this is bbc news. the headlines... beirut locals are surveying the damage of an intense wave of strikes israel launched in the lebanese capital overnight. israel has issued fresh evacuation orders in southern lebanon. the hamas—run health ministry says at least 26 people when israeli air strikes hit a mosque and a school sheltering displaced people in the gaza strip early on sunday. the idf says that over 30 rockets have been fired by hezbollah overnight into israel's northernmost city. the iron dome defence system has blocked some, while others have landed. and anti—war protests are under way as october seven approaches. mass gatherings are taking place in capital cities calling for an end to violence. un secretary—general antonio guterres has released a message demanding the "immediate and unconditional release" of hostages by hamas.

hello i'm. now, as the crisis in the middle east deepens, we're taking a look back at the events of the past few weeks and asking how we got to this point and what the violence means for the future of the region. bbc arabic�*s beirut correspondent carine torbey has this special report. explosions ballistic missiles rain down on israel. an unprecedented response by iran after weeks of israeli escalation. pushing the region to a dangerous new precipice. explosions this is the story of how the past few weeks brought the middle east to a dangerous new moment. translation: the status

quo cannot continue. - this requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border. hezbollah launched the first attack against israeli positions last year on october the 8th in support of gaza. israel retaliated. a year on from those exchanges of fire, the conflict has reached a new level. the 17th of september saw a new escalation begin. pagers and walkie talkies used by hezbollah operatives exploded. simultaneous attacks in supermarkets, on the streets, in cars and in homes across lebanon. translation: the enemy has crossed all red lines. - israel says it's intent on eliminating the threat of hezbollah. over 1,000 have been killed

and many more injured, and almost a million displaced since israel launched a huge wave of devastating airstrikes on lebanon. explosion translation: my siblings and their children - were all killed here. and then... explosions news: in the last hour, i israel has claimed to have killed the leader of hezbollah, hassan nasrallah, in an overnight strike. how did rapid escalation change the face of lebanon and set the region on a dangerous new course? over the last year, israel and hezbollah have been engaged in a relatively low—level conflict following the hamas attack on israel. they exchanged fire across the border, but the speed

and scale of what is happening now has been shocking and unprecedented. it was an attack, like something from a tale of espionage. it's the middle of september and people are going about their everyday lives when. .. explosion ..pagers belonging to hezbollah members explode across lebanon in a coordinated and deadly attack. hezbollah is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many western governments. however, within lebanon, hezbollah has a significant role in the country's parliament and government. the organisation had abandoned mobile phones for fear of being tracked. this attack showed those precautions had not been successful. the pagers were turned into weapons. hezbollah members were hit by blasts in supermarkets, on the streets, in their cars and at home next to their children.

people are killed and thousands injured, women and children among them. most injuries affected the face, eyes, fingers and stomach. encapsulated inside the eye. i met an eye surgeon at the mount lebanon hospital. it has been a nightmare. probably this is the worst day of my life as a physician. unfortunately, we were not able to save a lot of eyes. i can tell you that probably more than 60 to 70% of the patients ended up with with eviscerating of the patients ended up with eviscerating or removing at least one of their eyes. i was outside the hospital. relatives waited for news of their loved ones. the shock and fear palpable. there are also very pressing questions today on everyone's mind. first of all, what did actually happen? how did it happen?

and second of all is basically how is this going to affect the ongoing confrontation between hezbollah and israel? but what happened at this point is a major escalation of unprecedented level. and it didn't stop there. the next day, as hezbollah buried their dead... ..fresh attacks. we were there. in the panic and confusion, people asked us to put our cameras down. this is a scene next to the funeral... where the funeral was being held. and, as you can see, people are gathering. we asked what's happening. they told us another pager blew up on a young man. this time, it wasn't pagers, it was the walkie talkies

of hezbollah operatives. although israel has not claimed responsibility for either attack, there is widespread belief in lebanon that it is israel that carried out both of them. now, as hezbollah and the country are still reeling from the shock, the main question is — what's next? whether this was a coordinated plan by israel or not, these attacks were the trigger of what came next. if you'rejustjoining us, we are expecting to hear from the hezbollah leader, hassan nasrallah. two days after the pager attack, hassan nasrallah, longtime leader of hezbollah longtime leader of hezbollah and closely aligned and closely aligned with israel's arch foe iran, with israel's arch foe iran, announced that the attack announced that the attack would not go unpunished. would not go unpunished. translation: the enemy has translation: the enemy has crossed all red lines. - crossed all red lines. -

israeli air strikes stretched further into lebanon in an attempt to further diminish hezbollah. there seems to be no possibility of diplomacy getting through and de—escalating the situation. translation: the centre of gravity is moving - towards the north. this means we are diverting forces, resources and energy towards the north. so, how did it reach this point? hezbollah has been launching rockets and missiles at israeli military positions since october the 8th last year, and israel has been retaliating.

