live from london. this is bbc news. defiance from iran's supreme leader. in a rare speech, he praises his country's missile attack on israel, and hints there could be more to come. overnight — huge blasts in beirut close to the airport — reports suggest israel was targeting hezbollah�*s next leader. our correspondent lucy williamson reports on more exchanges of fire between hezbollah and israeli forces. some small arms fire across the border. it seems the israeli army is pushing in to a location. and this was the response. our other main headline — mps will get a vote on assisted dying in england and wales. some welcome the move,

others express caution. hello, i'm matthew amroliwala. welcome to today's bbc verify. we start with the crisis in the middle east. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah khamenei, has defended his country's missile attack on israel earlier this week as a �*minimum punishment�* in a rare public speech, as he led friday prayers in tehran for the first time in five years. he told a huge crowd of supporters that iran and its allies must prepare for action — as he led commemorations for the hezbollah leader, hassan nasrallah, who was killed by israel last week. iran fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles into israel on tuesday night in retaliation for his assassination, and israel has promised to hit back. overnight, there were more huge explosions in beirut, close to the main airport. us officials say israel was targeting the potential successor to nasrallah.

there have also been reports of 20 rockets being fired from lebanon into israel. let's go to the live pictures from beirut. smoke can be seen rising over the capital in the last hour or two. reporting that two of the israeli soldiers have been killed. ten, the number killed in lebanon since their ground invasion began on tuesday. that is the backdrop, those are the live pictures. let's start this hour with the news from iran — and this from caroline hawley. this was designed as a show of strength from a regime deeply humiliated by a series of devastating blows to its allies. hezbollah and hamas supporters gathered first to commemorate the hezbollah leader hassan nasrallah, killed in an israeli air strike a week ago today. free transport was offered to those who came, and then the supreme leader appeared.

last friday he was reported to have gone into hiding. today, he came out in public to deliver a sermon for the first time since the start of 2020, when iran's top military commander had just been killed in an american air strike. and he came with a message of defiance, saying that hamas�*s attack on israel last october had been legitimate. so, too, iran's response on tuesday to the killing of the hezbollah leader. translation what our - armed forces did was the least punishment for the usurping zionist regime. in response to the regime's astonishing crimes. speaking partly in farsi, partly in arabic, it was an attempt to rally muslims to stand against israel, to restore iran's credibility at the helm of what it calls the axis of resistance. on tuesday night, it fired around 200 ballistic missiles at israel, and the world is now bracing for israel's retaliation, wondering how iran will respond to that

when it comes. and israel is continuing its battering of hezbollah. these explosions last night in the suburbs of beirut, close to the country's airport, are thought to have been targeting the next leader of the group. and nothing being said, either by iran today or israel provides much hope now of anything beyond more destruction. caroline hawley, bbc news. i've been speaking to our correspondents anna foster in beirut and nick beake in northern israel. anna was in beirut during a large blast overnight. it was a huge, a really significant blast, matthew. it could be felt right across the city and heard right across the city as well. and interesting, as you say there, those reports that came from the israeli media saying that the target of that was one of the men who was tipped to become the next leader of hezbollah. it's interesting that it is a week now since hassan nasrallah

was killed here in beirut, and hezbollah are yet to name a successoi’. we also don't know for sure what happened with hassan nasrallah's funeral. there were some suggestions that his body would be taken to iraq, perhaps buried in the holy city of najaf. but again, everything on that front has gone really quite quiet in the last week or so in terms of information coming out. but, you know, it's worth probably just taking a moment to reflect. when we look at those live pictures as we do, of the city of beirut, the lebanese capital, with smoke rising up to the skyline, and the fact that that is now a constant daily image again, in the last few hours, we've seen strikes around the southern suburbs, which are very close to the airport, where of course, we're seeing far fewer flights out than we're used to. there's only the lebanese national carrier still flying and charter flights that have actually been put on by governments to try and remove their nationals, because there just aren't tickets and seats on commercial flights to be had any more. and some of those air strikes that we see are extremely close to the airport, one of them very close to a sports stadium this morning. and the sound of sirens, which you can possibly hearjust on the wind, and also the sound of drones, again, an absolutely constant sound in the skies above beirut

