un agencies say parts of sudan may tip into famine if the civil war continues. we'll have rare pictures from the ground. russia targets critical infrastructure in ukraine, as us aid to the country remains stalled. us presidentjoe biden is warning iran not to take military action against israel as the us government says such an attack could happen imminently. iran vowed to retaliate after an apparent israeli air strike on its consulate in syria killed at least 13 people — including a senior military commander. that attack was condemned by the un's secretary general, who said diplomatic and consular premises are off limits under international law. now, nearly two weeks later, american officials are telling cbs news that an iranian strike on israel could come at any moment.

as concerns mount, here's what the us president had to say. reporter: mr president, what is your message to iran in this moment? don't. we are devoted to the defence of israel. we will support israel, we will help defend israel and iran will not succeed. thank you very much. our state department correspondent, tom bateman, has this analysis. well, i think there's two things going on here. because what we've had is the very public messaging from the white house right up to president biden himself, which has been around the fear of or the concern of the credible threat of an attack by the iranians onto israeli soil. and what has been said to be an ironclad commitment by the americans to israel's right to defend itself, in the case of that, but then there's been this behind the scenes messaging, which has been going on for several days now, from across the us administration, which has been far more specific about what kind of strike this might involve.

now, that is included. our us news partners, cbs who, speaking to two unnamed officials, spoke of the possibility of up to 150 cruise missiles being launched by the iranians on to israeli soil. but that is one of a range of possibilities. and i think what is happening here is there is a concerted attempt by the americans to try and show what could be the upper reaches of what the iranians are thinking in terms of their retaliation to the suspected israeli strike on the on the diplomatic facility in damascus. and by doing that, the americans are trying to first of all, get the iranians to step back to stand down the higher end of what the possibilities are, in the context of the americans also showing their commitment to israel, defending itself after any kind of attack. but i think this is also about trying to say

what a worst case scenario could be. so if the iranian attack ends up being something different elsewhere, or in a sort of slower form, the americans can then say, well, look, this shows some form of restraint that helps them to try and put pressure on the israelis, not to overreact in any response that they have also threatened. this is about the us trying to cool the temperature in a moment of crisis in the region. and using both these public and private messages, and also a concerted diplomatic attempt messages passed via arab countries to tehran at the moment to try and prevent a major escalation in the region. for more analysis, i spoke to benham ben taleblu. he's a senior fellow at the foundation for the defence of democracies — a think tank that takes a hard line on iran. do we have any indication or at least in your assessment,

what the potential for this attack from iran could look like? pleasure to be with you again. unfortunately, there's a whole host of options that are available to the islamic republic. one that the press has been talking about for the past few days is something more direct and overt from the islamic republic, either ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drone, or some kind of combination of these. what is unknown at the moment would be what would be the exact target of that. would it be israeli territory? because we have had israeli officials talk both on twitter and in the press about responding against iranian territory if there was such an attack, as well as, of course, if the iranians choose to hit an israeli embassy or consulate in the region or potentially if they couple this with something in the maritime domain or if they couple this with one of their proxy attacks, be it against the us or israel. a range of potentials, of course, at this particular moment. does israel have the defence capabilities for those kinds of attacks? it is an excellent question because in terms of coverage, israel has one of the best,

if not among the top five, best integrated air and missile defence architecture system in the world. so in this sense, you want to defend against low and slow flying threats, like cruise missiles and drones, but also high and fast flying threats, like ballistic missiles. but with some of these things, if they're salvoes, it could be a numbers game, it could also be decoys. there is a lot that goes into ballistic missile defence. if this does happen, what kind of response do you think we could see from israel? do you think then think there is the potentialfor this to go back and forth into some kind of volley between iran and israel? it certainly raises the risk of it because while the biggest ballistic missile barrage the us received in its history since the end of world war ii was when the iranians fired a precision strike ballistic missiles at bases in iraq, after the us killed qasem soleimani in 2020, to date, iran has never publicly launched ballistic missiles or cruise missiles, for that matter, at israeli territory, nor has it in the past 11

ballistic missile operations it has undergone in recent history ever attempted to strike a defended target so it would be a game—changerfor the iranians to even attempt to strike, let alone land a blow against the israelis. what would that kind of escalation, in your words, a game—changer, then mean for the entire region? how dangerous do you see this moment as being? while i do believe it would be exceptionally dangerous it is important to frontload that danger now to make sure the islamic republic does not do this or limits it or contains or constrains or retains whatever kind of military option it is thinking about right now. in my view, there a still going to be debates up until the last minute in iran. the islamic republic did not get to be 45 years old by being suicidal and it knows that striking israeli territory with these advanced long—range strike weapons would be game—changing. with regard to the united states, president biden has said the support in the event of an iranian attack would be ironclad. what kind of support do

