israeli forces withdraw from a hospital in northern gaza a day after storming it. the world health organization was of catastrophic situation at gaza's medical facilities. ten days to go until the election. michelle obama campaigns with kamala harris in michigan as donald trump hits the other battleground state of pennsylvania. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. welcome. we begin with reaction to israel's airstrikes on iran. it's an attack world leaders have been bracing themselves for. while iran is downplaying the scale of the strikes, saying they caused limited damage, its army said the raids killed four of its soldiers. israel, on the other hand, says three waves of fighter jets targeted 20 military sites, with some reports saying that up to 100 aircraft were involved. israel says the attacks were in response to missiles

that were fired by iran earlier this month. according to iranian officials, military sites in the capital, tehran were hit, as well as bases in the provinces of ilam and khuzestan. iraq, qatar, and saudi arabia are among countries in the region that have condemned the israeli raids, while hezbollah — which is backed by iran and designated a terrorist organisation by the us — has called this a dangerous escalation. but there's been a different message from here in the us. speaking in the last few hours as he boarded a plane, presidentjoe biden said he hoped this signaled an end to the direct attacks between the two countries. 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. the office of israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu

has said israel chose its targets in accordance with its national interests and not according to american dictates. our north america correspondent rowan bridge has more on what us officials are saying. i think there will be a sense of relief within the white house as to the nature of the attacks that israel carried out. they were described by a senior official as precise and proportionate. i think there had been concerns, america had been pressuring the israelis publicly and privately not to go after iranian nuclear or oil facilities for concerns that that could escalate the situation. and they are clearly, from the language used, hoping to draw a line under this at this stage. they are warning, a senior american official said there would be consequences for iran, if they do decide to strike back. echoing president biden, the uk, france, and germany have called on all sides to show restraint.

russia says it is concerned about the escalation in hostilities. the bbc�*sjeremy bowen has been getting reaction from jerusalem and sent us this report. 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. our 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. i hope things will be calm 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're 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�*s 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. live now to abbas milani,

director of iranian studies at stanford university. thank you for your time. we have been anticipating this attack four weeks. there have been concerns about escalation. and yet, iranian state media is downplaying the attack. how would you characterise what has happened in the last 2a hours? i think exactly as you suggested, the iranian regime is actively trying to downplay it, they are making fun of it. some of the people in the media are laughing at it. some of the top officials including the commander said this was a weakness. but i think the reality is they have been hit, they have been hit hard. but they have been hit hard. but they are in no mood to engage with the full war with this row, so they have no choice but to downplay it. to row, so they have no choice but to downplay it— to downplay it. to that point,

what calculation _ to downplay it. to that point, what calculation do _ to downplay it. to that point, what calculation do you - to downplay it. to that point, what calculation do you think| what calculation do you think the supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei is making, what are the whisks he will be weighing up should he decide iran needs to respond?- weighing up should he decide iran needs to respond? well, i think the calculation _ iran needs to respond? well, i think the calculation is - think the calculation is exactly as one of the reporter said. unless they do something, they will look weak and this is a regime that domestically and regionally counts on fear for its survival. so they cannot look like they can be pushed around. but i think also ayatollah ali khamenei does not want to engage in war with israel. i think the regime is at the week as they have been most domestically and regionally, the most isolated domestically and regionally. looking closer at that, what is the state of iran's military capability, especially when you look at a series of blows to its proxies in the past year? i think iran was counting on

these proxies as a form of deterrence. those proxies have been weakened fundamentally. despite of the bombast, the iranian regime response, the way they cover it is an enigma wrapped in a mystery covered with bombast. i think they know well hezbollah has been weakened and hamas is a shadow of what it was before and the iranian regime has been shown to be vulnerable. the israelis claim they flew over tehran without any interference from iran's anti—air defence system. and iran obviously denies it, but clearly, i think, ayatollah ali khamenei knows this is not a battle he can win and he is trying to do everything he can to make it look like this was not very serious. but i think they will make some gesture that will allow them to say they retaliated, but don't get involved in a war.— involved in a war. professor, could we _ involved in a war. professor, could we take _ involved in a war. professor, could we take stock - involved in a war. professor, could we take stock for - involved in a war. professor, could we take stock for a - could we take stock for a moment? we are talking about

direct attacks between iran and israel. how great a situation is that in the middle east? because of course, after all the events, it's easy to get desensitised and think this is business as usual at this point. business as usual at this oint. ., , ., , , ,, point. no, it is not business as usual. — point. no, it is not business as usual. you _ point. no, it is not business as usual, you absolutely - point. no, it is not business i as usual, you absolutely right, this is the first time the two countries have gone directly at each other�*s territory. but it's not the first time the two countries have gone at each other military. israel has been taking it to iran and syria for the last two or three years, i think they have substantially weakened iran's forces there. they have essentially, by all accounts, convinced syria to stay out of this. there are reports in iranian media that bashar assad has said to iran and hezbollah not to get siri involved. remember, iran has 100,000 missiles that they have keptin 100,000 missiles that they have kept in syria is a form of

deterrence. they have lost that deterrence, they have lost much of the deterrence i think in lebanon war. they have lost virtually all of the deterrent power they had in gaza. israel has paid a very heavy price, i think in the international community because of the images coming out of gaza, it is a sign of weakness and iran knows that. but militarily i think that. but militarily i think that they realise they are in a very, very weak position. find very, very weak position. and at the heart _ very, very weak position. and at the heart of _ very, very weak position. and at the heart of this, _ very, very weak position. and at the heart of this, of- at the heart of this, of course, especially when it comes to this attack, there are people. how do you believe iranians would have reacted in the past 2a hours to these events and what do we know about how they feel about israel and the war in the middle east?— middle east? there is a surprising _ middle east? there is a surprising amount - middle east? there is a surprising amount of. middle east? there is a - surprising amount of public display of anger at mr acar won's policies. many, many people inside iran and far larger people outside iran say