at the moment. and of course, notjust here in the capital. that fierce fighting is continuing in the south of the country as well, matthew. and i'll come back to you in a moment, but let me bring in nick beake, who's in northern israel, and nick, just in the last five minutes or so, the israeli military saying two soldiers have been killed in combat in northern israel. anna was giving us a sense of what it's like there in beirut. give me a sense of what it's like where you are. well, matthew, the idf, the israeli defense forces have been updating us about what they've been doing over the past four days. they say that they have killed 250 hezbollah fighters, and they've got quite a detailed breakdown of who they say they've killed, including 20 commanders. than 2,000 targets. in all, they say they've gathered weapons as they've gone about their operations, and that a lot of hezbollah fighters have been fleeing from the fighting. i think, though, with that

breaking news, you give us that two more israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting just over the hills behind us, just into the border with lebanon, is a reflection of what is a very tough fight for the israelis. of course, they're operating on land that hezbollah knows extremely well. and just a final thought on the fighting itself, matthew. the israelis talking about that they're continuing to carry out limited targeted operations. but i think what we're seeing from these evacuation orders show that a lot of civilians, clearly, and lebanese civilians are affected by this. the fact that the israeli military is giving out these orders for people to leave to, to move north at very short notice, to take whatever possessions they can. and of course, there are parallels with what the israeli military have been telling families in gaza to do for the best part of a year. yes, absolutely.

nick beake and anna foster. throughout the course of the day we have seen more israeli attacks and more rockets fired into israel from has blah mac. 0ur correspondent lucy williamson has been filming on the israeli side of the border with lebanon — where there've been clashes between hezbollah fighters and israeli troops. have a look. we're starting to see more signs of resistance to israeli forces on the other side of the border. even a year of air strikes, intelligence operations, raids by special forces have not destroyed hezbollah�*s ability to fight back just a few miles in, spread out. we've just heard some bursts of small arms fire and what sounded like some grenades from the israeli army. and now you can hear the sirens are going off telling us to get out of the area. explosion

we just heard a series of very loud explosions. what seems to be rockets landing nearby. some small arms fire across the border. it seems the israeli army is pushing in to a location. and this was the response. yeah. good. good to go, jojo. come on. time to go. lucy williamson on the borders. timour azhari is the iraq bureau chief for reuters news agency — hejoins me live from beirut. thank you for being here with us. i know you have only recently been there in the city, but while you have been there, give me an idea of what

it has been like.— it has been like. yes, things have been — it has been like. yes, things have been developing - it has been like. yes, things - have been developing extremely quickly. in the past few weeks, where there has been that heavy escalation. constant air strikes, the suburbs of beirut are being hammered, smoke constantly there. buildings destroyed. you have had about 100 evacuation orders for towns, villages and even small cities in the south of the country at very short notice. people picking up what they have and getting out. beirut is full of people who are displaced and many people have been displaced many times. it shows no time to live in a sign of letting up. israel says it is going to keep going. in the south of the country, but last night we had the air strikes in the southern suburbs and there are reports that the targets are reports that the targets are yet to be appointed but very likely the next leader of hezbollah. seem to be going

nowhere, lots of accounts of what —— lots of what is happening in gaza. what -- lots of what is happening in gaza. that huge explosion _ happening in gaza. that huge explosion next _ happening in gaza. that huge explosion next to _ happening in gaza. that huge explosion next to the - happening in gaza. that huge explosion next to the airportl explosion next to the airport which you just reference. in terms of being in the city, because at different stages the israelis have given warnings to people that said, move from buildings where hezbollah actually have premises and headquarters and operate out of. what do people know about all of that and where are they going? let the notices that come out are often coming out between iipm come out are often coming out between 11pm and 3am and they are posted on twitter. if you don't happen to be on twitty or watching aljazeera who put these up very quickly, you will probably miss them. the point is that people have got the message, the message is that they should leave any place

where hezbollah has any kind of influence or any place where the country's shear majority live. that has happened. the east of the country, the south and the southern areas have become... most of them have left. what is unfortunate is that this has taken on a mac rather... displaced figures, at 11pm rather... displaced figures, at ”pm we wait for the injuries and casualties of the days. those moments are punctuated by heavy air strikes or, of course, the horrible stories we find. �* ., ., find. and the human impact of all of this- _ find. and the human impact of all of this. but _ find. and the human impact of all of this. but in _ find. and the human impact of all of this. but in a _ find. and the human impact of all of this. but in a sense - find. and the human impact of all of this. but in a sense we l all of this. but in a sense we see sort of is that there is a new reality here. and then the question becomes, when will people be able to come home? if they will be able to go home, and what kind of a home are they going back to? this city has swelled, lebanon was already a country that could barely hold itself together. and now you sort of habit