you think could come from washington here, also when we know there had been some frustration and criticism with regards to that attack on syria? there's been diplomatic distance unfortunately between the biden administration and the israelis over the war in gaza. this i think has redounded to a strategic and political and messaging advantage for the islamic republic of iran. but in the event of an attack, i would expect the administration to be bridge that distance quite closely. we have already had strong rhetoric from the president, that you mentioned, you even have the deployment of more naval vessels from america heading to the eastern mediterranean and you have the highest ranking us military official in the region, the cen com commander, general kurilla, in israeljust recently as well. all of this frontloads the deterrence equation for the iranians, knowing that if you do this, it will be costly. the question is do the iranians think that they can one up the americans by talking about what was reported just the other day which is, if americans intervene, then their positions in iraq and syria would be under attack again, and if the americans were to be held to account

in some other way. briefly, if you don't mind, do you think this is something that israel had been anticipating, banking on, when it went ahead with that attack there on the diplomatic mission in syria? potentially. i think this target, the killing of general zahedi in syria as well as the rest of his irgc cohort in that building, was more a target of opportunity and following people who may have been involved in october seven or those who were a liaison between iran, syria and hezbollah in lebanon. i do not necessarily se it as some kind of trap to get the iranians in, to get the americans in, but there are some in tehran who do see it that way. benham ben taleblu, great to have you with us. thank you for your assessment. israel says a new crossing for aid to enter gaza's north is now open, as humanitarian groups warn of an impending famine there. the israeli government is not revealing where the new crossing is, precisely. it says lorries entering the new northern crossing are first being screened at kerem shalom crossing into southern gaza. after six months

of war between israel and hamas, medicalservices across gaza have all but collapsed. the european gaza hospital in the city of khan younis is one of the last functioning healthcare facilities there. and a small number of british doctors have been allowed in to help. dr victoria rose is one of them. she's a consultant plastic surgeon at guy's and st thomas�*s hospital in london but she just spent the last two weeks in gaza, where much of her work was on children under the age of 16. dr rose filmed to show us what life is like there. so, here we are, we have made it across the border. shouting the day has been pretty long, actually. we left cairo this morning with the un convoy. i was last here in 2020 and it is completely different, it is like a different entity.

inside, they've tried to keep the sort of working areas very clean, the floors are very clean, there's somebody sweeping all the time, but once you get into the corridors, it is full of people in tents and they have made sort of makeshift tents out of sheets and carpets and it is not clean and outside its — you know, it is just mayhem, it is like a massive village. it stinks, it is raw sewage, it is unacceptable for people to live like this. so we were operating until last night. at midnight, we finished our last case, but the general surgeons have been going on night. you can hear the drones again. drones and explosion this is my first case. he is a young boy who has been hit by a car, got a scab laceration and degloving. he was taken to theatre last week and the scab was closed,

but unfortunately a lot of his skin has died. so we're going to take him back to theatre see if we can sort it out the scab. we have had a bit of a delayed start because there has been quite a lot of bombing this evening. so we have got quite a lot more work coming to us tomorrow and i am kind in that situation now where ijust want a ceasefire so that we can catch up. this is the field hospital. there's four wards that were all build during covid. it is tuesday, the second of april, and the drones are back. sound of drones so, i am walking back to theatre on my own, which is something that the boys do not really like me doing.

i do not whether you can see, i have like a group of children constantly following me and saying, hello. hello. and then they will ask me for money or they will ask me for chocolate. money? i have no money. just walking through the hospital again. we have got three days of operating left and i am already panicking about the fact that we're not going to get through everybody that we need to get through before i go. i know now it is going to be very difficult to leave, and i'm not looking forward to it. i am now out of all my vac sponge dressings. i just have cannisters. oh, i wish i had brought more. i really wish i had brought more. i have just been around to the girls room where the female medical students and live. the best team i have ever

worked with in my entire life and i have had the best two weeks ever. thank you. i hope they all get to qualify... i do not know how that is going to happen but i... i think they would all make really good doctors and, god knows, gaza needs some doctors right now. that was doctor victoria rose, who spent two weeks in gaza. this week, the uk's foreign secretary, lord cameron, said the uk will not block arms sales to israel, after reviewing the latest legal advice on the issue. but pressure on the british government continues to mount, with critics saying weapons exports to israel could make britain complicit in alleged breaches of international humanitarian law. our analysis editor ros atkins explains.

this week the uk foreign secretary lord cameron gave an update on arms sales to israel. opposition is in line with our international partners. so far no like—minded countries have taken the decision to suspend existing arms export licenses to israel. the government's position is based on legal advice which as is standard has not been published. the shadow foreign secretary says that in this case, it should be. that the government is avoiding scrutiny. arms sales are a focus because of israel's actions in gaza. it denies targeting civilians, but has killed thousands of them. and it has done so in part with weapons from the west. the us accounts for 65% of arms sales to israel in the past decade. germany, over 29%. italy, over 4%. in 2022, the uk provided 0.02% of israel's military imports. but although the uk is not a major arms supplier to israel, it is a long—time ally.

