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george: actually, you don't need vision to do most things in life. it's exciting to be part of a team driving the technology forward. i think that's the most rewarding thing. people who know, know bdo. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news". >> hello, you are watching the context on bbc news. >> what is notable is this is the first assassination of a hamas leader we have seen in this current war. >> very high alerts in the country. because the question on everyone's mind is it is the

goal of 2028 and how it will be. >> we know the secretary-general urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions in the region. >> hamas says it's deputy leader has been killed in lebanon. a look at the claim and what it could mean for the conflict. also in the program. the passengers and crew managed to escape from this. five people were killed and the other plane involved in the crash in japan. in the u.k., the government claiming success on processing asylum claims. we will have a look at the numbers. and a new discovery goes on display. more than 100 million years old. a reptile nicknamed searex.

welcome to the program. we will start with developing news out of the middle east. hamas says its deputy leader has been killed in an explosion in lebanon. the deputy chair of the political bureau, also known to have been deeply involved in its military affairs. hamas is a designated terrorist organization by many western governments. this is the aftermath of the explosion thought to be hamas officers in beirut. reports of six people killed. local media have described this as an israeli drone attack. bbc has not verified that claim. the israeli military has told bbc it will not comment on reports in the foreign media. just in the last few minutes, one line i want to bring you from afp news agency claiming

with a bit more detail about what has happened and the response by hamas to what has happened. hamas' s chief saying the assassination of their top official in beirut is a terrorist act. a violation of lebanon's sovereignty and expansion of israel's hostility against palestinians also claiming mentioning the deputy leader plus two leaders of the brigades killed. the u.n. has described the beirut strike as extremely worrying. a spokesperson for the u.n. said it highlights the dangers of the conflict spilling over into the wider region. >> parties to exercise maximum restraint and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions in the

region. he was very clear, and he's mentioned the continued fighting has the risk of a great miscalculation by multiple actors. i think this is what we have been seeing in par of the region, sadly. >> let's go to jerusalem with our correspondent there. what is the reaction? we have been getting reaction from the lebanese caretaker prime minister who described it as a new israeli war crime saying it aims to drag lebanon to a new phase of the conflict. we've also heard from the advisor to the prime minister. he's been speaking to the u.s. network msnbc. he reacted to the blast saying israel did not take responsibility for the attack and it should be clear the attack was not on the lebanese state, but a surgical strike

against the hamas leadership. and we did reach out, they would not comment on reports from foreign media. there's also been condemnation from hamas. one of the most senior hamas officials on the political side, but also the military side, has been leading on both fronts. he's one of the people who have established the brigade very early on. since then, he's been really involved in the construction of it, the hierarchy of it, the very close details of it, as well. there is one famous piece of footage with him and other officials. >> i'm sorry about that, we are just losing sound quaty on your microphone.

but thank you for that. we certainly got that initial response from jerusalem. we will take a moment to look at the potential implications of all of this. bbc has not independently verified the details claimed by hamas thus far. but we are going to speak to the senior resident scholar in washington, a think tank. thank you for coming on the program. what is your reaction to what we have been hearing? >> it is a very dangerous escalation by israel. it could mean one of several things. could be the beginning of sustained israeli campaign of attacking and assassinating hamas leaders outside of gaza. the bulk of them are in qatar, a state that has been friendly. cool, but friendly towards israel. that would have a lot of

implications for the region. it could also be an effort by israel to escalate with hezbollah possibly withn eye to eventually convince the u.s. to attack iran's nuclear facilities. i knowt sounds many stages away, but the logic is there. >> we will leave those many stages for the moment. i want to reiterate, israel has not gained responsibility for this. -- claimed responsibility for this. if your hypothesis was true as it were, the worries from the beginning of the israel-gaza war were a spread potentially, do you think that is a significant step closer? >> i do, there is no doubt. the israelis come out if they have done this, which i don't see any reason to think it has not happened, and i don't think there is any doubt who would be

responsible and why. as your correspondent was saying, uniquely of the political leaders outside of gaza also part of the hamas military wing and close to the iranians. so he embodies that group. at the same time, it puts hezbollah in a very difficult situation and israel will have known that is what they are doing. >> just expand on that. up until now, hezbollah has been , relatively speaking, on the sidelines. do you think their calculations will have to change? >> they won't have to change. hezbollah still has the ability to ignore this or to retaliate in the border region within a mile or so of the border either way, which within the understood terms of engagement, will not provoke a larger conflict.