ripping at the seams. very dire. ~ . , . ripping at the seams. very dire. ., , ., ,. , dire. we are sharing pictures ofthat dire. we are sharing pictures of that strike _ dire. we are sharing pictures of that strike near _ dire. we are sharing pictures of that strike near the - dire. we are sharing pictures| of that strike near the border with syria. that huge crater. we had from agencies about people getting out, and hate getting in. i know you have been visiting shelters within beirut. i think you told our producer that normally there is a huge class divide in beirut but, given events happening to everyone in that city, that seems to have, in a sense, just disappeared. that isn't how it is for people actually operating on the ground now. there has always been southern lebanon is, lebanon is of low income people who struggle to make income meet... and there is several versions of that. there are syrian refugees here, more than i there are syrian refugees here, more thani million there are syrian refugees here, more than 1 million of them. an ethiopian, south—east asian community. what we have seen in

these attacks is that the attacks have targeted some of the areas where most of these low income people live. the southern suburbs of beirut is one of those. you have rents thatis one of those. you have rents that is not that high. and so, yes, in a sense these people have moved into other kinds of shelters, some of them places i visited before yesterday, on beirut�*s waterfront. the miami of beirut, is what it was supposed to be, this waterfront area. you know, it is interesting in a way because this was sort of a symbol for what is, in the way, an unjust society, like many other societies in the world. but still a society to stop now you have displaced people living there, it is unclear when they will move on. this does in the world. but still a society to stop now you have displaced people living there, it is unclear when they will move on.

this does then away symbolise the form of a certain idea of lebanon. in the making, that it will become —— has been on the decline. now, nobody really thinks that. it doesn't mean it can't come back. it always finds a way of coming back. that people are not very hopeful at this moment. certainly, they struggle to see that. . ~ certainly, they struggle to see that. ., ~ , ., certainly, they struggle to see that. ., ~ . ., that. thank you so much for “oininu that. thank you so much for joining us- _ that. thank you so much for joining us. very _ that. thank you so much for joining us. very interesting, that perspective from beirut. earlier in the day we heard from iran's supreme leader leading friday prayers for the first time in years. hinted that more could come, depending on israel's response. earlier i spoke to the former ambassador to iran. earlier i spoke to the former ambassadorto iran. he earlier i spoke to the former ambassador to iran. he gave me his analysis. i ambassador to iran. he gave me his analysis-_ his analysis. i was living there after _ his analysis. i was living there after the - his analysis. i was living there after the last - his analysis. i was living j there after the last time his analysis. i was living i there after the last time he gave the prayers. the regime

felt on the back foot then. i think now it's public feels much more on the back foot. so i think what he was trying to do today was three things. to show defiance to iran's enemies, to gain the support of other islamic countries. but i think he knows that there is very limited support among the other regional countries for iran. but particularly to rally the support of his supporters both in the country and the so—called acts of resistance across the region. he so-called acts of resistance across the region. he knows the re5ponses _ across the region. he knows the responses coming _ across the region. he knows the responses coming from - across the region. he knows the responses coming from israel, | responses coming from israel, they have been quite clear about that. what you think the calculations currently are in tehran? i calculations currently are in tehran? ~ , calculations currently are in tehran? ~' , ., tehran? i think there will be a lot of very _ tehran? i think there will be a lot of very difficult _ lot of very difficult discussions going on behind closed doors in tehran. although iran has options as to what to do, and when they see what to do, and when they see what israel's counterstrike is against them. they are not

attractive options. the big deterrent they have had for years now has been hezbollah. which at the moment is disrupted. they have a large arsenal which they can fire back at is directly again. but they know what that will lead to. then they have the option of going after economic targets in the region, particularly oil infrastructure has been speculated, particularly their own infrastructure if it is hit in an israeli strike. but that brings the risk of bringing united states into conflict, the last thing it wants. how vulnerable _ the last thing it wants. how vulnerable do _ the last thing it wants. how vulnerable do you _ the last thing it wants. how vulnerable do you think - the last thing it wants. how vulnerable do you think iran is? the question has been that the proxies give them cover, its huge arsenals. all of that landscape has been so altered. how vulnerable is tehran? that is the calculation being made by the israelis. mil

