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. explosions, sirens. our correspondent lucy williamson reports on the exchanges today 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, welcome to today's verified live. 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. and an israeli air strike hit a road near the border crossing with syria, used by hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the country. these are live pictures from beirut. the idf report that two of their soldiers have been killed in combat, bringing to ten the number killed in southern lebanon since their ground incursion began on monday. they say they've killed 250 hezbollah fighters in recent days. 0urfirst report is on iran by 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. he came with a message of defiance, saying that hamas�* 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 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. 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. nothing being said by israel and iran today provides much hope now of anything beyond more destruction. caroline hawley, bbc news. let's go to anna foster in beirut. just last night we saw that huge blast in beirut, just close to the airport. that huge blast in beirut, 'ust close to the airport.�* close to the airport. more of them today _ close to the airport. more of them today as _ close to the airport. more of them today as well - close to the airport. more of them today as well in - close to the airport. more of| them today as well in various parts of beirut. he mentioned that loud blast her last night.

that is one that the easier in was reporting was targeting the man who was potentially going to be the successor to hassan nasrallah. it is worth saying since the leader of a was assassinated a week ago today, there has been no word about who the organization may choose to be its new leader, but we have seen strikes through the day—to—day, one close to the airport road near a state of minnesota beirut, one close to a hospital as well, so you seat, and as shown in those like pictures, again continuing that scene of smoke rising on the horizon above beirut, and it's a similar picture in the south, those air strikes continuing with intensity. people in more tones and villages any northerly strip of land being told to evacuate by the israeli armies, they continue to push forward and create that buffer zone between lebanon and israel. it means more people are displaced, around one fifth of the

operation, 1.2 million people of their homes, and the state of their homes, and the state of lebanon is struggling to look after them all. it of lebanon is struggling to look after them all.- look after them all. it is interesting _ look after them all. it is interesting in _ look after them all. it is interesting in terms - look after them all. it is interesting in terms of i look after them all. it is i interesting in terms of the leadership of hezbollah, because it is a by—product of the page or attacks, more and more having to meet face—to—face, and that makes them incredibly vulnerable, and perhaps what we saw last night. let me go to nick beake in northern israel, tell us what you are hearing from the idf, because news of more casualties from the israeli side. that because news of more casualties from the israeli side.— from the israeli side. that is ri . ht, from the israeli side. that is right. the — from the israeli side. that is right, the israeli _ from the israeli side. that is right, the israeli military- from the israeli side. that isj right, the israeli military are trying — right, the israeli military are trying to— right, the israeli military are trying to explain what they have — trying to explain what they have achieved over the past four— have achieved over the past four days _ have achieved over the past four days of that ground invasion, saying they have killed _ invasion, saying they have killed 250 hezbollah fighters, among — killed 250 hezbollah fighters, among them 20 commanders, saying — among them 20 commanders, saying they have taken lots of weapons _ saying they have taken lots of weapons left behind, and they continue — weapons left behind, and they continue to say that the operations they are carrying out our— operations they are carrying out our targeted and limited, but listening to anna justin, the impact it is having an un—lebanese evidence,

specifically that 13 more communities were being told to evacuate — communities were being told to evacuate today, having to move north _ evacuate today, having to move north with — evacuate today, having to move north with no warning, and some parallels— north with no warning, and some parallels being drawn between what _ parallels being drawn between what the israeli military of two — what the israeli military of two of— what the israeli military of two of people in gaza to do for the hest— two of people in gaza to do for the best part of a year. yes, the — the best part of a year. yes, the israelis knew this was a new— the israelis knew this was a new challenge for them, and with— new challenge for them, and with it — new challenge for them, and with it brought danger, and we saw a — with it brought danger, and we saw a few— with it brought danger, and we saw a few days ago eight idf shoulders were killed. today, the idea — shoulders were killed. today, the idea for announcing the death— the idea for announcing the death of— the idea for announcing the death of two other shoulders. they— death of two other shoulders. they were not in lebanon, they were _ they were not in lebanon, they were in— they were not in lebanon, they were in the _ they were not in lebanon, they were in the occupied golan heights, and they were hit by a drone _ heights, and they were hit by a drone that was fired from iraq, so that— drone that was fired from iraq, so that shows once again the different— so that shows once again the different frontiers, the different frontiers, the different aspects to this conflict. �* different aspects to this conflict-— different aspects to this conflict. . , ., conflict. and nick, 'ust on the screen we were _ conflict. and nick, just on the screen we were seen - conflict. and nick, just on the screen we were seen in - conflict. and nick, just on the screen we were seen in large| screen we were seen in large numbers of deaths and strikes in the west bank, so tell me about that.— in the west bank, so tell me about that. , ., , , ., , about that. this happened last niaht, about that. this happened last night, matthew, _ about that. this happened last night, matthew, and _ about that. this happened last night, matthew, and it- about that. this happened last night, matthew, and it was - about that. this happened last night, matthew, and it was an | night, matthew, and it was an israeii — night, matthew, and it was an israeii air— night, matthew, and it was an israeli air strike on a refugee

