israel says mr shukr, who has been hezbollah's top military leader for years, was responsible for an attack that killed twelve children and young people in the israeli—occupied golan heights on saturday. israel's retaliation on tuesday struck a beirut suburb. lebanon's health ministry says at least three people have been killed and 7a were injured. lebanon's prime minister condemned the strike as a "criminal act", calling it a "clear and explicit violation of international law". israel's defence minster yoav gallant has said mr shukr "has the blood of many israelis on his hands". but the iran—backed group has denied responsibility for the golan heights attack. as the region braces for a larger—scale israeli retaliation grow, there are fears a serious escalation with hezbollah could dash hopes of a ceasefire in gaza. our correspondent quentin somerville sent this update from the scene of that beirut strike. israel's response came just before sunset — a drone attack, three strikes

on a building in beirut�*s southern suburb of dahiyeh. explosions could be heard across the city, an attack that lebanon has been bracing itself against the days. against for days. the target, a hezbollah commander israel blames for the attack on majdal shams, in the occupied golan heights. emergency services here are still working to rescue the injured — at least one woman died and dozens have been left wounded. it's not known if the commander was killed. this is the building that was struck by an israeli drone. we believe, three rockets hit the building. as you can see, this is a heavily built—up civilian area, but israel says it had a hezbollah commander it holds responsible for the majdal shams attack on its sites. there are mixed reports about whether he actually made it out alive, but we know

there's been at least one woman killed and a number of people injured here tonight. this area of southern beirut was the same area in which a hamas official was targeted and killed by israel back in january this year — the big question now though is, what comes next? because israel has said its response will be severe, and it would take a number of days. so this strike may not be the end of it. a new footage has emerged tonight of saturday's attack in the golan — children playing quietly, then an air raid siren. there was no time to take cover. it left 12 dead, all children and young adults, watching a nearby football match. hezbollah, which has fired thousands of rockets and missiles into israel in the last ten months, denies it was behind the attack. the iranian—backed group stands shoulder—to—shoulder with hamas, but it's far better armed and its fighters more formidable. the conflict here was mainly contained to border areas

and military targets — the unwritten rules of this almost—war. but saturday's attack on the golan on civilians has pushed lebanon and israel to the brink. the united states and others had been working to contain things. how hezbollah responds to tonight's assassination attempt, and what israel does next, will determine whether war here is inevitable. quentin sommerville, bbc news, beirut. for more, let's turn to senior fellow at the washington institute for near east policy, matthew levitt. great to have you on the programme. israel claims it killed hezbollah�*s most senior military commander fuad shukr in this. how significant would that be? thank you for having me. fuad shukr is one of the original leaders of the hezbollah

external military. before killing is relative was killing americans and french in the early 1980s. americans and french in the earlyi9805. inaudible americans and french in the early 19805. inaudible 400 hezbollah killed in the last four months. it adds up to a pretty big hole. this is going to make a difference but it does not mean hezbollah that is not continued to fight. what do you think happens next? is this a one—off strike or is this the start of something more? it is dangerous to try and predict what parties like israel and hezbollah are going to do. my guess is likely retaliation against iran inaudible in april, israel

chose to respond with one very targeted attacks against some very sensitive targets and then pulled back and i think this is what they are doing here. they chose a very sensitive target in a very sensitive place but three rockets from a drone and thatisit three rockets from a drone and that is it on the question is how does hezbollah retaliate. if hezbollah doesn't retaliate. what kind of threats does the group pose militarily? how strong is it? hezbollah is extremely strong. stronger than most national armies in the region. many, many times stronger than hamas. it has 150,000 plus rockers and other types of projectiles, tens of thousands of those are believed to be precision guided munitions that can be aimed at a particular window. but they are also highly trained ground forces and israeli civilians in the north have been displaced in the homes are not going to go back even if there is some

type of deterrence reinstated over the rocket fred until they believe that the threat of an october seven type of rate across the border is addressed. —— threat. from the north, from hezbollah. they have very great weapons. fuad shukr is also believed to be in charge of the most strategic weapons, its surface to see weapons. drained programmes and precision guided missiles. we programmes and precision guided missiles. ~ ., programmes and precision guided missiles. ~ . , ., missiles. we have been hearing from several _ missiles. we have been hearing from several american - missiles. we have been hearing from several american officialsl from several american officials today. secretary of defense lloyd austin said: "i don't believe that a fight is inevitable," "we would like to see things resolved in a diplomatic fashion." what would a diplomatic solution here look like? they have been trading blows since october seven. first there is — since october seven. first there is going _ since october seven. first there is going to - since october seven. first