is the calculation being made by the israelis.— by the israelis. all of this for the regime _ by the israelis. all of this for the regime is - by the israelis. all of this for the regime is not - by the israelis. all of this i for the regime is not about winning a war. it is about regime survival. they will be calculating the risk to the regime seeming too weak. against the risk of bringing very severe military attacks down on its head. they are... they have many vulnerabilities. they have many vulnerabilities. they have many vulnerabilities. they have played their hand well over the years but they have been outplayed over recent months in particular. and they will be feeling weak and vulnerable. at the end of the day. iran will still be there. unless the military situation that is itself into a political track, conflicts will not be able to...— political track, conflicts will not be able to... given what ou not be able to... given what you have — not be able to... given what you have just _ not be able to... given what you havejust said, - not be able to. .. given what you have just said, how- you havejust said, how dangerous to think the current situation is?— situation is? there is clearly a risk of _ situation is? there is clearly a risk of further _ situation is? there is clearly a risk of further escalation. | a risk of further escalation. harm to civilians in numerous places and that could get worse. i think one of the biggest risks, and it may not

be the most likely scenario, but one of the worst things that could happen is that iran needs to make a dash for a nuclear weapon in order to have a deterrent to preserve itself. i think that will be many people inside the system in tehran counselling against that because they will see what response it will bring. but there will be people saying, if we have a nuclear weapon, we wouldn't be pushed around now. benjamin netenyahu for a decade has been warning exactly about that threat. there are so many analysts suggesting that perhaps that is part of his calculation, this opportunity, he moves to try to remove that potential threat. a final thought in terms of the wider region, because there have been efforts over the last two years to normalise relations between israel and the arab world. where does the last 12 months, the last couple of weeks, leave all of that? it

the last couple of weeks, leave all of that?— all of that? it has been very strikin: all of that? it has been very striking that _ all of that? it has been very striking that the _ all of that? it has been very striking that the arab - striking that the arab neighbours have wanted to keep out of this fight. they have not, those that have started the process of normalisation, israel have not reversed that, clearly face the net, in terms of where populations are, it is hard to see that continuing in the short term. in the long run, if that has to be the most positive outcome for the region, to have a normalisation, that is also what will count over disruptive and destabilising impact of iran and its proxies. the uk's former ambassador - iran and its proxies. the uk's former ambassador to - iran and its proxies. the uk's former ambassador to iran. l around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news.

welcome back to bbc news. let's get back to our main story. israel has continued to strike southern beirut and lebanon,

telling more than 30 villages in the south to immediately evacuate and head north. meanwhile, rockets continue to be fired into israel from lebanon — with the idf saying around 20 rocket launches were identified this morning. most were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas. i've been speaking to gershon baskin — a former hostage negotiator who has been in talks with members of hamas in hopes to reach a deal with the israeli government. i asked him where the talks currently wear.— currently wear. the formal negotiations _ currently wear. the formal negotiations are _ currently wear. the formal negotiations are frozen - currently wear. the formal| negotiations are frozen and currently wear. the formal - negotiations are frozen and not moving forward at all in the last few weeks. however there is another deal on the table, one which hamas has communicated to me in writing and voice messages. and i have communicated it to others, on the desk of president biden, the desk of president biden, the head of intelligence in egypt, as well as benjamin netenyahu here in israel. it is a deal that hamas says they are willing to make to end the war in three weeks to have israel

withdraw from gaza entirely. the agreed exchange of prisoners and release of all the israeli hostages. this can all be done in three weeks. and to top it off, hamas says they are also willing to transfer governments in gaza to a civilian professional democratic governments, which way it will not be part of. if this is all true, and if it can be verified by the media, i think netenyahu has to be forced to accept this deal if he doesn't grab it himself. hamas has defeated, the hostages will come home, and gaza will no longer be run by a mass. and yet at the united nations, only a couple of days ago, we saw israel's un ambassador say all the talk now of de—escalation

that is now over. we are now totally in a military phase to try, in terms try and end this once and for all in terms of the variety of the threats. is that realistic, though? well, i think it is realistic. if we understand that president biden has the leverage over israel, and if the americans are convinced that this deal is real and that hamas will not control gaza on the day after, then we're not only talking about american interest in the region, we're also talking about the legacy of president biden, who has to decide, is he going to be known in history as the president of the war in gaza, or the president of the united states, who brought an end to the war in gaza and returned the hostages from gaza? this is really the choice that he will be facing in the coming days. if, in fact, this deal that hamas communicated to me is real, the people of israel want it. the people of israel don't want this escalation. the israeli military doesn't want an escalation with iran. and i think we're actually in a fortunate situation that the ballistic rocket attack by iran against israel didn't lead to any israeli casualties. so we can have a symbolic israeli response and a de—escalation rather than an escalation.