canto — israeli air strike on a refugee canto it _ israeli air strike on a refugee canto it is _ israeli air strike on a refugee camp. it is pretty unusual for the israeii _ camp. it is pretty unusual for the israeli military to carry of that— the israeli military to carry of that sort of attack. they say — of that sort of attack. they say they— of that sort of attack. they say they did it because they were — say they did it because they were targeting a senior hamas figure — were targeting a senior hamas figure. the reports are that 18 people — figure. the reports are that 18 people were killed, the idf seen — people were killed, the idf seen seven of the dead were people — seen seven of the dead were people who were about to embark on a terrorist attack, so that is the — on a terrorist attack, so that is the israeli explanation and justification for this. palestinian media have reported that the — palestinian media have reported that the mother and her two chiidren— that the mother and her two children were among the people who were — children were among the people who were killed, and certainly the images we saw show considerable damage and also lots of— considerable damage and also lots of people being raised to hospitals. local policy no officials _ hospitals. local policy no officials there describing it as a — officials there describing it as a heinous crime and as a massacre _ as a heinous crime and as a massacre-— as a heinous crime and as a massacre. let us go back to anna in beirut, _ massacre. let us go back to anna in beirut, because - massacre. let us go back to anna in beirut, because we| massacre. let us go back to i anna in beirut, because we are also showing pictures of that large strike on the syrian border, and we were talking to aid agencies earlier making the point is they mean crossing point is they mean crossing point for people trying to get away from the fight in, but

also aided getting in, and a humanitarian situation is tougher, isn't it? it humanitarian situation is tougher, isn't it?- humanitarian situation is tougher, isn't it? it is, you are right. _ tougher, isn't it? it is, you are right, matthew. - tougher, isn't it? it is, you l are right, matthew. consider those people who were trying to leave, the vast majority of them via that routes, are syrians who left syria when the civil war started to try to get some safety here in lebanon, so they are people who know consider they are better going home to the country they fled a war from home to the country they fled a warfrom because home to the country they fled a war from because they think they'll be safer now there than they'll be safer now there than they are here. israel says that particular roots, they said they believe they fear that hezbollah is using it to bring in more weapons the replace the ones that are being got rid of in israeli air strikes, and they say that is the roots being used, but aid agencies say that is a route they also used to bring supplies in and that civilians use to leave the country. that displacement crisis is huge now. we have seen a few planes coming into the airport today, and airport which is incredibly quiet, most

of the commercial airlines —— airlines of stop sign here, but we are seeing evacuation flights chartered by governments, and some planes in as well, but it is a drop in the ocean in terms of what is needed. lots of people going further and further north to some of the really poor parts of lebanon, faces like tripoli, where they already have terrible problems with widespread property —— property on the people there. they cannot cope with an influx of people, there isn't anywhere for people to stay, just things like meeting people and providing the qareqare is becoming increasingly difficult as the conflict goes on.- as the conflict goes on. anna foster there _ as the conflict goes on. anna foster there in _ as the conflict goes on. anna foster there in beirut, - as the conflict goes on. anna foster there in beirut, thank| foster there in beirut, thank you for that of the next update, and nick beake in israel. we will get the thoughts of our security correspondent frank gardner in a moment or two. before that, i want to show you what is happening on the ground. 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. 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. explosions. 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 there. let's speak to our security correspondent frank gardner. frank, let us reflect on another extraordinary week because around this time last week, israel were about to assassinate hezbollah's leader. while prime minister benjamin netanyahu was actually in new york, from where he gave the order to carry out the assassination, it was preplanned, something the israelis had been drawing up plans for for israelis had been drawing up