there is going to be - since october seven. first there is going to be some | since october seven. f "sit there is going to be some type of hezbollah retaliation. if they do it in a minimalist way to put this back and forth behind us. the head of hezbollah has made it clear he will not stop shooting until there is a deal with hamas in there is a deal with hamas in the south and that is critical for there to be some kind of deal in the north. adele and another is not going to and hezbollah�*s facilities against israel and its desire to destroy the jewish state but they could be a council resolution 1701, under which hezbollah is not allowed to carry weapons south of the river and that could go some way to help confidence for israelis and putting this round of conflicts over the last nine months behind us.- of conflicts over the last nine months behind us. looking at the chances _ months behind us. looking at the chances for _ months behind us. looking at the chances for a _

months behind us. looking at the chances for a ceasefire i the chances for a ceasefire into gaza, is this a roadblock? i think this is a bump in the road. i think that there are issues that are causing both hamas and israel to want to move forward with a deal that will deal with the release of hostages. and are beginning to rebuilding gaza with a government that does not include hamas. on the hamas size, the fact that israeli control certain quarters, the feeling that pressure. benjamin netanyahu really does not want full—scale war with hezbollah and hezbollah has made than not going to stop shooting until there is a deal in the south so i am trying to be cautiously optimistic but cautiously. thank you. at least 11 people have been killed and dozens injured

in ongoing protests after president nicolas maduro was declared the winner of venezuela's presidential election for a third time. the organisation of american states has said there was "exceptional manipulation" in sunday's presidential election. the opposition says it won seventy percent of the votes and can prove it with receipts from voting machines. thousands gathered peacefully on tuesday in the capital, caracas, in support of the opposition, that's in contrast to monday's violent protests. the leader of the opposition, has called on her supporters to remain peaceful. regional neighbours including brazil, colombia, and the us have condemned violence against demonstrators after security forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at some protesters. in a televised address, president maduro accused the opposition of starting a coup. our south america correspondent ione wells sent this update from the demonstrations in caracas. more protests broke out today around the city of caracas. thousands and thousands of people turned out to demonstrate against

president maduro and his claim to victory in sunday's presidential elections. some of those that we spoke to said they believe the election was a fraud, they believe that people needed to keep fighting, and they hoped that pressure from the streets would help to change the situation. some, though, argued that it would only be if the military or police decided to join the opposition that anything would change. now the opposition leader, maria corina machado, has asked for her side to remain peaceful. she said that people shouldn't give in to provocations set by the government — in her words — and said that they had proof that their side had won this election, after gathering more physical receipts from some of the country's electronic voting machines. the government, on the other hand, has accused the opposition of instigating, in their words, a coup, with both president maduro and his defence minister saying that this is a coup that is trying to destabilise the country of venezuela,

and they argue this is backed by, in their words, "us imperialism". they have also accused foreign governments around the world of interfering with the election and this is a reference to the fact that many, many countries and governments around the world have said that they want proof from the president of his electoral win if they are to recognise the election results, arguing that there is significant evidence that these results are not credible. nicolas maduro, in response, has cut diplomatic ties with some countries, including some in latin america, also cutting off international flights from wednesday to panama. with me is venezuelan american political dissident, francisco marquez, who now lives here in the us. thank you for stopping by. i'm sure you have been following closely the events taking place in venezuela. what have you been hearing from friends or family or members of the opposition about what is taking

place and whether or not these protests will continue?- protests will continue? what happened — protests will continue? what happened on _ protests will continue? what happened on july _ protests will continue? what happened on july 28 - protests will continue? what happened on july 28 was - protests will continue? w�*ué�*ii happened on july 28 was people happened onjuly 28 was people spoke clearly with 67% of the vote. edmundo gonzalez at 30% for nicolas maduro. at one of the voting tallies were gathered, printed by the machines... paper copies printed by the machine that do not just come printed by the machine that do notjust come out of nowhere but clearly prove the opposition won and i will finish with this, more than 48 hours since election took place. the electoral authority declared maduro the winner without posting a single specific vote by sector or state. ., specific vote by sector or state. . ., state. that said, maduro has been declared _ state. that said, maduro has been declared the _ state. that said, maduro has been declared the winner- state. that said, maduro has| been declared the winner and state. that said, maduro has i been declared the winner and is still in power and does not look like he will step down. as you watch the events unfolding,

