hello i'm katrina perry. presidentjoe biden says he has decided how the us will respond to sunday's deadly drone attack on american soldiers injordan but what we don't know yet is exactly how and when the us intends to retaliate. three us soldiers — all from the state of georgia — were killed on sunday morning, when a drone struck an army barracks on the border ofjordan and syria. the white house says president biden has spoken with theirfamilies. more than a0 others were injured in the attack. the strike injordan marked the first loss of life for american troops in the middle east since the start of the israel—gaza war. well, speaking to reporters outside the white house on tuesday, president biden said he holds iran responsible because it is iran that supplies weapons to the militia group the us believes carried out the attack. but mr biden reiterated the white house position

that the us is not seeking war with iran. as the middle east braces for a us response, some members of congress have called for retaliation against not only iran's proxy forces, but iran itself. others have argued the president does not have the authority for such strikes unless authorized by congress. republican congressman mike turner, who chairs the house intelligence committee, told the bbc the us response was likely to be robust. the provocation is iran. what they are doing and both providing weapons and training and funding for these groups throughout the middle east, they are the source of the instability, i was briefed by the director of national intelligence, our director

of the cia met with secretary for nato and he indicated that he understands that this is an attack upon the west and certainly it is effecting commerce, affecting our allies, , our lives, the fact that it was like that we've seen here in the united states. and as they experience in israel. this needs to be responded when they understand that we are not going to continue to play defensive, there has been 160 attacks on american troops during this period of time, the first that has resulted in casualties, we will not allow that to happen again without iran understanding that this is a conflict that is going to come under their doorstep. for more on this and the latest developments in the middle east, i spoke with gerald feierstein, former us ambassador to yemen and distinguished senior fellow on us diplomacy at the middle east institute. we know president biden has now decided on taking action but we do not know what it is and what it will look like but given your experience in the region, what would you expect him to do? a,

what would you expect him to do? �* , . , what would you expect him to do? ~ , ., , ., what would you expect him to do? �* , ., , ., , what would you expect him to do? a pleasure to be with you toniuht, do? a pleasure to be with you tonight, katrina. _ do? a pleasure to be with you tonight, katrina. what - do? a pleasure to be with you tonight, katrina. what i - tonight, katrina. whati anticipate is that the us will focus its response on those groups it believes are responsible. these other pro—iranian militias that are operating in iraq and syria. and perhaps to expand beyond that, to after some of the iranian revolutionary guard personnel, who are aiding and assisting these groups to carry out these attacks. i do not think, as the president said, i don't think the administration is really looking at going directly into iran. understanding that would risk much expanded conflict with the iranians. ~ ., ,., much expanded conflict with the iranians. ~ ., ., ., , iranians. what sort of targets would they — iranians. what sort of targets would they be _ iranians. what sort of targets would they be looking - iranians. what sort of targets would they be looking at - iranians. what sort of targets | would they be looking at their in the list, you mentioned individuals, capabilities, what exactly? individuals, capabilities, what exactl ? . , exactly? certainly,

capabilities - exactly? certainly, capabilities but - exactly? certainly, capabilities but i i exactly? certainly, i capabilities but i think exactly? certainly, - capabilities but i think they may also try to identify and target those individuals who they believe other leaders of these groups, as well as their facilitators, their advisors. what are the risks to civilians in that kind of approach, if thatis in that kind of approach, if that is what the us will do? generally speaking, i think that as long as they can identify what the targets are, the targets are discrete, that they would go to great lengths to avoid any kind of civilian casualties.— to avoid any kind of civilian casualties. ~ ., , ., ~ ., casualties. what you think are the considerations _ casualties. what you think are the considerations that - casualties. what you think are the considerations that the . the considerations that the president and his advisers have had to bury mind, notjust in the region but in the us domestically, when americans are true — at one american troops are killed it with the action on a whole different level. . , , level. that is exactly right, so the president _ level. that is exactly right, so the president is - level. that is exactly right, so the president is looking | level. that is exactly right, l so the president is looking to balance between as representative turners that, a robust response, something that