plans forfor some time, israelis had been drawing up plans for for some time, but the israelis released a photograph of their prime minister on the phone in his new york hotel room given the order to go ahead. that took several israeli air force jumping around 80 bunker busting bombs on a conflicts —— complex of high—rise apartment buildings in the southern suburbs of beirut, and that has always been called a hezbollah stronghold, certainly where they are contradicted, but it does been pummeled since then by israeli air strikes, so a huge amount as happened in that week. indeed, in the last six months. what we have seen to pull back and look at this in context, is that the shadow war that israel and iran have been fighting against each other for the last few years and months has really come to a head, so it goes back to april, when israel carried out on air strike on iran's consulate in

damascus, killing them and they say was coordinating the hezbollah weapons coming from iran through syria into lebanon. he ran presented with a flurry of missiles, and then injuly, israel assassinated the number two of hezbollah, and then they assassinated, everyone assumes, ismail haniyeh, and iran. and they say they would not take it lying down, it's a... the west doesn't seem to care, but we do, so they retaliated on tuesday with this much more dangerous flurry of almost 180 ballistic missiles, a few which got through israel's defenses. it is not the end of it, potentially we are at a start of a new cycle and everyone with to see just how israel responds. you could not get a more dangerous moment in the region. more dangerous moment in the reuion. ., ..,

more dangerous moment in the reuion. ., _, ., more dangerous moment in the reuion. ., ., , region. you could not, because we have been _ region. you could not, because we have been at _ region. you could not, because we have been at the _ region. you could not, because we have been at the brink - region. you could not, because we have been at the brink of i we have been at the brink of war as before in the middle east, sometimes they have blown up east, sometimes they have blown up into full—scale wars, the 1991 gulf war, the 2003 iraq invasion, the iran — iraq war of 1980 to 1988 -- invasion, the iran — iraq war of 1980 to 1988 "1988, invasion, the iran — iraq war of 1980 to 1988 —— 1988, even the of1980 to 1988 —— 1988, even the lebanon— of 1980 to 1988 —— 1988, even the lebanon— israel's war of 2006. but this is different. two heavily armed countries, sovereign states, israel, and he ran, with huge amount of weapons on both sides, both low with each other and neither side is backing down. and israel is now seen, we owe you one, and iran is saying, if you do, we will hit back even harder, and what we have shown so far is only a fraction, so so far is only a fraction, so so far is only a fraction, so so far iran says the only targeted israel military sites, and excite if israel hits them, they would target not only other sites, potentially civilian sites, but also all those countries which they deemed to be helping israel, and that could potentially mean

hitting us bases around the region, even british bases, as far as some in cyprus, potentially within range of their party one missiles, or others months so there is a lot of ways that this could catastrophize just beyond a fight between israel and its enemies, so it is a dangerous moment for sure. tote enemies, so it is a dangerous moment for sure.— moment for sure. we are in critical days. _ moment for sure. we are in critical days. frank- moment for sure. we are in | critical days. frank gardner, our security correspondent, thank you. more headline stories coming up in a moment or two. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news

you are watching bbc news. campaigners for assisted dying in the uk have welcomed the news that parliament is to get an opportunity to vote on legalising the practice. proposals will be introduced later this month; mps rejected a bill on the issue in 2015.