what do you think might take place next? are you afraid that they could be some form of escalating violence? there's been a massive _ escalating violence? there's been a massive escalation i escalating violence? there's| been a massive escalation of violence. i was in prison in 2016 forfour months violence. i was in prison in 2016 for four months in four different prisons. they tortured a person for 30 minutes in front of me to send me a message and in the last 24 hours that they have been 15 assassinations and at least 80 confirmed reports of imprisonment. having said that, they have been millions of people on the street. people are not showing fear and that coming up full force, more and more by the day, and i think we are at a point that if we create enough pressure in venezuela and internationally, the regime will be forced to concede because there has never been such a brazen attempt, i would even say in the recent history of latin america of such open massive fraud. you were in prison in venezuela under the maduro government. you were arrested while collecting signatures for a recall referendum against venezuelan president nicolas maduro.

what goes through your mind now when you see people out onto the street. we also heard reports of opposition members being detained. we heard reports that there will be patrols across the country. it shows the strength and resilience of an people. i am fortunate one of 14,000 cases of illegal attainment since 2014, since maduro started the regime and get after 40,000 people have been detained, you still see millions of people on the street. what does that tell you? after 25 years of dictatorship people are still wanting to vote and fight for freedom and if that is very relevant to what we're trying to do right now. maria corina machado and edmundo gonzalez in this fight and edmundo gonzalez should be declared by the international community as a leader. ~ . , . international community as a leader. ~ ., , ., ., , leader. we are starting to see demonstrations _ leader. we are starting to see

demonstrations even - leader. we are starting to see demonstrations even in - leader. we are starting to see demonstrations even in rural, j demonstrations even in rural, poor areas, typical the stronghold of maduro and his party. does that say potentially this could be a different result this time? there are a lot of things that are different. the opposition forces have never won a landslide a presidential election the last one contested was very short. in this case, maduro lost the stronghold is a long time ago. just for the last two years, maduro's poll numbers were low, the quick account and exit polls on that day showed more than a 30% point victory and the results were published also have maduro being beat almost by 40 points that everything was consistent to show that people do not support maduro and are willing to fight for it. across all social status. across all geography. across all states. and that has been a while, a couple of years in the making. it is notjust started today.

today there is just a lot more evidence to prove people are against maduro and for a change in edmundo gonzalez and the opposition leader maria corina machado. ,, . ., , ., ,, ., machado. the secretary of state antony blinken _ machado. the secretary of state antony blinken after _ machado. the secretary of state antony blinken after the - antony blinken after the results released he had pretty big doubts as well about the result here. you are in the us, what would you like to see the biden administration do when it comes in venezuela? i biden administration do when it comes in venezuela?— comes in venezuela? i think it is very important _ comes in venezuela? i think it is very important for _ comes in venezuela? i think it is very important for the - is very important for the united states and all democracies in the world to recognise edmundo gonzalez as president—elect. that is first and foremost and i also believe democracies of the world can help with creating the right incentive structure within the maduro regime. not everyone inside the maduro regime wants to pull off a majorfraud. there are a lot of factors inside the regime, military and security forces who know what happen and are willing to preserve the constitution and support the people. just briefl , support the people. just briefly, opposition - support the people. just briefly, opposition leader

maria corina machado has been addressing her supporters, she has been urging for peaceful protests. how would you like to see her navigate this going forward? this does appear to coming to a head. maduro is not going to leave office and she is not going to give up her fight. i is not going to give up her fiuht. ~' is not going to give up her fiuht. ~ ., fight. i think the truth would revail. fight. i think the truth would prevail- i _ fight. i think the truth would prevail. i know _ fight. i think the truth would prevail. i know the - fight. i think the truth would i prevail. i know the venezuelan people continued to fight for freedom and it something that will be led, the citizen movement, that is led by edmundo gonzalez maria corina machado and and they will continue to call for peaceful street protests and it is something a lot of people confuse venezuela is a conflict between two sides, this is not an issue of ideology, the communist party is openly against maduro, maduro lost in against maduro, maduro lost in a landslide, the majority of people fighting for their freedom in one way or another and we believe that objective will be achieved with the help