would hopefully have some deterrent value going forward. but also one that would not trigger a wider conflict that the administration wants to avoid at all costs and he also needs to keep an eye on his domestic political situation, understanding that this is an election year and it cannot afford to appear unresponsive when american casualties are incurred. ., ., ., incurred. you mentioned not wantinu incurred. you mentioned not wanting the _ incurred. you mentioned not wanting the conflict - incurred. you mentioned not wanting the conflict to - incurred. you mentioned not| wanting the conflict to spread and we had that from the administration ever since a couple of days after the horrific attacks on october seven, but when you look at the level of us engagement already in the region, 165 attacks on growing, on us military personnel, the death of the three soldiers now, can it be said that the conflict is not spread? i said that the conflict is not sread? ~ , , spread? i think up until this oint, spread? i think up until this point. and _ spread? i think up until this point, and what _ spread? i think up until this

point, and what exactly - point, and what exactly happened on the other day with the three personnel at tower 22, each side has been trying to identify what the redlines are, how far they can go without triggering something that would actually turn into an all—out conflict. so far, i think the administrations view has been that the iranians also do not want to see an expanded conflict, so each side is trying to measure, to maintain, some kind of a manageable level, without going too far. the question is whether what happened the other night is in fact crossing the us redline, making that kind of expansion inevitable. to making that kind of expansion inevitable.— inevitable. to bring all of this back _ inevitable. to bring all of this back to _ inevitable. to bring all of this back to the - inevitable. to bring all of this back to the frame i inevitable. to bring all of this back to the frame of| inevitable. to bring all of. this back to the frame of the original conflict between

israel and hamas in gaza, we are told talks are under way for the release of further hostages, what is the balancing job between any action in the us may take and the talks on a peace deal?— peace deal? certainly, there is a direct correlation _ peace deal? certainly, there is a direct correlation between i a direct correlation between what is happening in the broader region, both in the red sea, with a houthis as well and the areas in the north and east of israel. with what is going on in gaza. so the administration wants to make sure that as we go forward, that in fact we can continue to maintain dialogue between israel and hamas and hopefully resolve the situation in gaza. that will have a positive effect on calming the other issues. the houthis have been clear that they will stand down when the gaza conflict went into a ceasefire, and i think

you would see the same in iraq and syria. you would see the same in iraq and syria-— and syria. thank you, the former ambassador - and syria. thank you, the former ambassador to - and syria. thank you, the - former ambassador to yemen. elsewhere in the region, israeli forces raided a hospital, killing three members of palestinian armed groups in the occupied west bank. surveillance footage showed members of an undercover unit disguised as medics entering thejenin hospital. the israeli military said the men were hiding there, and that one of them was about to carry out an attack. our middle east correspondent, lucy williamson, has this report. and a warning, her piece contains content that some may find distressing. a building with a mission to heal the sick. visitors with a mission to kill. israeli forces, in headscarves and medical coats filmed on security camera, at the heart ofjenin�*s iba sina hospital. guns in one hand, handbag,

baby cot in the other. here to assassinate a patient and his two companions, fighters with armed palestinian groups. translation: at dawn today, a military operation _ was carried out inside the hospital. three people were martyred, including a patient who was injured a month ago and was being treated in the rehabilitation unit. they targeted his room, and all the occupants were killed. on the third floor, they killed basel ghazawi in his bed as he slept, his brother mohammed shot in a chair. both fighters in jenin�*s resistance groups. a third man, mohammad jalamana, was a key hamas figure, wanted by israel, who says he was armed with this gun, and hiding in the hospital, and that the group had been planning an imminent terrorist attack. israel has also targeted hospitals in its war with hamas in gaza, arguing that hamas makes them

legitimate targets by hiding there. and today, more detail from israel's government on its accusation that the un's palestinian refugee agency is a front for hamas, and that some of its staff took part in the 7 october attacks. six unrwa employees infiltrated israel in the attack. not only does the evidence show that unrwa staff were involved in the massacre, they were also directly implicated in holding hostages once they were in gaza. israel says the agency, its shelters, schools and food aid should be defunded. aid workers say gaza's humanitarian crisis is already slipping out of control. miriam and her seven children are living without a proper tent or food on a beach at the southern tip of gaza.