7th attacks last year by hamas on israel, hezbollah�*s goal was to divert israeli military resources away from gaza towards the northern front with lebanon. translation: we say _ to the enemy's government, army and society that the lebanon front will not stop until the aggression on gaza ends. this exchange of fire has had a huge impact on civilians, with about 150,000 displaced on both sides. israelis from villages like these want to return to their homes without the threat of attack. for netanyahu, this was a key motivation for stepping up strikes. going back to something that we used to live that way is no longer an option.

it's no longer an option that we be under the threat of some guy in beirut that would like to pull the trigger anytime he likes. what's happened here in this area over the last year has ended one of the longest periods of relative calm between israel and lebanon. the two countries have a long history of hostilities and wars. israel occupied southern lebanon for decades, and hezbollah and israel fought a month—long war in 2006. but this escalation felt different. there were real concerns with tensions in the middle east so high. this conflict, unlike those before, could spill over and result in a bigger, more dangerous regional war. israel's increased attacks on the iranian—backed hezbollah meant the two long—running enemies, israeland iran, were watching each other�*s moves closely.

for lebanon and its people caught in the crossfire, what is happening in their country runs deep in their collective memory. a week after the pager attack, a further escalation rocked lebanon. as morning broke, it brought with it one of the deadliest days in nearly 20 years in lebanon. explosion lebanese officials say 490 people died on the first day of the intensified israeli airstrikes. tens of thousands fled their homes. once again, destruction, devastation and displacement. translation: i'm scared. scared for my wife and five children. the situation is really difficult and scary. i don't know what's happening to us.

the warnings from the israeli army became more widespread. now, starting this morning, the idf has warned you to get out of harm's way. i urge you, take this warning seriously. please, get out of harm's way — now! in a matter of days, hundreds of thousands had fled their homes in southern and even eastern lebanon. this is one of the main schools in beirut, turned into a shelter for the displaced from southern lebanon. an official here told me that they are opening, on average, one extra school every couple of hours to deal with the very large number of displaced. it's notjust schools that were overwhelmed. hospitals, too, have been struggling to deal with the wounded. women and children among the casualties. translation: we heard a very loud noise. - two strikes and we all flew. each flew in a

different direction. both of my cousins were killed and my father was killed. this video, published by the idf, boasts of killing hezbollah leaders one after the other. amidst all the ongoing airstrikes, israel was systematically targeting and killing senior hezbollah leaders. culminating in... explosions we're in the office. we heard multiple explosions, one after the other. they were so loud. many of them. we don't know what was happening or where. it's in the middle of beirut and this is what we can see from distance. this huge attack had a colossal impact.

the target was hassan nasrallah, the leader of hezbollah and one of the most prominent figures in lebanon. backed by iran. the killing of nasrallah was an earthquake for the party, the country and region. for this woman, the news was shocking. israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu ordered nasrallah's killing while at the un. the idf released this picture of what they say is that moment. his killing was a huge win for israel. while at the un, the israeli leader made a vow to hezbollah�*s backers. i have a message for the tyrants of tehran. if you strike us, we will strike you. there is no place in iran

that the long arm of israel cannot reach. and that's true of the entire middle east. there was no mention of diplomacy. iran's supreme leader, ayatollah ali khamenei, promised that the killing of hassan nasrallah would not go unavenged. but before any iranian retaliation, netanyahu attacked iranian—backed groups in yemen and syria. and it didn't stop there. israel's military says its troops have crossed the border into southern lebanon. israel launched the ground invasion into southern lebanon, the first in 18 years in what it called limited, localised and targeted raids against hezbollah to return displaced israelis to their homes in the north. despite israel's massive blows to hezbollah, this remains a very challenging operation. israel doesn't only have hezbollah to contend with.

sirens wail tonight at six, as we come on air, missiles from iran have been fired towards israel. on the 1st of october, the region held its breath. tonight's escalation comes in response to israel's overnight invasion of southern lebanon _ almost 200 ballistic missiles were launched by iran. wow, wow. the israeli defence force said most were intercepted by israel's extensive defensive capabilities. but the idf said some struck central and southern israel with one fatality. there was a lot of booms. one of them, it was terrible. when we came out, i saw all the destruction. what's happening? we're happy. we're still alive.