of course of the international community. of course of the international community-— of course of the international communi . ., , . community. thank you very much. thank yom — around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. an inquest has heard how a woman who was killed in a crossbow attack alongside her mother and sister managed to call the police and give her address before she was cut off. hannah hunt also sent a text message saying she was tied up. the inquest was told that she was still alive when police officers arrived. the housing secretary, angela rayner, has set out changes to england's planning laws to help deliver labour's promise of 1.5 million new homes by 2029. housing targets would become mandatory again and low—quality green belt would be reclassified as "grey belt". but the conservatives say it would force suburban areas to take more housing from urban labour areas. tuesday has become the hottest day of the year so far as a heatwave continues to affect large parts of the uk.

met office measuring stations in south—west london reached 32 degrees. london, southern england and south—eastern wales are expected to meet the official criteria for a heatwave this week. authorities are warning the hot spell could be dangerous for older age groups. you're live with bbc news. uk prime minister keir starmer has condemned a violent protest that took place in the northern town of southport on tuesday night, following the fatal stabbing of three girls on monday. demonstrators chanting far—right slogans clashed with police. one officer was injured as objects were thrown, with a police van set alight. police say tuesday's violence erupted when several hundred people from the english defence league began to throw items at a mosque. the three children killed in the knife attack at a taylor swift—themed day camp have been named, as 9—year—old alice aguiar, 6—year—old bebe king, and elsie dot stancombe, who was 7.

police say 5 other children and two adults are in a critical condition in hospital. a 17—year—old man remains in custody following yesterday's attack. our home affairs correspondent daniel sanford has more on this story. tonight, the tragedy of southport descended into violence. a few hundred people had gathered outside the local mosque for a protest. they had been fired up by social media posts that suggested — incorrectly — an islamist link to monday's stabbings. now the protest has turned into a small riot, with large rocks being thrown at police officers wearing riot helmets and carrying shields. at times, there was extreme violence, as heavy rocks rained down on officers, and a police vehicle

was set on fire. the home secretary had earlier warned about disinformation linked to the attack. this seems to have been one of the consequences. the suspect has no known links to islam. yesterday, the usual quiet of this modern cul—de—sac, where the 17—year—old suspect lived, in banks, just outside southport, had been shattered by the arrival of armed police officers. and today, the close remained closed, as forensic officers meticulously gathered evidence. the 17—year—old is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. the suspect was born in cardiff to parents who had moved to the uk from rwanda. the family, including his older brother, moved to the southport area 11 years ago, and to this close in banks seven years ago. we do know his name, but it is unlawful for us to identify him, because he is under 18 and involved

in criminal proceedings. neighbours say he left his home in banks yesterday in a taxi at around 11.30am. he was wearing a covid—style facemask. about a quarter of an hour later, a man arrived in a taxi on hart street. the police were called at 11.47am to reports of a stabbing at the taylor swift—themed dance event, just off hart street. the suspect was arrested at the scene. this 3d animation shows how the hart space dance studio, where the stabbings happened, is down a cul—de—sac, with only one way in and out. so it may have been difficult for people to escape once the attack started. the new home secretary was in southport this morning to lay flowers and meet the police, fire, and ambulance staff who responded to what she called an unimaginable attack. it's beyond every parent's worst nightmare. you had what should have been a children's party, having fun at the beginning of the summer holidays, could then turn into something so devastating.

