of israeli air strikes, as the us and other countries call for both sides to avoid further escalation. it looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets. my hope is this is the end. israeli forces withdraw from a hospital in northern gaza, a day after storming it. the world health organization warns of a "catastrophic" situation at gaza's medical facilities. the king is set to return to what royal aides call a "pretty normal" schedule next year — after coping well on his tour of australia and samoa. partial results in georgia suggest the governing party has won a key parliamentary election, as both main sides claim victory. michelle obama campaigns with kamala harris as donald trump tells americans to "dream big" with 10 days to go until the us presidential election.

hello, i'm nicky schiller. we start this hour with reaction to israel's airstrikes on iran. iran itself has condemned them whilst president biden has said that he hopes they mark "the end" of hostilities. the united nations and countries around the world have urged both sides to avoid further escalation. israel says the strikes were on 20 military and missile manufacturing sites by three waves of fighter jets, with some reports of up to 100 israeli jets involved. israel says its strikes were in response to missiles fired by iran earlier this month. we don't know the specific locations of the attacks but reports say that military installations in the capital tehran were hit, as well as bases in the provinces of ilam and khuzestan in the south west of the country. iran says four army officers were killed. hezbollah in lebanon condemned the attacks and warned of a dangerous escalation of the entire region.

these pictures show iran's air defence system working to intercept israeli missiles as they headed over the iranian capital. iran says it has to defend itself, but it recognises its responsibilities towards "regional peace and security". saudi arabia, egypt and the uae all warned of the danger of further escalation, and called for restraint. the united states, the uk and the eu have also called for de—escalation. russia blamed israel for exacerbating the conflict. our first report this hour is from our international editor jeremy bowen in jerusalem. israeli pilots set out for the long flight to strike iran. israel and the whole middle east has been waiting for this since iran attacked with around 180 ballistic missiles on the 1st of october. this was tehran in the early hours of the morning.

israel said it hit military targets in the capital and the provinces. iran's leaders now face a hard choice. do nothing and risk looking weak, hit back and risk a bigger israeli attack. if the regime in iran were to make the mistake of beginning a new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond. 0ur message is clear. all those who threaten the state of israel and seek to drag the region into wider escalation will pay a heavy price. the israeli military released silent, blurred video from the war room. they agreed to president biden�*s request not to hit iran's nuclear, oil and gas facilities. if iran retaliates, they are likely to be the next targets. tel aviv this morning. most israelis believe war in gaza and lebanon as well as iran isjustified and unavoidable. so i think

it was a good action. but we need to keep it calm. we don't need to get an escalation going. the message is through and i hope things will become right now. we need to respond very hard, very quick and that they will understand that we are into it. iran has played down the damage done by the raids, releasing very little video. for the citizens of tehran it is still the first direct attack on their capital since war with iraq in the 1980s. he says, "we heard cannon fire and an explosion, the sound echoed across the sky, it was terrible and horrifying." "we are worried the war in the middle east is going to affect us too. why should we live without peace? why can't we just be happy? it's really worrying me." "war," she says, "is frightening." "everyone is worried about what a war might do to us.

but i don't believe a terrible war will happen in iran." israel has released video of another huge strike on hezbollah positions in lebanon. the israelis have set the pace of escalation since early summer. it's hard to stop tit—for—tat strikes when both sides fear looking weak and deterred if they don't respond, and that is how wars spin out of control. jeremy bowen, bbc news, jerusalem. iran's bbc news, jerusalem. mission to the un said there iran's mission to the un said there were attacks from iraqi airspace, blaming the united states for its complicity. parham ghobadi from bbc persian has more on a statement from iran's armed forces about the strikes. the significance of that is that they say that israeli aircraft used iraqi air force to launch attacks, to launch air—launched missile attacks towards iran.

and the distance was roughly about 100km from the iranian border. and that's why they managed to target the three provinces that border tehran — except tehran, they managed to target ilam, which is in western iran, and also the southern oil—rich province of khuzestan. and they said that the area they used in iraq was controlled by the american forces. so they used that to attack iran. and they said that they targeted iranian radars in those provinces, but the damages were minimal and they managed to repair the radars. since the beginning of the attack, the iranians were trying to downplay the damage. they said it was limited. we do not know, and we cannot confirm how serious were the damages to the radars. but axios said that, citing their sources, that israelis managed to take out 3 or 4 iranian russian—made iranian air defence systems, s—300. so if that is true, that makes a huge...

