there, are they worried about that? those su ort worried about that? those sopport and _ worried about that? those support and donald - worried about that? those support and donald trump worried about that? those - support and donald trump say it is something that has endeared him to them, even closer. they have called them political and

written them off, supporters i talked to echo his rhetoric in that regard and we have seen the republican party galvanize our own donald trump in light of these indictments, even the republican rivals do not criticizing because of the indictments. run desantis and nikki haley have described them as it discussions but have not criticized him for them and has given him some cover to voters to feel the same way.— to feel the same way. caitlin huey iturns _ to feel the same way. caitlin huey burns from _ to feel the same way. caitlin huey burns from cbs - to feel the same way. caitlin huey burns from cbs news i to feel the same way. caitlin - huey burns from cbs news there on the campaign trail, thank you for taking the time. let's turn to some important news around the world... an investigation is under way after two uk warships collided at a port in bahrain. no—one was hurt when hms chidding—fold reversed into hms bangor — that's according to the ministry of defence. the cause is still unclear. the two ships are part of the uk's long—standing presence in the gulf — and are specialist minesweeper vessels, helping ensure the safe flow of trade through the waters. thirteen children have been

killed in a fire at a boarding school in central china — all of them aged nine or ten. the fire broke out in a boys' dormitory in the nanyang region of henan province on friday. state media said the head of the school had been detained and that authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. fatal incidents of this kind are not uncommon in china because of lax enforcement of safety codes. hundreds of trucks are stranded at one of the main border points between pakistan and afghanistan. pakistani media said the movement of commercial vehicles at the torkham crossing had been halted since last saturday, after the pakistani authorities began insisting on visas for truck drivers. islamabad announced last november that lorry drivers should have valid documents to travel between the two countries. at least 10,000 new zealand maori gathered on saturday to discuss how to respond to government plans they say undermine indigenous rights. maori king tuheita hosted the meeting on the central north island. new zealand's recently elected

centre—right government has pledged to undo policies aimed at boosting indigenous people's living standards and which promote the official use of the maori language. to the uk now, where norfolk police have revealed that an emergency call to police was made from a house near norwich about an hour before four people, including two young children, were found dead inside. the force has referred itself to the independent police watchdog, because no officers were sent to the property in response to that call — which was made by a man at six o'clock on friday morning. sam read has more, from the scene. 2a hours on, there's still a huge police presence on this small estate near norwich. the man who died has been named locally as bartlomiej kuczynski. the two young girls also lived in the house. the 36—year—old woman was related but didn't live there full time. police said today a 999 call was made by a man inside the property at around

6am yesterday morning. no one was deployed. 0fficers then discovered the bodies around an hour and a quarter later after another call from a member of the public. norfolk police has referred itself to the independent police watchdog. more than 2a hours on, people here are still in disbelief. we got an email from the school last night saying that one of the kids was at the school. so we thought it best to tell my seven year old boy about what happened this morning and yeah, it was a big surprise, his reaction, really, he was a bit shocked. yeah, the guy had gone missing before christmas, so the police brought his picture around just before christmas to see if we'd seen where he'd gone and see if we could catch him on our camera. a local church opened this afternoon to allow residents to remember the deceased. people are finding it hard to come to terms with the news, really. 0bviously, they were known and... ..people are finding it

very hard to digest — a real sense of shock and bewilderment. police have described this as a "devastating incident" as they try to piece together what exactly happened yesterday morning, and with many questions still remaining for them to answer. sam read, bbc news, near norwich. demonstrations against right—wing extremism have been taking place in towns and cities across germany. the protests have been gathering momentum over the last week. they're a response to reports that some far—right politicians had met in november to discuss the deportation of millions of people with immigrant backgrounds. felix tshisekedi has been sworn in for a second term as president of the democratic republic of congo. he took the oath of office in a packed stadium in the capital, kinshasa. heads of state from across africa were invited to the ceremony. the opposition has refused to recognise mr tshisekedi's election victory last month,

describing the result asa sham. bbc africa's emery makumeno was at the ceremony. there are tens of thousands of people here in this huge stadium in kinshasa, and a dozen heads of state as the inauguration takes place. the venue has been packed for hours, with singing and dancing as the crowds wait for the president. tshisekedi secured a second term in office after winning last month's presidential election with 73% of the vote. a result which the opposition has rejected, citing massive irregularities. one of the opponents challenged the result by filing a petition with the constitutional court, but the court have upheld the victory and rejected claims that the poll was rigged. even today, as the president is sworn in, moise katumbi, the runner—up, and third—placed candidate martin fayulu have called for protests to demand an annulment of the result

and a rerun of the elections. police in kinshasa have banned any such protests. emery makumeno, bbc news let's go to live pictures with three days to go with the primary in new hampshire, you can see donald trump take it to the stage, that is a rally that she has there in new hampshire in downtown manchester, and we can also see nikki haley who is also out. she is on the stage in new hampshire as well in keene new hampshire, her campaign seen they hope she can prevail in new hampshire, but donald trump still the front runner and needed in the polls. we would have special coverage here on bbc news of that primary race as well. i am a hell in washington, thanks for

watching. hello there. we're in for a very stormy spell of weather for the second half of sunday into the first part of monday. all thanks to storm isha. the met office have a number of amber wind warnings in force for northern and western areas. heavy rain could lead to localised flooding along with snowmelt, as it will be turning very mild indeed. but we could be looking at some significant disruption from this storm as it continues to hurtle across the atlantic towards our shores later on sunday. but sunday starts off on a fine note for many. england and wales dry with some sunshine, same, too, for northeast scotland. the winds will continue to pick up, though, through the day and rain across northern ireland will spread across the irish sea into much of scotland, northern and western, england and wales. it will be turning downhill as we head through the afternoon, but very mild the time of year, up to 13 degrees in many parts of england, wales, northern ireland. storm isha continues to plough through during sunday evening and overnight, a real squeeze in the isobars across western scotland, northern ireland and lots of isobars across the charts. amber warnings in force, gusts of 60—70 mph in southwest

england, particularly irish sea coast, much of wales, maybe up to 80mph, north west wales, 60—70 for northern england, maybe 80 mph in excess for northern ireland. some very strong winds expected across scotland through the night, perhaps in excess of 85mph across western scotland. so these are damaging gusts, and likely to cause some disruption. there will be some heavy rain and showers rattling through as well. and we'll also see amber warning for the southeast of england for strong winds. sussex and kent could see gusts in excess of 60—70 mph early on monday. mild nights come across the south, taking a little bit fresher further north. into monday, storm isha continues to push across the norwegian sea. lots of isobars on the charts. so monday will be another windy day as well, not as windy as sunday night. and there'll be lots of showers rattling into northern and western areas. best of the sunshine towards the east, some wintryness and over the higher ground of scotland and northern england. it won't feel particularly warm in the northeast factor in the wind, but still double figures in the south.

stays pretty unsettled for the upcoming week. tuesday, we see another spell of wet and windy weather, and then a ridge of high pressure for wednesday will bring some fine conditions. another spell of wet and windy weather, perhaps, for thursday and friday. so the weather really will be up and down through this week, interspersed with fine spells, generally staying on the mild side. stay tuned to the forecast, though, for the effects of storm isha.