and if arms sales will stop, that will be a significant diplomatic blood to israel. that has not happened, for now at least. and whether that may change depends on the uk's own rules. they say that the government should not grant a licence if it determines that there is a clear risk that the items may be used to commit or facilitate a serious violation of international humanitarian law. to judge this, the government receives legal advice. this is a formal process. this is notjust a political decision, ministersitting around saying, what should we do. there is a formal, technical, almost quasi judicial process. that process led to this decision. the latest assessment is our position on export licenses is unchanged. this is consistent with advice that i and other ministers have received and as ever, we will keep the position under review. days before, a different legal analysis was shared.

lawyers and academics signed a letter to rishi sunak saying... one of the signatories is former supreme courtjustice lord sumption. the whole framework of international government law dictates that the fact that you have been provoked and attacked, however outrageously, does not mean to say you can do whatever you'd like. it does not mean to say that you can indiscriminately slaughter innocent civilians and children. it does not mean to say that you can attack eight convoys. labour saying: as we have heard, the government defends its position. but the pressure is growing. that pressure increase with israel's recent killing of seven aid workers in gaza including three britons. israel called this a grave mistake.

israel's actions that day played into broader concerns. i think the israelis have got to learn some hard lessons because it is clear from the outset of this conflict they have not been giving priority to the protection of civilians, special protection of humanitarian workers, medical workers, the international humanitarian law requires. israel denies this. while the uk government's advice is that the arms sales are legal, this is not only about the law. israel's own actions and cause are led by a military that the uk is helping to command. whether legal or not, that is a political choice as well. the us says they welcome the establishment of a transitional presidential council in haiti saying it will help pave the way for free and fair elections. haiti's government issued a formal decree after weeks of political wrangling. the nine—person council, seven of whom will have voting powers, could be sworn—in at the national palace, which has been besieged by armed street gangs who hold

a tight grip over the capital, port au prince. the council will be tasked with choosing a new interim prime minister and cabinet, following the recent resignation of prime minister ariel henry. it is not yet clear who is on the council — but one of the main gang leaders, jimmy �*barbecue�* cherizier, has already said his group will not lay down their weapons unless they have some kind of voice at the negotiating table. the world health organization says several regions in sudan may tip into famine if conflict does not end. it's the latest warning in the growing chorus of alarm over the country's hunger crisis. more than a year of war between the nation's army and opposition paramilitary forces has driven more than nine million people from their homes. the devastating humanitarian impact is especially acute in the darfur region, where it's been almost impossible for aid organisations to transfer supplies across conflict lines. the paramilitary rapid support forces now control the region, from where most aid workers have withdrawn.

the army has blocked land routes from outside the country, saying the measure is aimed at stopping the flow of weapons. and while it has eased the transport of some food and other essential supplies, it's not nearly enough. zam zam is one of sudan's largest displaced persons camps, and the bbc has obtained rare video from there. our correspondent barbara plett—usher reports. and a warning: some viewers may find images in her report distressing. infant cries. the youngest casualties of sudan's war are often not victims of bombs and bullets. this paediatric hospital in northern darfur is a front line in the country's hunger crisis. signs of malnutrition are stark. it's difficult for outsiders to get access to the region. we worked with a local cameraman to film these images. the son of this helima mohammed sulieman is getting emergency nutrition after bouts of diarrhoea and malaria. "we just don't have enough food here," she says. "we're farmers but aren't able to harvest enough now "and there's no other income. "medicine is hard to get."

in the next bed, amine ahmed ali is caring for six—month—old twins, slowly recovering from weeks of dysentery. doctors treated malnutrition here before the war. much more so now. translation: the numbers have doubled. _ every month, and the next month, the numbers increase. in the nearby zamzam camp for displaced people, they queue forfood. there isn't much of that, nor of clean water or healthcare. illnesses that could once be treated now kill. one child here dies every two hours — so says the charity doctors without borders, the last international humanitarians still on the ground. they found that one third of the camp's children under the age of five are malnourished,

and so are their mothers. qisma abubarkir is living that pain. she lost three children in four months. translation: i couldn't afford to take them to hospital. - the pharmacy demanded too much money. my first child died on the way home from there and the second child died after six days. the baby fell sick and died three days later. zamzam is one of sudan's largest camps, formed by previous conflict, so already fragile. but the latest war has displaced more than eight million people, blocked aid, shut down the economy. what's needed is full humanitarian access across conflict lines and a massive surge of food and medicine. but famine looms. i spoke to doctors without borders at their nairobi headquarters. we have a nutritional crisis. it's a catastrophic nutritional crisis. the children that we screened in the camp of zamzam is the tip of the iceberg. we are talking