0ur political correspondent nick eardley reports. we want choice! the debate over assisted dying has raged for years. this was nine years ago, when parliament rejected changing the law. has the debate now reached a turning point? campaigners like esther rantzen think so. the broadcaster has stage four cancer and, with the backing of her family, has been urging parliament to rethink the law. i did not expect to be alive when such a debate happened. i did not expect to be around. i did not think it would happen in time. we are talking about people who have a very serious terminal diagnosis, who will die within six months, it is about shortening that death, about the last few days, giving somebody dignity, giving somebody the choice. there will now be a vote in parliament, possibly within weeks. the prime minister previously backed assisted dying,

and this morning he welcomed the opportunity for a new vote. the government will be neutral on this, as you know. i would look at the detail at whatever legislation is proposed, but the government would be neutral. it is important to make on my promise to esther rantzen that there would be a debate on this boat. a lot has changed since mps last voted on the issue. countries like canada and new zealand have decided to allow forms of assisted dying. the decision here will now fall to a parliament with more than 300 new mps. we simply do not know where many of them stand on the debate. but campaigners who want a change in the law think they have a better chance than ever. the details of what has been proposed have not been finalised. it could mean terminally ill adults with six months to live have the option of help to end their own lives. but some are uneasy. the health secretary,

who backed assisted dying in 2015, is now conflicted and said to have concerns. this peer and former paralympian is worried too. there's a lot of worry out there about how this law could expand if it comes in, because there's already a campaign group saying it does not go far enough, we need euthanasia, we need to have no restrictions, to remove the six—month terminal diagnosis, that's before we have even got to this stage. the debate is complicated and controversial, but it is one mps are being asked to grapple with again. nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. more on that later with campaigners on both sides of the argument. an inquest has been opened into the deaths of four people who died 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.

0ur reporter zoie 0'brien has sent this update from suffolk coroner's court. the inquests into the deaths of all four british nationals who died when the bayesian 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. here in the uk, oxford university scientists ensure say the new developments in merseyside and teesside with create and pave way for a clean energy revolution. environmental groups say it's a lot of money to spend on projects that would allow oil and gas projects to continue.

the government brought out the big guns today, a top—level political trifecta of the prime minister, the chancellor of the exchequer and the energy secretary. it is evidence of how important the government thinks this announcement is. carbon capture is a race that we can win. the uk continental shelf holds a third of the exploitable carbon storage space in all of europe. just think about that. 0ur geology, a third of everything that we have in europe. huge potential for our country, for the jobs of the future. he chose to announce the investment in a glass factory, the kind of hard—to—decarbonise industry that the government hopes will benefit from this new technology. carbon capture and storage does pretty much what it says on the tin — the c02 produced by industry or fossil fuels is captured and then pumped out to be permanently stored underground in depleted oil and gas wells. the £21.7 billion investment announced today will be in a cluster of projects here in the north west, and another around teesside on the north—east coast.

it has been welcomed in these communities, but there is a more muted response from environmental groups. they fear carbon capture could just be used to extend the lifespan of the fossil fuel industries. justin rowlatt, bbc news, cheshire. here in the uk, oxford university scientists are working on the world's first vaccine for ovarian cancer, which could wipe out the disease, researches believe. the jab teaches the immune system to recognise and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. the director of oxford university's — ovarian cancer cell laboratory — professor ahmed ahmed explained how the vaccine will work — and what exactly have the scientists have found out so far. we've found that the immune cells in the fallopian tube, which is believed to be the origin of ovarian cancer, have memory to, uh, antigens and alterations that in the ovarian tumours.

what we have now done is to find out a catalogue of these alterations that appear foreign to the immune system, with the hope that we would now be able to prioritise which alterations we take forward to develop a vaccine with the support from cancer research uk, to essentially train those resident immune those resident immune cells to attack the transforming cells from normal to cancer and prevent them from starting a tumour. before we close, in the last few seconds, the un has condemned the unlawful air strike on the west bank camp that killed 18 people. that we are hearing from earlier on the programme. of course, that campion goes on in lebanon, with more air strikes, and of

course the world waits to see how israel would respond to those missiles being sent on tuesday. you are watching bbc news. 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

this is bbc news, the headlines... 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. 0vernight — huge blasts in beirut close to the airport — reports suggest israel was targeting hezbollah's next leader. more air strikes today — israel says more than 2,000 sites have been hit during their military operations in southern lebanon. we have been looking at the road from beirut to damascus that was struck overnight. israel said it was being used to transport weapons. mps will get a vote on assisted dying in england and wales.