but the hezbollah leader says he would retaliate against any targeting of palestinian and hamas officials in lebanon. it clearly seems to be that. once again, and not for the first time in this crisis, he's going to be asked by hamas to live up to what they perceive his word to be to come into the frame, to be on their side, to be a military presence. i hope he's going to continue to resist. he could resist it. >> we will wait and see on that front. before i let you go, briefly, the deaths of these individuals, how much do they damage and we can hamas? >> they don't. they are all replaceable. everyoneutside of gaza is

basically part of the diplomatic wing of hamas. the former political leaders in damascus and now are mostly in qatar, except for one toggling between turkey and lebanon, are really the diplomatic way of hamas now. i think it it is an important link to iran, for sure. he was the link between the outside leadership and the military that he helped to found. it doesn't change anything, it does not we can hamas in any particular way. >> thank you for coming on the program. we are going to go to japan. you may well have seen the footage. two planes colliding on a runway . take a look if you have not seen these extraordinary pictures. this was the damage done.

an airbus 350 passenger plane on the runway hitting a smaller plane. let's rewind and look at this coming into land. coming into land on a runway. you can see it in flames. flown from another airport in the north of the country. let's take a look at what the passengers were going through. this is inside that flight. imagine the fear. 379 passengers and crew on board and they all got out safely. and as we go back to pictures of the aftermath, the plane collided with a smaller coast guard aircraft. it was taking emergency supplies to help earthquake rescue efforts when five people were

killed who were on board that plane. let's speak to jeffrey thoms, editor-in-chief of airline rantings.com. an airline safety.com. -- those pictures are pretty extraordinary to see. what was your reaction? >> terrifying images, for sure. a ghastly tragedy that could have been far worse. a terrible tragedy for the five people who have lost their lives on that coast guard aircraft. but certainly very dramatic images. >> what do we know about what could have happened here? it is still early stages, and there will be an investigation. but what are the potential scenarios that could have unfolded? >> preliminary suggestions are there was a miscommunication o

a misunderstanding between air traffic control and the pilot of the coast guard aircraft. and it appears as though the coast guard aircraft entered the runway just as the japan airlines i 350 from sapporo was touching down. the japan airlines aircraft struck the coast guard aircraft. it has exploded. the japan airlines aircraft continued the landing roll, but now on fire itself. that is essentially all we know at this stage. it may take some time for the precise details of what happened to come to light. >> what do you make of the fact the passengers and crew as we see it on re did manage to get

safely off of the passenger airplane >> that is aery good question. that is a miracle. first of all, all aircraft is certified so that all passengers can get off within 90 seconds with only half of the emergency exits open, assuming there is a fire on one side of their raft or one part of the aircraft. that is why they are certified. recently, we have seen so many passengers insisting on taking their baggage with them, carry-on baggage. that has slowed up the a grass from these damaged aircraft's, aircraft's on fire, to the point a lot of people have lost their lives. in this case, all passengers got off. i could not see any carrying bags at all. and they got off basically threw three slides, two at the front,

one in the back. that is an incredible feat to get all of those people off in such a short time on three exits. >> geoffrey thomas campbell eat to get your expertise. thank you. >> thank you. >> people on board he a coast guard plane where on the way to the west coast of japan, aid for those affected of a powerful earthquake on new year's day. 55 people are now known to have died in the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that hit the region. it was felt hundreds of miles away in tokyo. depends prime minister says it is a race against time to rescue those trapped beneath the rubble. our correspondent reports. >> this is a race for survival. rescue workers streamed through japan's isolated peninsula. the roads blocking their way. they are trying to reach the worst affected areas in the north, where people are trapped

under the collapsed homes. many families were out at temple celebrating new year's day when japan was hit by its strongest earthquake in 12 years. he thought his shrine was going to collapse. the whole gate was swaying. the alleyway was swaying. the children had to squat on the floor to not fall over. >> as we traveled for the epicenter, we were alerted to another earthquake. the aftershocks keep coming. further in, old wooden homes have been brought to the ground. not made to withstand the ferocity of japan's quakes. he lives here alone after losing

his wife. at 82, he doesn't know how he will manage the repairs. >> we always have earthquakes around here. but i did not think we would get one like this. i did not take it seriously. i thought that we were safe here. >> this is only the tip of the destruction. >> we are trying to get closer to the epicenter of a city we know a dozen people have died and many more are trapped in their homes. but we are struggling, if you look at this road, it is completely ruptured. we keep coming up against these roads that are totaled. even the emergency services on the rescue teams have been struggling to reach people. so we are still trying to piece together the extent of the damage and how many people have been killed and injured. >> some firefighters have managed to get into the wrecked city and are searching for

survivors. but the death toll is expected to rise. the people here have lived many earthquakes, but never felt tremors of this magnitude. which have shaken their surroundings and sense of safety. >> around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making the headlines. a man has appeared in court charged with the murder of a 46-year-old man in sheffield. chris marriott was hit by a car while trying to help a stranger. a 23-year-old was remanded in custody. working parents in england can apply for more healthy childcare costs from today. eligible two euros will relieve -- receive free childcare a week from april. providers say they will not have

the resources to manage the creased demand. last year was professionally the second warmest year since records began in 1884. that is according to the met office. the national weather service said the provisional temperature of nine point 97 degrees celsius was just behind the figure recorded in 2022. the warmest year on record. scientists say climate change is to blame. you are live with bbc news. we are going to take a moment to look at what 2024 will have in store. start by looking at geopolitics and the war in ukraine and gaza. no quick ending in sight to either one. so what will happen next? whatever does happen, the u.s. will be playing a big part in that answer.