about only one camp. so it could be much worse. it could be much worse, yes. this little boy may live, but if the war stretches into another year, many, many other children will die. barbara plett usher, bbc news, nairobi. in recent weeks, russia has targeted critical civilian infrastructure in ukraine — leaving millions without electricity and water. on thursday, the largest electricity provider for three main regions, including kyiv, was destroyed. in kharkiv on friday, 10 attacks took place — cutting power to more than 200,000 people. our eastern europe correspondent sarah rainsford travelled there and sent this report. russia's war on ukraine has entered a new phase. this power plant in kharkiv was hit with five missiles — part of a massive attack on the energy system across the country. farfrom saving ukrainians, as it still claims, russia

is trying to plunge their country into darkness. leading me through the ruins, igor has worked at this plant since soviet times. you don't usually hear engineers talk like this. translation: it's like my home has been destroyed. _ it brings pain and tears. but at the same time, that mobilises us because we know a city of more than a million people is depending on us. they're still assessing the damage here, seeing what they can salvage. this is where just one of the missiles hit, and as you can see, the result is completely devastating. this was an extremely precise attack because this power plant was hit by the russians a year ago.

the company had just got it repaired, just got it working, and the russians hit again. so ukraine is now pleading with its western allies for more air defences, better protection, because the russian attacks are overwhelming. siren wails. so there's just been another air raid alert and this time, there's information that there's a missile somewhere in the sky heading in this direction, so we're going down into the bunker. there are now long blackouts in kharkiv every day. but among it all, we found a firm making bikinis — a business that's even expanded during the war, adapting to the difficulties and the danger. it's interesting how long we can stay independent. olex shows me the car battery that's now keeping the power on here, charged by the sun. we don't think about electricity now. one problem is off.

one thing solved ? yeah. but the war is always on people's minds. russia is very close, and the increase in missile attacks is worrying. so victoria tells me keeping the business going is about keeping spirits up, too, giving people faith that there is a future here. when night falls, whole neighbourhoods are left in the dark. this is a city that calls itself unbreakable — russia is doing its best to change that. sarah rainsford, bbc news, kharkiv. that is the latest. thank you for your company. there is more on our website. see you soon. hello there. friday was a very warm day for april. temperatures widely reached the high teens and the warmest spots had temperatures

a bit higher than that. 21.5 degrees celsius was recorded at both st james' park and northolt, both in greater london, making it the warmest day of the year so far. we have something of a change in the weather forecast, though, for saturday. cooler air is going to be arriving across both scotland and northern ireland behind this cold front. and that's significant because scotland also recorded its warmest day of 2024 as well on friday — 20.2 degrees celsius in fyvie castle. but across scotland and northern ireland, temperatures widely will be dropping by around five or six degrees celsius into saturday. so you will notice that significant change. right now the weather is quite quiet, though. we've got a few patches of high cloud around, one or two areas of mist and fog and a few showers coming in across northern areas with the winds strengthening slightly. temperatures as we start saturday morning around 8 to 11 degrees celsius.

we're looking at a mild start to the day. now, a band of rain, a cold front will quickly swing its way into northern ireland and scotland. as that moves eastwards, what will follow is blustery showers with some hailstorms mixed in the winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour further southwards. now a patch of rain for northern england and across wales, otherwise largely dry. much cooler air across scotland and northern ireland arrives through the afternoon, whereas across england and wales it's going to be the last of the really warm days. temperatures, i suspect, will reach around 21 or 22 in the warmest areas of eastern england, with colder air arriving across most parts of england and wales after dark. well, that takes us into sunday's forecast. and sunday is going to be a blustery day for scotland and northern ireland. frequent showers here, some of them with hail and thunder mixed in. there will be a few showers developing through the day across northern england and wales, but it may well stay largely dry across east anglia and the south of england. wherever you are, temperatures will be much closer to average, 15 degrees in london. so a big change from the low 20s that we'll have on saturday, it will feel cooler. on into the start of the new week, monday sees low pressure move in off the atlantic with this cold front diving its way southwards across the country. and that's going to be bringing a spell of rain

followed by showers, showery weather conditions around for tuesday and for wednesday. but the weather should become drier and a bit warmer towards the end of next week. bye for now.

voice-over: this is bbc news. we will have the headlines for you at the top of the hour,

which is straight after this programme. i wanted to expose the criminality that runs through the heart of this corporation. they very nearly ruined my life. i have certainly seen how they have ruined the lives of others. it's really difficult for me to sit here and talk about this because the whole point of fighting these newspapers is because i was so keen to have my privacy. i feel a sense of duty to expose them, as they've exposed us. prince harry and sir eltonjohn have launched legal action against the publishers of the daily mail. action is being taken- against the sun newspaper. legal action against

the mirror group over allegations of phone hacking.