with police forensics teams poring over the streets around the attack site today, the 17—year—old remains in custody but has not been charged. but that was before tonight's riot, in which one officer suffered a broken nose. merseyside police said the violence was sickening for a community already devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives. daniel sandford, bbc news. us lawmakers have questioned two security officials about the failures that led to the assassination attempt on former president trump's pennsylvania campaign rally earlier this month. the joint hearing with acting secret service director ronald rowe and fbi deputy director paul abbate at times grew heated as lawmakers pressed both men about the communication breakdowns between law enforcement on the ground. while, some senators demanded accountability for the operation, which mr rowe acknowledged in his opening remarks was a failure. one of my first actions as

acting director was travelling to the site to better understand how our protection failed. i went to the roof of the building where the assailant fired a shot and i laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. what i saw made me ashamed. as a career in law enforcement officer and a 25 year veteran with the secret service, i cannot defend why that roof was not better secured. our north america correspondent nomia iqbal has been following the hearing. mr wright was keen to strike a different tone to his predecessor when she was at that last week. she was accused of being very defensive and gave vague answers that led to the conclusion of her standing down. mr rowe has now stand up to be the acting head of the secret service and he went in and he was completely remorseful, as we heard in the statement, take responsibility

for the circumstances, that he could not sleep at night and was ashamed but was also very forceful. during the hearing, they were shouting matches with some republican senators and... we will have more on this story at the top of the hour. stay with us. hello. tuesday brought us the warmest day of the year so far. several parts of london saw temperatures up to 32 celsius, including heathrow, kew gardens, saintjames' park, as well. and it's notjust been the warmest day of the year, we've also officially seen a heat wave already in some regions, especially kent, east malling, and bramham, in west yorkshire. these areas have seen temperatures exceed their heatwave threshold for sunday, monday, and tuesday. so already, three consecutive days and we may well see another day or so of heatwave conditions in some areas. so, it's still warm and humid again, but a thunderstorm risk as we head through wednesday in the southeast of england. to start the day, then, we've got the heat and humidity in the south from the word go. it's fresher further north.

long spells of sunshine, lots of dry weather, light winds, really pleasant late—july day but it is humid towards the south and, as we head through the afternoon, you can see those showers and thunderstorms starting to crop up, particularly so across parts of kent into sussex, as well. they'll be hit—and—miss, so you might not see one, but if you do catch one, could be some localised flooding. top temperatures still 28—29 for central and southern areas. low—205 or high teens though further north. now, heading on into wednesday evening and overnight into thursday, some of those heavy showers and thunderstorms become a little bit more extensive, especially across parts of england and wales. could be a bit of rain across the west of scotland heading on into thursday, as well. it's going to be another really muggy, sticky night in the south — mid—to—high—teens here — a little bit warmer further north than it has been overnight too. now through thursday, we've got this first mass of heavy showers and thunderstorms that clears away, and then, through the day cloud and showers bubble up. so again, some thunderstorms potentially breaking out, especially for england and wales, i think during the afternoon. drier for scotland and northern ireland.

temperatures 22—28 — so still above average for most of us. we've still got that warm air with us as we head through friday. but later on friday and into saturday, a frontal system pushes its way eastwards and that's going to allow fresher air to start to move in from the west. so, a change in weather—type as we head through friday into saturday. still quite warm and sunny in the south and east, i think, through friday, but the winds pick up in the north and the west with the arrival of some showers, as low pressure starts to move in. so, temperatures around about 16—21 for northern ireland and scotland, still about 28 in the far southeast but then, eventually, things do turn a little bit fresher and more unsettled as we head into the weekend. bye for now.

microsoft reports a slowdown in sales at its azure cloud service, sending shares sinking in after—hours trade. homelessness in australia is on the rise, as the country finds itself on the brink of a housing crisis. hello and welcome to business today. i'm arunoday mukharji. we're in the thick of us earnings season, with some of the largest tech companies reporting this week. investors are looking for signs that the tech giants are starting to monetise investments in artificial intelligence, and that anxiety was on full display when microsoft reported after tuesday's closing bell.

my colleague erin delmore filed this report from new york. investors' confidence in the tech sector has sent the major us stock indexes to record high after record high this year. some of the tech giants, especially those working on artificial intelligence technology and products, have been duking it out for the title of most valuable company. some, including nvidia, microsoft and apple have hit the $3 trillion mark. now investors want to see those huge investments in al pay off. microsoft reporting quarterly earnings after tuesday's closing bell and there was good news in there. stronger earnings and revenue than had been predicted by a nalysts. but another headline overshadowed it. microsoft's azure cloud service, the engine behind many of microsoft's services, posted a slowdown in growth, and that was enough to initially sent shares down and that was enough to initially send shares down some 7% in after—hours trading. the ai disappointment factor wasn't contained to just one company.

the session saw a wider tech sell—off