large aid packages from both regions are currently being held up by u.s. lawmakers right now. all this playing into the fact it is an election year in the u.s.. what impact will that have? we will look at some of those questions now with a nonresident and senior fellow at the think tank and also -- who taught strategic planning at the u.s army school of advancements terri studies at the university of new haven. thank you both for coming on the context. a huge range of top -- topics and issues. we are going to start with where we think the war in ukraine is heading over the next couple of months. there is no sign of any ending. but that issue of funding from the u.s., from europe, the threat of a stalemate. what is your take on where we are heading over the next few

months? >> first of all, happy new year. thanks for having us back on. i think you nailed it. there will not be a big change with ukraine in 2024, unfortunately. in the past week, we have seen the russians intensify their missile strikes across ukraine. this is puzzling. if you look at what the russians did last year with major missile strikes, the numbe were much higher than this year. a lot of analysts did not know what to make of this. we thought they were not going to shoot them because the rocket strategy was unsuccessful. and we had seen their first weird -- fears were concerned, they are clustering the rockets in huge waves toverwhelm ukraine's air defense systems. it is a very tricky moment because the u.s. has not sent the ukraine package and the number of air defense systems are going down. everyone is very worried.

i think a big prediction is we are likely to see more action on the black sea. the ukrainians have done well on the black sea. that is an underreported story. they hit a huge boat in the last year, they've had major hits. they are really innovating with naval drones. that is an area i'm watching. one positive thing, i expect polis and ukrainian relations to improve. a new government in poland, they have sent their foreign minister. they had a board meeting with president zelenskyy. it is a positive ray of light. but i expect more progress on the black sea than in the don voss in the years to come. >> two negatives, one positive. matthew, what is your take on the month ahead? >> happy new year, good to see you again, melinda. melinda is right about everything. i will step up to a more strategic level. unfortunately, with all of the

success, bravery, and sacrifice ukraine has made, and they have made extraordinary sacrifices that have had great success, they have not had what they need, a significant political effect in moscow. nothing iseally changing in his decision catalyst. it is not affecting the russian population enough because vladimir putin has filled a buffer such as he can except 300,000 casualties and does not have protests at the kremlin wall. he can accept the loss of a huge chunk of military capacity, and it does not matter because he has the secret police to put down a protest and anybody else working against the regime. and lethal military force has to be able to have that kind of effect on the enemy. i think the only thing left at this point for ukraine is to take crimea. that is the big prize that might affect his decision-making, the russian public.

but it would be a stretch to do it. what that means is as melinda was saying, the real front is in finding the money. >> thank you so much matthew and melinda. i want to move on to the israel and gaza war. we are slightly tight for time. but we just got the news in the last few hours of the widening potential of the conflict in lebanon. where do you see the months ahead? >> i'm going to put my american hat on. i think joe biden is watching the middle east carefully. both ukraine and the middle east. because it is a big presidential election. and americans don't vote on foreign policy, but they vote on leadership. we know americans are paying attention to this. i expect to see the white house continuing to try to de-escalate and trying to find a swift way out of the war.

i don't have anything more specific. >> matthew, your thoughts? de-escalation, not exactly straightforward. >> what we know from the study of terrorism is this kind of approach to repress and destroy that israel is doing does not work. it creates more terrorists. i think the real question is where is that happening in the world outside of gaza? where is the leadership of hamas ? who might step in to replace leadership that is captured or killed? and i don't think the idf has an answer to that. but i think they are committed to this strategy. i think benjamin netanyahu cannot stop. he needs and out, he needs an exit ramp. he does not have it yet. i think biden may provide one for him. but we will see. >> great to get your analysis and thoughts. thank you both so much.

we will have to get you back to go more into the you his election cycle and how that will play into the geopolitics of these conflicts. for the moment, we must leave it there. coming up next in the u.k., the government claiming success on processing asylum claims. we will be taking a look at the numbers. this is bbc news. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymond james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freen foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

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♪ ♪ narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... woman: architect. bee keeper. mentor. a raymond james financial advisor tailors advice to help you live your life. life well planned.