a roadside cart for sweets now beachside housing for a baby. adults and infants alike, dependent on others for food and shelter, dependent on others to stop the war. lucy williamson, bbc news, jerusalem. well, as us aid to unrwa remains suspended, the us envoy to the united nations said the agency would have to make fundamental changes before funding could resume. we need to look at the organisation, how it operates in gaza are, how they manage their staff and to ensure that people who commit criminal acts, such as these 12 individuals, are held accountable immediately so that unrwa can continue the essential work that it is doing. meanwhile, the united nations has been working to shore up funding for the agency, which it says is entirely dependent on donations. secretary general antonio

guterres is meeting representatives of more than 30 donor countries, to discuss contributions. the un's humanitarian co—ordinator for gaza, said it was vital for unrwa to be able to continue with its work. there is no substitution for the humanitarian role it plays in gaza. we need to remember given the totality of needs and the scale and complexity of the crisis that there is no substitution. there is no way any organisation can replace or substitute the tremendous capacity, the fabric of unrwa, the ability and their knowledge of the population in gaza. turning now to hong kong. the territory has formally started the process of enacting a controversial new security law, after years of delay from public opposition. the move is expected to further clamp down on dissent. the proposed legislation would lay out five major areas of offenses: treason, insurrection, theft of state secrets, sabotage, and external interference. hong kong officials say the new law will complement beijing's recent security law, and weed out hostile forces.

but critics say it ensures the erosion of human rights. our martin yip from bbc chinese has more on the timeline of the law, and why the hong kong government is pushing it forward. since he has assumed office, back a few years ago, he has stressed from time to time that he will finish this article 23 national security legislation, which are stipulated in hong kong's constitution, the basic law and last year in october when he made his latest policy address, he said he will have this done by the end of this very legislative year, his government claims that if they do not bring this legislation, hong kong will face what he calls a real threat to national security, to china, which would

threaten hong kong's internal security, and he made reference to threats from british intelligence agencies as well as the united states cia, their recent comment that they would step up their activities against china and hong kong in terms of surveillance. so he kept emphasising the threat from foreign government to threaten china's national security, in his words, is very real. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at a top story in the uk: a devolved government in northern ireland could return to work as early as this week. that's after the democratic unionist party endorsed a deal to restore power sharing. the party had walked out in 2022 over trade checks between northern ireland and great britain. the deal opens the door to sinn fein�*s michelle o'neill taking the role

of first minister. our political editor, chris mason, is at westminster and has more on what comes next. tomorrow we get the detail of this new deal in a so—called command paper and a debate as well in the commons, the law will be changed on thursday, meaning as soon as friday, the potential restoration of a sinn fein first minister. the white house has welcomed the development. a national security council spokesperson told the bbc that although legislation needed to be published, they looked forward to the full restoration of the institutions in line with the belfast/good friday agreement. you're live with bbc news. pakistan's former prime minister imran khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, after being accused of leaking state secrets. his party says the decision is a mockery. imran khan is already serving a three year term, after being convicted of corruption.

our correspondent caroline davies reports from islamabad. his face is on the election posters but imran khan is already behind bars. the former prime minister has not been seenin prime minister has not been seen in public since he was jailed nearly six months ago. this is the closest we have been able to get to imran khan, the outside of this jail. all this court appearance now happen inside the prisons for walls. today's verdict suggest he will not appear in public anytime soon. today's conviction is about this rally, in march 2022 he appeared on stage waving a piece of paper that he said showed a foreign conspiracy against him. he didn't say the name of the foreign power but was heavily critical of the united states. prosecutors argued that this was leaking state secrets and damaging diplomatic relations. the latter can lead to life imprisonment or the death penalty. the trial lasted