that's extremely significant because that kind of paves the way for possible future attacks. so the big question that everybody is asking is what will iran do next? so, it's extremely difficult to speculate. especially iran has proven to be, you know, unpredictable, because last time we didn't expect iran to attack such a large barrage of ballistic missiles. but most of the analysts believe right now that since the beginning, iran is trying to downplay, iran has claimed victory already. when you look at the iranian newspapers, they're saying that, "we managed to win this war. "we defeated their attacks, their projectiles, and our defence system proved to be ready for the battle." so from the rhetoric, you people assume that while they're already claiming victory, it shows that they do not want to retaliate because they know that if they retaliate... and the iranian foreign ministry, the statement they issued, they said that it's iran's right to retaliate. they did not mention directly that iran will retaliate.

so the signs you see there, many believe that iran does not want to further escalate the tension. and what has been the reaction as far as you can tell from people living in tehran? this is the first time in a very long time that israeli strikes have hit there. for me personally, it was surreal to see the skies of tehran, the explosions taking place in tehran, because the last time i heard that i was only six years old and it was in the �*80s during the iran—iraq war. now i am over a0 years old, and to see those explosions, it hasn't been that for 35 years. assumes this happened, many people were texting me and my colleagues on bbc persian seeing how frightened they were, saying they were copter explosions. it is also

interesting, for example, the iranian currency value has increased, because probably it didn't lead to a full—blown war, and that is why the iranian currency is instead of dropping, increased. in a statement, the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu's office said that israel had chosen the targets it attacked in iran based on its national interests, not according to what was dictated by the united states. speaking as he boarded a plane to pittsburgh today, us presidentjoe biden said he hoped the strikes marked "the end" of hostilities. i was on with the intelligence community for the last half—hour. it looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets. my hope is this is the end. did you get a heads up from israel on the iran strike? did you get any heads up? yes. 0ur north america correspondent rowan bridge is in washington dc with more on what us officials are saying on the strikes in iran.

i think there will be a sense of relief in the white house over the nature of them. they have described the attack as proportionate and precise strikes. what they were wary of and trying to avoid and apply pressure on israel over is that they did not want israel attacking their nuclear installations or their oil supplies, because they thought that would escalate the situation. i think the feeling from the white house is that their hope is this will draw a line under the matter, and that they will be able to move on from it. they have also warned iran as a kind of stick that there will be consequences, which is they didn't really go into, if iran decides to strike back. how much does the us election play into this and whether, for example, donald trump wins the election and his relationship with benjamin netanyahu ? i thinkjoe biden has a somewhat difficult and at times strange

relationship with benjamin netanyahu, and donald trump has certainly appeared much more vociferous, if you like, in his support of the israelis, or in terms of benjamin netanyahu, and his approach. having said all that, i think a key thing about this is the arab—american vote in the is the arab—american vote in the united states key to deciding this election. donald trump is in michigan campaigning there, because he knows that the arab—american vote is one that could decide arab—american voters, certainly a section of them, are very unhappy with the biden and by extension harris white house because they see it as being too supportive towards israel, as they see it, not supportive enough towards arabs in gaza and lebanon.

if you want more background and analysis on the story, you can look for the latest episode of the global story podcast, where our correspondents look at the broader implications of the strike. that is available now on bbc sounds or her every get your podcasts. —— wherever you get your podcasts. well, meanwhile in gaza, the united nations says it's had reports that nearly all of the male staff at a hospital have been detained by israeli forces. israeli troops have now left the kamal adwan hospital injabalia after storming it yesterday. hundreds of patients and displaced people were sheltering there at the time. the bbc and otherforeign media organisations are prevented by israel from entering gaza to report independently, but our special correspondent fergal keane sent this report from jerusalem. you may find some scenes in it distressing. this is the story of a doctor... allahu akbar.

..who became a grieving father. hossein abu saifa worked to save the lives of others. allahu akbar. but today, mourned his son. ibraham was killed in the hospital grounds, shot by the israeli army, his father says. since the renewed offensive onjabalia, the doctor has made repeated appeals for help. translation: we are talking about collective punishment l for the health system in the gaza strip. consequently, we urge the world to intervene and impose their humanity over the israeli army. the army raided yesterday. dr abu saifa, with his staff, waiting. then the people forced out.

fear holds them. they are made to line up. men separated from the women. translation: we moved patients to the reception area. _ then they said to dr hassan, the director of the hospital, to evacuate patients who could walk. among those with catheters and those with central lines, some could not walk long distances because of internal injuries. however, they insisted on them exiting on foot. the damaged hospital compound this afternoon. the israelis say they were seeking terrorists and their infrastructure. wrecked ambulances. three soldiers were killed in jabalia yesterday. hamas published these images of a stricken israeli tank.

dr abu saifa mourned his son. but he was comforted by the small group of men still left around the hospital. fergal keane, bbc news, jerusalem. a reminder that you can get much more on the war in the middle east on the bbc news website or app. king charles will return to what royal aides call a "pretty normal" schedule next year after coping well with his tour of australia and samoa. officials say the tour was a "perfect tonic" for the king amidst his continuing treatment for cancer. here's our senior royal correspondent daniela relph.