a war with israel is not in iran's national interest —— mr khamenei's. it is not wise, they don't understand why mr khamenei has brought the two countries into virtual war. iranians are increasingly, and there are polls we have and a lot of anecdotal evidence, don't support mr mrkhamenei's policy of supporting their spending billions of dollars creating proxies in lebanon and in yemen and iraq and gaza —— mr khamenei. only to act as a deterrence, leaving the iranian economy in shambles, some 50% of iranians live below the poverty line. and that, to me, indicates the regime is pursuing a policy that has very, very little public support. very, very little public support-— very, very little public su--ort. ., ., ~ very, very little public suuort, ., ., ~' support. professor, thank you so much for — support. professor, thank you so much for your _ support. professor, thank you so much for your time - support. professor, thank you so much for your time and - support. professor, thank you | so much for your time and your expertise. so much for your time and your expertise-_

and a reminder you can get much more analysis online, including this article on — why has israel attacked iran today? amd why the two nations are enemies. you can find that on the bbc news website or app. 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 a raid 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. hossam 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 safiyyah, with his staff, waiting. then the people forced out. fear holds them.

they're made to line up. men separated from the women. translation: we moved patients to the reception area. _ then they said to dr hussam, 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 safiyyah mourned his son.

and he was comforted by the small group of men still left around the hospital. well, in just the last couple of hours, the israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders in lebanon. a spokesperson for the israel defense forces says all residents in burj al—barajneh — a southern suburb of beirut — should evacuate immediately for their own safety. the spokesperson said the israeli military will be targeting specific buildings it says are hezbollah facilities. what we are showing you right now is that beirut skyline. and if you look closely, it seems like there is some smoke there. but again, we don't have more information on that. just that news about fresh evacuation orders. as soon as we have more

information, we will bring that to you on the bbc news channel as well as online. well, here in the us, it's only ten days to go until the presidential election — and the campaigns are rolling on full force, as millions of americans have already cast their ballots in the early voting process. donald trump has just finished his campaign event at a pennsylvania university, after campaigning in michigan earlier on saturday. at a rally near detroit, muslim leaders endorsed the former president onstage, saying they believe he can bring peace to the middle east. the conflicts in gaza and lebanon are top issues there in michigan. but in pennsylvania, energy and manufacturing top the list. at his rally, trump promised to reduce energy prices for pennsylvanians. under kamala's high cost energy policies, pennsylvania electricity prices are already up electricity prices are already up 50% and are projected to

more than double in the years ahead, a yearand more than double in the years ahead, a year and a half, they expect to be doubled. not only are they not going to be double, your energy prices, thatis double, your energy prices, that is car, gasoline because we are going to end the electric mandate immediately, 0k? applause. your energy prices will be cut in half within 12 months from january the 20th, which is when we would take over. meanwhile, in the last hour, kamala harris finished rallying a crowd of supporters in kalamazoo, michigan. former first lady michelle obama introduced the vice president to the crowd, in herfirst campaign appearance since the democratic national convention in august. in a fiery speech, the former first lady criticised donald trump repeatedly, and argued kamala harris is being held to a higher standard than her opponent. this was her message to voters in michigan.

right now, as you know, this race is close. it is 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 cannotjust sit around and complain. no, we have got to do something. if we want to usher in the next generation of american leadership, we have got to do something. now, all this follows other high—profile appearances on the campaign trail this week. beyonce and willie nelson came out in support of kamala harris in houston on friday. and harris has already earned the endorsements of other famous artists, including taylor swift, bruce springsteen and eminem, to name a few. and former president donald trump taped a three—hour—long interview with america's number—one podcaster, joe rogan. the trump campaign hopes the interview will consolidate his influence with male voters, who make up the core audience of rogan's podcast.

so what's the impact of these celebrity appearances? well, let's ask an expert, mark harvey, the author of celebrity influence: politics, persuasion, and issue—based advocacy. thank you for your time. when it comes to celebrities, how much power do they actually have in motivating theirfans to engage with the electoral process? to engage with the electoral rocess? ,, to engage with the electoral rocess? ., ., , , to engage with the electoral rocess? ,, ., , , ., process? quite honestly, not that much — process? quite honestly, not that much that _ process? quite honestly, not that much that we _ process? quite honestly, not that much that we can - process? quite honestly, not. that much that we can measure. what we do know about what causes voters to want to vote certain ways as they are motivated by things like the economy, they are motivated by their party identification. it is those kind of things that usually motivate people, not necessarily what willie nelson thinks. so it is very difficult to prove. i will say there are cases, one case anyway where we know a celebrity was influential, that was oprah winfrey in 2008 and helped barack obama get the democratic

nomination. but for the most part, it is difficult in terms of those endorsements to prove that these small voices in a sea of variables really are going to make a huge difference.— going to make a huge difference. ., ., , ., going to make a huge difference. ., ., .«r difference. so what do you make of --eole difference. so what do you make of people like — difference. so what do you make of people like taylor _ difference. so what do you make of people like taylor swift, - of people like taylor swift, beyonce wheel though —— we associate with a lot of star power, are you saying that endorsements would not really have moved the dial or we just don't know? have moved the dial or we 'ust don-t knowafi don't know? first, i would say we don't _ don't know? first, i would say we don't absolutely _ don't know? first, i would say we don't absolutely know. - don't know? first, i would sayj we don't absolutely know. but we don't absolutely know.