several months but today the result came fast. taking even some of his legal team outside, giving a is competent at the time, off guard.— giving a is competent at the time, off guard. transition or 'ust time, off guard. transition or just now _ time, off guard. transition or just now we _ time, off guard. transition or just now we heard _ time, off guard. transition or just now we heard that - time, off guard. transition or just now we heard that imranj just now we heard that imran khan was sentenced to ten years in prison. khan was sentenced to ten years in rison. , in prison. outside the high court, his— in prison. outside the high court, his sister— in prison. outside the high court, his sister said - in prison. outside the high court, his sister said they. court, his sister said they will appeal. translation: ., ., 4' willappeal. translation: ., translation: do i look worried? no. this translation: do i look worried? no- this is — translation: do i look worried? no. this is the — translation: do i look worried? no. this is the fight. _ translation: do i look worried? no. this is the fight. he _ translation: do i look worried? no. this is the fight. he said - no. this is the fight. he said this is aboutjustice, that's why he is injail now. there will not break any more, they will not break any more, they will stay put and fight all the cases. people shouldn't turn to violence but we are here to use all the legal ways to fight this. a' , ., all the legal ways to fight this. w , . , all the legal ways to fight this. w , ., , ., ., all the legal ways to fight this. w , ., ., ., this. pakistan is about to go to the polls. _ this. pakistan is about to go to the polls, imran - this. pakistan is about to go to the polls, imran khan - this. pakistan is about to go | to the polls, imran khan was already disqualified. there are candidates standing supported by his party. the question now, will today's verdict bring the voters morale or boosted? farmers in france are taking part in mass protests for a second consecutive day. on tuesday, farmers blocked

roads again with slow moving convoys of tractors, causing trafficjams on key routes into paris. they're hoping to put pressure on emmanuel macron�*s government to do more to fight inflation and help them compete with cheap imports. similar protests have been held in other european countries including germany, holland, and poland. our correspondent bethany bell has more. ina in a speech to parliament which was setting out his ambitions, for france, the new prime minister spoke of french farmers as a strength and pride for france. and he said that it was important to find solutions for them. was important to find solutions forthem. he was important to find solutions for them. he also announced among those solutions and emergency fund for winemakers in one region of france and he also said he was working on the european level to deal with problems that related to overland and he said that there

was an agreement, 22 european union countries coalition and on that issue. he acknowledged these were big problems for france and earlier today, president emmanuel macron said that it was often too easy to blame the european union and said the european union had been the source of solutions in the past. whether this will be enough for the protesters who continue to block many of the main routes into paris is the big question. so far the response has been rather sceptical, they say they will stay in position with their tractors blocking those big roads into paris for as long as it takes to see the demand met. now to news from the world of tech. a judge in the us state of delaware has ruled that the billionaire tesla boss, elon musk, should be blocked from receiving a pay package worth $56 billion that was awarded to him in 2018. the civil lawsuit was filed

by a tesla shareholder, who argued that the sum was an inappropriate overpayment. separately, musk says his company neuralink has successfully implanted a wireless computer chip in a human brain. the device aims to tackle complex neurological conditions, by allowing users to control devices like mobile phones and computers with their thoughts. several rival companies have already implanted similar devices. our north america correspondent emma vardy has the details. hello. we're thrilled to introduce neuralink�*s prime study. the man who's continually tried to make science fiction a reality has now taken a step closer to allowing people to control phones and computers with their brains. imagine the joy of connecting with your loved ones... this is elon musk�*s latest venture, following his enterprises in electric cars, space rockets and social media. no wires or physical movement are required. now, elon musk has said implanting

a chip into a person for the first time has gone well. last year, his neuralink company was given permission to test its chip on humans, and it asked for volunteers. to enable people who have lost the brain—body connection to be able to operate a computer or a phone faster than someone who has hands that work. previously, this monkey with a brain implant was shown playing a video game, controlled by its thoughts. elon musk�*s california—based company isn't the first to experiment using chips in humans to control movement. but it's his notoriety and celebrity status which raises the profile of this technology and could speed up development. a decade ago, scientists implanted a microchip into the brain of a patient, who was then able to control a robotic arm. you know, people are kind of divided as to what elon musk brings to the table. for some folks, the kind of hype and often the controversy that he brings is a detriment. and for others, it can even be

a good thing for someone to put such attention, such a spotlight, to bring such money to this field. some experts have safety and ethical concerns, but the hope that brain implants could one day allow people with disabilities to use smartphones and computers with their minds opens up life—changing possibilities. emma vardy, bbc news, los angeles. let's turn to some other news from around the world. the us military confirmed that an f—16 crashed off the coast of south korea. the incident occurred near the city of gunsan. according to an airforce statement, the aircraft suffered "an in—flight emergency over the yellow sea" and the "pilot ejected the aircraft". the pilot has been recovered and is in stable condition. at least 19 people have died and more than 20 were injured in a traffic collision in northwest mexico. the incident took place between a passenger bus and a truck early on tuesday along a coastal highway that connects two beachfront cities. the area is a popular tourist destination for us and canadian citizens who fish in the area.