the tour of australia and samoa was the biggest test for the king since his cancer diagnosis earlier in the year. welcome, charles! those working closely with him say the visit has lifted his spirits, mood and recovery, describing it as a perfect tonic. a senior royal official has told the bbc they are now working on a full overseas tour programme for the king and queen next year, with visits planned for the spring and autumn, as well as more engagement in the uk. on the partnership between the king and queen, royal aides said the king took great strength from the queen being with him in australia and samoa, because, as they put it, she keeps it real. a senior palace official also gave an insight into how the king has coped with his cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatment, which resumes on his return to the uk. they described him as being a great believer in mind, body and soul, and that his sense

of duty keeps his mind and soul engaged while doctors make sure his body is properly looked after. daniela relph, bbc news. leaders of georgia's opposition say they do not recognise results of the parliamentary election and calling it a "constitutional coup". partial results have put the long—governing georgian dream party in the lead. with more than two—thirds of precincts counted, it had nearly 53%. the election is seen as a pivotal moment, as whether georgia remains close to russia or moves closer to the european union and western partners. the election is considered one of the most important parliamentary elections since independence from the soviet union more than 30 years ago. from the capital, tbilisi, steve rosenberg reports. after this election, where will georgia move now? closer to the west? or will it look to moscow? when the polls closed, both sides claimed victory — the pro—western opposition,

and the increasingly authoritarian ruling party, georgian dream. the power behind georgian dream is reclusive billionaire bidzina ivanishvili. his critics say that long before this vote, he was backsliding on democracy, and realigning georgia with russia. outside the polling station, he announced he would not take any questions. and he meant it. in this election, there was evidence of ballot box stuffing. and there was violence. at polling station 7a, this is what happened to an opposition official investigating reports of vote rigging. later, we visited him in hospital, and he agreed to tell us what happened.

he says that after he had called the police to report election fraud, a local town councillor had stormed up to him. translation: | told him l i was waiting for the police. he started hitting me. then another ten men joined him. i heard him saying that my party is a terrorist group of europe and america. tonight, the pro—eu opposition is trailing in the count. it is claiming the election was stolen. celebrations for the ruling party. it may treat this as a mandate to distance the country further from the west. steve rosenberg, bbc news, tbilisi. footage has emerged on social media appearing to show the labour mp for runcorn and helsby — mike amesbury —

pointing and swearing at a man on the ground in frodsham. let's take a look. you won't ever threaten me again, will you?— again, will you? the mp for runcorn! — it's not clear what happened before the video was taken. our political correspondent has been following the story. we should be clear about what we don't know first of all, which is what happened immediately before what we saw in that video, ie what led up to the incident. what we do know is that cheshire police say they were called to reports of an assault in frodsham just before 3am this morning. at 2:48am, they say a caller reported that he was assaulted by a man on main street. and we have located that video to main street in frodsham. and cheshire police say inquiries are ongoing. so what has the mp himself had to say? so, mike amesbury said that he felt threatened in the build up to the incident. he said that he reported the incident himself to cheshire police this morning, and that he said he will be cooperating with the police if required. and he adds that he's fully determined to remain as an open and accessible mp while those inquiries are ongoing. labour party also say they're

aware of the incident and i understand that at the moment mr amesbury is not suspended, so he remains a labour mp. that is our political correspondent, harry farrelly. here in the uk, business leaders have voiced concern that the national insurance rate for employers will rise in wednesday's budget on wednesday. the chancellor rachel reeves is also expected to bring down the threshold at which businesses start having to pay it. marc ashdown reports. hugo runs two restaurants in york. like many employers, he's weighing up the potential impact if national insurance contributions do go up. a bit worried. it is definitely a tax on employing people, and we employ 50 people, and it means that our costs will go up and our margins are absolutely minuscule at the moment. national insurance helps fund the state pension and some benefits. employers pay it at a rate

of 13.8% on a worker's earnings above £175 a week. it's thought the rate could rise to over 15%. workers themselves add in 8%, but that rate is not expected to change. which labour believes keeps a manifesto promise not to raise taxes for working people. business leaders say it still amounts to a tax on jobs, which could affect decisions on hiring, pay rises, and expansion plans. in the united kingdom, we have 99% of our businesses are small and medium, and if we don't encourage the environment for those businesses to grow, then the economy doesn't grow. the bbc understands the chancellor is now not likely to bring in a levy on employer pensions contributions as well. but these two changes to employer national insurance contributions could be the single largest revenue raiser at next week's budget. the conservatives have accused labour of reinventing what counts as a working person, but a government source said the money raised