the attack was widely condemned by the west, who called for restraint and de—escalation. but both israel and iran show no sign of backing down. the middle east is still reeling from the hamas attacks on the 7th of october last year. the horror of the last 12 months has been compounded in recent days... hezbollah! ..by heightened tensions and escalations which have spread across the region with devastating consequences. the region has neverfelt more dangerous or uncertain. peace and resolution seem to have been abandoned. all sides are promising more attacks. further escalation. here in lebanon, the horrors of this conflict are reminiscent of the countless bloody and violent chapters in the country's history. people here have always felt

they are living on the brink. today, more than ever, uncertainty looms large as they wait for what's next, something no—one seems able to predict. as you heard there, tensions in the region are at an all—time high. in the last few minutes, the afp news agency has reported comments from the israeli defence minister warning iran that it may �*end up like gaza and beirut�*. that it may �*end up we that it may �*end up will bring you more on that developing we will bring you more on that developing story as we get it. with exactly a month to go until the us presidential election, donald trump has addressed a rally at the town in pennsylvania where he narrowly survived an assassination attempt. the republican nominee for the white house spoke from behoind bullet—proof glass with much tigher security than on his last appearance there, as will grant reports. as i was saying...

in the same spot where he was almost killed three months ago, donald trump took to the stage in bullish and defiant mood and immediately referenced his attempted assassination. time stopped as this vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper�*s perch, not so far away. but by the hand of providence and the grace of god, that villain did not succeed in his... memories of that day remain fresh in butler. firing from just 150 metres away came close to killing the former president, grazing his ear. as he was taken bloodied from the stage, he urged the crowd to fight. one man was killed that day. formerfire chief corey comperatore. his helmet and uniform on display and his grieving family in attendance for a minute's silence in his honour. this time, amid much tighter security and from behind bullet—proof glass, mr trump repeated his calls for his

supporters to secure his victory in pennsylvania in november. and he called his most high—profile backer, tech billionaire elon musk, who endorsed him soon after the shooting, onto the stage in butler. take over, elon! take over. we had one president who couldn't climb a flight of stairs, and another who was fist pumping after getting shot. fight, fight, fight! blood coming down the face! in the immediate aftermath of the assassination attempt, donald trump received a notable bump in the polls. by returning to butler, he hopes to project an image of fearlessness and bolster his support, with less than a month to go until voting day. butler is staunchly pro—trump country, and now synonymous with a presidential shooting. but some supporters see the hand of history, even divine intervention, in his brush with death.

ijust felt obligated to come. i felt like it was like a historic moment, kind of like an abraham lincoln—type situation. in my opinion, god has saved his life twice now, and with god on his side, nobody can beat him. this race remains on a knife edge, with kamala harris also working the swing states hard with just weeks to go, and the people of butler know their town could still influence this election via the ballot box rather than the gun. will grant, bbc news, in butler, pennsylvania. meanwhile, vice president kamala harris visited north carolina, which is reeling from damage caused by the deadly hurricane helene. the us department of transportation has released 100 million dollars to north carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by the storm. north carolina is one of the states most severely affected by helene. our partner cbs news reports that about half of the 229 deaths attributed to helene have been recorded there.

sue gray has resigned from her position as downing street chief of staff and will take on a new government role. number ten has announced that sue gray has announced she will resign as downing street chief of staff and will take on a new government role, you will remember there been a lot of controversy surrounding her role right from the start, but also recently rumours of disagreements within number 10. we will bring you more news on that and some later on. here in the uk, a new multi—million pound research programme aims to discover why immunotherapy fails to work for the majority of cancer patients. it's seen as a revolutionary treatment — using the body's own immune system to fight disease — but more than half of patients see no benefit. our health correspondent, dominic hughes, has more. immunothera py saved alex's life. he was diagnosed with melanoma,

a dangerous form of skin cancer, which then spread. alex underwent a course of immunotherapy, helping his body's own defences to stop the disease in its tracks, but it was not without complications. i'm completely clear that immunotherapy has saved my life. without it, i would have died in 2019. it can come with side effects in certain patients, and those side effects can be a little bit difficult to manage. i wouldn't describe it as fun. i got through it, and i think one of the exciting things about the research that's going on in the field of immunotherapy is people really trying to work out how to make the treatments as effective as possible, but also as kind as possible for patients, because it's not just about treatment of the cancer, it's also about trying to maintain quality of life. immunotherapy is a cancer treatment full of potential, but so far its benefits have been limited. even in melanoma, where immunotherapy is most successful, only around half of all patients respond to the treatment. this new study will initially