the war in hezbollah with lebanon will end on the day that the war in gaza ends. and then we need to move into the diplomatic political tracks to make sure that this sustainable cease fire in place. briefly, if it doesn't go like that, if it is a really hard response, which is what benjamin netanyahu has already said, and that triggers more of the harsh response from iran. where do you think we're left? well, i think all bets are off. we have regional escalation in a really horrible situation. but i think the americans have told the israelis they don't want to see an escalation here. the israelis cannot attack iran, wage a war with iran without american backing. and president biden, i think, made it pretty clear that the us is not going to have boots on the ground and is not going to be party to a war between israel and iran at this time. israel has to respond to the ballistic missile attack that took place. but that response can be rather limited and symbolic, a military target. and then we can move

on to the next chapter. let me show you the live pictures from beirut. about five or six minutes' time, we will be talking to a doctor in one of the hospitals in the lebanese capital. to get an assessment in terms of the amount of casualties, how the health services are coping. it gives me time to squeeze in one important story. an inquest has opened into the deaths of four people. when a luxury yacht sank off the coast of sicily. the technology tycoon mike lynch, his daughter hannah, senior banker jonathan bloomer and his wife judith were among seven who died in august. our reporter zoie o'brien has sent this update from suffolk coroner's court. the inquests into the deaths of all four british nationals who died when the yacht sank off the coast of sicily on august 19th. they were opened and they were adjourned here in ipswich this morning. now, of course, mike lynch, his daughter hannah, they were alongside jonathan bloom and his wife anne, who was known asjudy. they were among seven

people who died. well, this morning the senior coroner, nigel parsley, was told that the bayesian sank rapidly and for reasons which are yet to be ascertained. but he was told that the marine investigation branch, along with italian authorities, are leading this investigation into what happened during that pre—dawn storm. now, detective superintendent mike brown for suffolk police also spoke to the coroner. he said that in three cases, that's for hannah lynch and mr and mrs bloom. a cause of death is yet to be established. but in the case of mr lynch, in the case of mike lynch, a provisional cause of death has been given as drowning. now, of course, the investigations are ongoing. now, it's believed that they were on the yacht at the time, celebrating after mr lynch was acquitted of fraud charges in the us and his daughter was about to go off to oxford university. now, a provisional hearing date has been given for the 15th

of april next year. we will have more on today's main story and the rest of our headlines here on bbc news in just a moment or two. don't go away. hello, there. good afternoon. well, we've seen some respite from all of the wet weather across the south of england over the last couple of days. and for the rest of this afternoon, the blue sky and the sunshine are just set to continue with high pressure dominating. it's slowly drifting a little further eastwards, but it's still helping to block these weather fronts approaching from the north and the west. but still more cloud, outbreaks of patchy rain across western scotland, northern ireland as we head through the rest of the day. more cloud too, increasing for eastern scotland. we'll see quite a fresh southerly to south—easterly wind blow, particularly across the western isles. rather windy here, but a lot of sunshine for england and wales, with some fairweather cloud at times. and temperatures in the best of the sunny spells could get as high as perhaps 16—18c. of course, cooler underneath the cloud and the rain, but here it's going to be

a milder night. of course, as all of that cloud and outbreaks of patchy rain tend to push their way further eastwards into southern eastern areas of scotland, perhaps through northern england as well. so double figures underneath all of the cloud. but where we keep the clear skies, further south and east, temperatures could dip back to mid single figures. so quite a chilly start locally here. and then this is saturday. low pressure approaches from the atlantic, sending these weather fronts further eastwards. but for most of us, it's still dry and bright on saturday, with a bit of rain out towards the west. turning heavier, and then that cloud pushes across the whole of the uk. so a much greyer day on sunday, with some patchy outbreaks of rain for most of us. so this is saturday, then. some of that rain heavy and persistent across northern ireland, pushing up through northwestern scotland as we head through the morning into the afternoon. more cloud developing across western wales and the southwest of england. but again, a lot of sunshine for most of us and for the vast majority it will be a dry day, but then it will turn wetter overnight on saturday into sunday. with these fronts gradually

pushing further eastwards. it's a cloudier looking day on sunday, the clouds spreading into eastern scotland, parts of eastern england too, with rain across southwest england and much of wales up through northwest england and western scotland as we head through the latter part of the day. temperatures again 13—i7c. now, that low pressure pushes further eastwards, it's going to introduce very unsettled conditions as we head into the start of next week. here's the outlook for our capital cities. bye—bye for now.