would help fund the nhs, and that asking businesses to help out was part of the tough choices the government would have to make. marc ashdown, bbc news. there are only ten days until the us election, and the campaign is rolling on with full force as milions of americans have already cast their vote in the early voting process. donald trump in michigan — that's one of the seven key swing states either candidate could win — and called for americans to "dream big". it comes after his podcast withjoe rogan dropped — where he said his biggest mistake as us president was appointing "bad" and "disloyal" officials. i will and inflation, i will stop the invasion i will end inflation, i will stop the invasion of criminals into our country, and i will bring back the american dream — we're going to bring it back. and this is all you really need to know. they broke it, and i will fix it, we're going to fix it, we're going to fix it fast.

and in the last half hour, former first lady michelle obama has joined kamala harris�*s campaign trail in michigan. let's take a listen to what she had to say. right now, as you know, this race is close. it's too close for my liking. and i came out here to michigan because i am someone who takes her own advice to heart. i know that if we want to help this country finally turn the page on the politics of hatred and division, we can't just sit around and complain, no, we've got to do something! if we want to usher in the next generation of american leadership, we have got to... all: do something! if we want to elect someone with a character that is worthy of the oval office, someone

with a strength of heart to guide our country to a better day, we have got to what? audience: do something! and that someone of course is my dearfriend kamala harris. cheering. that is michelle obama, who is still talking about event in michigan. this is pennsylvania, state college in pennsylvania, where you can see the trump and vance banners there, because this is another key swing state, and donald trump is expected to appear there. you can follow all of this, both mr trump and michelle obama's speech on the bbc news website and app. we have a live page running. stay with us here in bbc news. hello. we had a real mixture of whether to start off the weekend. across east anglia, south—east england, a lot of cloud,

an odd spit of drizzle. we had a weather front that brought some rain to northern ireland and scotland, delivering 22 millimetres into the highlands, the wettest place in the uk, but then we had this slice of sunshine stretching from east scotland down towards south—west england where we had eight and a half hours of sunshine in camborne and 18 celsius heat in dorset in bournemouth. looking at the weather picture at the moment, weak weather fronts are moving south—east, just a lump of cloud by the time it reaches east anglia. that cloud keeping temperatures up at around seven degrees 01’ so. otherwise, it is going to be quite a cold start to your sunday morning with temperatures three to five degrees pretty widely. it might be chilly, but it is going to be a lovely start to your sunday morning as well. now, we'll keep the sunshine all day across england and wales, but for scotland and northern ireland, a weather front is on the way through the afternoon, bringing cloud and rain in. it is also going to turn quite windy, with gusts running into the 40s miles an hour. our temperatures on sunday afternoon running close to average this time of year, ranging from around 11 to 15 degrees, north to south. now, that rain across northern

areas of the uk through sunday night pushes southwards while weakening those fronts again, moving in towards higher pressure. and so as we look at the forecast for monday, it is going to be quite a dull and damp day for england and wales, some mist and fog patches up over the high ground, a bit of drizzle to start their day in scotland and northern ireland, with extensive cloud, but it should turn at least a little dry and perhaps a few bright spells around. a bit milderfor northern areas, temperatures coming up to 15 in belfast and glasgow but not a great deal of sunshine around. now, into tuesday, high pressure starts to move in across the uk, it is quite weak initially, and there is going to be extensive cloud beneath that area of high pressure so for tuesday, a great day, a few spots of morning drizzle, the afternoon, one or two brighterspells, but predominately, it is a cloudy looking day on tuesday, temperatures 1a to 16 degrees so on the mild side of things for this time of year. that area of high pressure continues to build across the uk through wednesday and thursday so there should be a few more breaks in the cloud developing, particularly close to

the centre of the high pressure towards england and wales, so the weather turning a bit brighter. across northern areas in the uk later in the week, it is set to turn colder, we might even see some rain or wintry showers across the far north of scotland.

this is bbc news, the headlines... iran plays down the impact of a series of israeli

airstrikes overnight, saying the attacks caused only limited damage. us presidentjoe biden said it appears israel only struck military targets in iran. israeli forces withdraw from a hospital in northern gaza a day after storming it. the world health organisation head warns of a catastrophic situation at gaza's medical facilities. the uk's chancellor is set to increase the national insurance rate for employers to boost funding for public services. rachel reeves is also expected to use wednesday's budget to lower the threshold for when employers start paying the tax. a video has emerged appearing to show labour mp mike amesbury shouting and swearing at a man who is lying on the pavement during an apparent disturbance in cheshire. michelle obama campaigns with kamala harris as donald trump tells americans to dream big, with ten days to go until the us presidential election.