footage of the aftermath showed the charred remains of the vehicles. the legal tv drama suits has set a new streaming record here in the us. according to media analysts nielsen, the show was watched by a total of 57.7 billion minutes on netflix last year. that beat the previous record, set by the office. suits ran from 2011 to 2019. iconic performer and broadway legend chita rivera has died at age 91. according to her daughter, ms rivera died in new york after a brief illness. she was known as a �*triple threat�* performer, she originated many roles including anita our reporter rachel mcadam looks back on her life. # all the time there is... known as the triple threat, chita rivera was a comic, dancer and actress, reportedly hailed by critics for the roles on broadway.

trained in music and ballet from a young age, she was dancing on the new york stage before she was 20 and kept at it all the way into her early 805. the first two appear in the role of anita in the 1957 original production of west side story, it made rivera a star and earned her the first of many tony award nominations. after the enormous success of the leonard bernstein musical she would go on to work with other legends like choreographer bob fosse, again being the role in the 1975 smash, chicago. she was awarded the presidential measure of freedom, the highest honour the us can give a civilian. speaking some years afterwards and still performing she said "i wouldn't know what to do if i wasn't moving or telling "a story to you or singing a song." "that is the spirit of my life

and i really am so lucky to be "able to do what i love." chita rivera, icon of the stage — who has died at the age of 91. is it from us from the moment. do stay with us here on bbc news. hello. a fairly potent area of low pressure is going to move to the north of the uk. it's been named storm ingunn by the norwegian metservice. the southern half of the uk is going to be bright and breezy on wednesday, but that storm will bring some strong winds and heavy rain across northern parts of the uk, particularly so for parts of scotland, where the strongest winds could reach around 85 mph. here's the storm system, you can see it developing here. it is moving well to the north of us. but just look at all those isobars heading our way through the day on wednesday. so that's the active front that's bringing the strong,

squally winds and heavy rain. first thing, wednesday, i think temperatures are going to be nearfreezing, perhaps even a little below through central parts of england and wales. but i think frost—free further north, where we've got the cloud, the winds — gales already during wednesday morning and the rain moving in. so that rain willjust shift its way gradually further eastwards across parts of scotland through the morning. this line here could produce some really heavy bursts, perhaps some hail and thunder, and those gusts of wind could reach 85, possibly close to 90 mph up towards the western isles. but widely, we're looking at gales across scotland, parts of northern ireland and northern england as well. so gusts 55, perhaps 60 mph across this zone, enough to cause some significant disruption, particularly when combined with the heavy rain. further south, across england and wales, you should stay dry for a good part of the day, not as windy as further north, but still blustery. 8 to 11 celsius towards the south, a touch colder in the north, with that fresher air moving in, and some wintry showers follow on overnight into thursday across the higher ground of scotland. but eventually the cloud and the rain clear away,

so it's going to be another fairly chilly night, actually. we're likely to see a touch of frost in a few prone spots, certainly as we head on into thursday. but thursday does look like a much quieter day, because we'll lose the tail end of that storm system, and this ridge of higher pressure builds its way in for thursday. so that's going to squeeze away most of the rain and it will bring lighter winds. still quite a breezy day across northern and western scotland, with some rain arriving later. best of the sunshine for central, southern and eastern parts of the uk, and here, temperatures perhaps down a touch on recent days, 9 or 10 celsius, so a slightly fresher feel to the weather. but then it looks like we see things turning milder once again. so looking ahead for friday, into the weekend, some rain in the north and the west, drier towards the south, but it is looking mild for all of us. bye— bye.

security, in his words, is very

real. voice-over: this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, straight after this programme. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. israel has been ordered by the international court ofjustice to take specific measures to prevent genocide in gaza. the case for genocide — the very worst crime humanity can commit — was brought by south africa and will now be the basis of a full trial lasting years. the israeli government is outraged. world reaction has been mixed.

but in terms of the situation on the ground in gaza, nothing seems to have changed. my guest is ronald lamola, south africa's justice minister. could the war in gaza be a game changer in geopolitics? ronald lamola injohannesburg, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you very much. minister, it's great to have you on the programme.

let's begin by reflecting on that preliminary ruling