involve around 6,000 patients, half of whom have already completed treatment and half who are just starting immunotherapy for breast, bladder, kidney or skin cancers. the study will try to identify why so many patients relapse or suffer really challenging side effects. so, what we want to achieve here, very simply, is to do better by cancer patients who can potentially benefit from immunothera py. the purpose of this programme is to take many measurements, both from tumour tissue and from blood, and over time, to better predict from the outset who should have this treatment, who should have an alternative treatment, who is at the risk of side effects? one of the key areas of research will be trying to identify vital biomarkers — signs that tell doctors whether someone is likely to benefit from a given drug. they could help in both selecting those patients for whom the therapy is most likely to work, but also

possibly open up new treatments like vaccines and cell therapies. researchers say the project could speed up the delivery of truly personalised medicine. dominic hughes, bbc news. police are continuing to search for a woman who's been missing for almost a week. victoria taylor was last seen at her home in malton on monday. underwater searches have been under way after police found some of her possessions near the river derwent. her family say they are sick, distraught and lost following her disappearance. migrants' rights charities are calling for britain and france to reform their laws afterfour people, including a two—year—old child, died trying to cross the channel yesterday. the authorities said they were found "unconscious" and were likely "trampled to death" in two separate boats that had engine failures. more than 25,000 people have made the dangerous journey so far this year. just a reminder of our breaking

news this hour that sue gray has resigned from her position as downing street chief of staff on this to take on a new government role, that is according to number 10 downing st. sir keir starmer has issued a statement saying, "i want to thank hsu for this what she has given me, both in opposition and in government, and her work to prepare us for government and get us started on a programme of change." you will remember there was a degree of controversy surrounding sue gray, partly because of her salary of £170,000 which is larger than the prime minister's, and came at a time when there were newspaper reports of a civil war and briefings against sue gray. she has clearly decided or it has been decided for her that it was time for her to go. she has also issued a statement, let's see if i can find one for you. she says, "i'm pleased to accept a new role as the prime minister's envoy to the nations and regions, after kick—starting work on our programme of change, i'm looking forward to drawing on

my experience to support those issues." we will bring you more analysis within the next half hour on that breaking story about a sue gray in her current role. now it is time for a look at the weather. hello. messy picture with showers, spells of rain but brightness and sunshine, although woes for the best of the blue skies yesterday, it has now turned up a rather cloudy. there will be more showers through the rest of the day, mostly out towards the west, that is because of this area of low pressure towards the west of ireland. with all of these showers spiralling around, brisk winds as well on irish sea coast. the heaviest of the downpours through this afternoon will tend to be in wales, south—west england, may be a lot of thunder here. showers affecting north west england and scotland. further east it is drier, but there will be more cloud than yesterday, so not feeling quite as warm, but are still

temperatures round about the seasonal average if not a little above. it will be mild by night too. you can see all of these fronts gradually putting their weight northward and eastward through the night, some clear spells for a time. here temperatures could drop back into high single figures, but anotherfairly mild back into high single figures, but another fairly mild start to the day on monday. and they could be longer spells of rain across northern and eastern areas of scotland with those fronts just towards the north of us. but for heavy, thundery showers pushing into south—west england by the time we get to the end of the day. a day of sunny spells and showers, feeling warm in the best of the sunshine at 18 or 19. more showers affecting much of the uk as we head through tuesday, some brightness and a spells of sunshine in between. once again, we will see temperatures between 13—18. this will change on wednesday, we look towards the atlantic, this deep area of low pressure contains the remnants of hurricane kirk. it is forecast to bring the worst

of the weather across parts of the near continent, but it won't take too much for this very heavy rain to push into parts of kent and east sussex as we head to the afternoon. temperature—wise, again, warm towards the south, colder air further north, is that the blower moves away, we will see very brisk winds through sea facing coasts. as we draw down more of the northerly winds, temperatures are set to dip as we head towards the end of the working week. here is the outlook for our capital cities, turning a lot chillier.

live from london. this is bbc news. explosions. israel's bombardment of lebanon continues — residents describe last night as the worst one of the war so far. smoke from those strikes is lingering over beirut — and further south new evacuation alerts have been issued for residents of around 25 areas. in gaza — a school and mosque sheltering displaced people has been hit, the idf claiming hamas had been using it as a command centre. hezbollah has been firing more rockets into israel — some were intercepted by the air defence system , while others landed in the country's north. calls for the release of hostages are growing increasingly loud — as october 7 draws close. we hear from a woman whose fellow kibbutz members were taken one year ago. it is really hard to think about the future when we are

not done with bringing