and more rain is forecast across southern england and south wales, as the clean—up continues from storm bert. hello. lam i am helena lam helena humphrey, iam helena humphrey, it is good to have you with us. there has been significant progress towards a ceasefire deal between hezbollah and israel. the israeli security cabinet is expected to meet on tuesday to discuss approval of a draft agreement. prime minister benjamin netanyahu is said to have agreed to the deal "in principle". the latest developments are largely due to pressure from the us, which is serving as a key mediator in an effort to prevent the conflict in the middle east from expanding. the truce that's on the table would see a 60—day pause in fighting, during which israeli troops would withdraw from southern lebanon and hezbollah would move further north in—country, so that civilians may return back home in their respective areas.

in their absence, the lebanese army would deploy in areas close to the border. frank gardner is in israel with more. quite a few optimistic voices about getting the cease—fire deal coming out of washington deal coming out of washington and beirut and, in some cases, and beirut and, in some cases, coming out ofjerusalem here. coming out ofjerusalem here. but i think it's not there yet. but i think it's not there yet. first of all, the israeli first of all, the israeli security cabinet has to ratify security cabinet has to ratify it, and there are voices within it, and there are voices within the government here, in israel, the government here, in israel, who are opposed to this deal. who are opposed to this deal. a bad deal not too late to stop and for example, the national and for example, the national security minister in israel security minister in israel and the ultranationalist and the ultranationalist itamar ben—gvir has taken itamar ben—gvir has taken to social media to say this is to social media to say this is

a bad deal not too late to stop in his view is that israel has hezbollah on the back foot and really weakend militarily. and also, the time to give them breathing room, but to finish them off and they are in rocket range of hezbollah�*s rockets who worried that hezbollah�*s arsenal, its armoury is not sufficiently depleted and they do not trust this deal and they think it is simply going to be a matter of time before they start getting rockets again. while ceasefire efforts appear to be progressing, israel and hezbollah continue to exchange fire over their shared border. more than 250 rockets were fired into israel by hezhollah on sunday in retaliation to an israeli attack on central beirut over the weekend — which killed 20 people. and israels military is moving forward with their bombardment of southern lebanon. lebanon's health ministry says twelve people have been killed in israeli strikes in south lebanon, including this one in tyre. najat saliba is a member of lebanon's parliament. she's been telling us her fellow lawmakers would welcome a deal. it seems to us that hezbollah

is now ready to do a peace deal and separate also from gaza. and from the statements that we have seen or heard from some leaders of hezbollah, that they are ready to, or have negotiated a deal where they have accepted the implementation of the un resolution 1701, with no conditions. for us, hezbollah really went to war or pushed lebanon into a war that we did not want, and we do hope that hezbollah not only agrees on a ceasefire deal with israel but, at the same time, turns his arms to the hands of the lebanese state and army forces.

and we do believe that only the armed forces in the country has to be the lebanese army forces, who israel is really ready to uphold the security of the country and take care of the sovereignty of the state. danny danon, israel's ambassador to the united nations.

and that hezbollah will not come back to southern lebanon. so can you tell us any more about some of the sticking points that still need to be ironed out?— points that still need to be ironed out? well, i think we can agree — ironed out? well, i think we can agree that _ ironed out? well, i think we can agree that hezbollah - ironed out? well, i think we| can agree that hezbollah will be north of the litani river and the lebanese military will be to the south of lebanon and we welcome their presence in the region, together with un forces. and i think the most challenging part is what will happen if hezbollah will start to infiltrate again the region or to bring weapons and ammunition to the villages of southern lebanon. and i think thatis southern lebanon. and i think that is a challenge for us, it is very important to make it clear to all the parties that we will not sit idly by. we will not allow hezbollah to regroup and to rebuild their capabilities right on the fence with israel. 50 capabilities right on the fence with israel.— with israel. so from what you are saying. — with israel. so from what you are saying. i _ with israel. so from what you are saying, i have _ with israel. so from what you are saying, i have read - with israel. so from what you are saying, i have read was i are saying, i have read was saying he would like this deal to allow israel to retain the

right to neutralise any threat in southern lebanon, is that correct? ~ , . ., ., correct? well, it is clear to us that we _ correct? well, it is clear to us that we will _ correct? well, it is clear to us that we will make - correct? well, it is clear to us that we will make sure l correct? well, it is clear to . us that we will make sure that we will not allow any territorial organisation to be a presence or force on our borders. it is true with gaza and hamas and it is true with hezbollah and southern lebanon. so without getting into the details, we hope that the lebanese military will be capable and. hezbollah. it is a sovereign country, lebanon, and the lebanese should make sure lebanon is run and controlled by the lebanese military and not by a territorial organisation who is getting instructions from tehran. but i 'ust want instructions from tehran. but i just want to — instructions from tehran. but i just want to ask _ instructions from tehran. but i just want to ask you _ instructions from tehran. but i just want to ask you further, . just want to ask you further, ambassador, if there is text around that in the ceasefire deal, would israel for example be open to limits to the use of force included in that? because of course, the concern would be there is the risk of fighting, fighting restarting again. that

is not our interest _ fighting restarting again. twat is not our interest and i want to remind that on october the 8th, it was hezbollah who decided to attack israel because they wanted to show solidarity with hamas. we will enforce only if we have no other options. but at the same time, we learned the lesson from 2006. we will not close our eyes and we will pay attention to everything which is happening in that region. you mentioned that the cabinet will be meeting tomorrow to discuss this. early today, israeli national security minister itamar ben—gvir wrote that the agreement with lebanon is a big mistake and represents an historic missed opportunity to eradicate hezbollah. are you concerned at all about pressure from within your own country preventing a deal from from within your own country preventing a dealfrom getting done? preventing a deal from getting done? ~ , ., , preventing a deal from getting done? ~ , . , ., , ., done? well, israel is a strong democracy — done? well, israel is a strong democracy and _ done? well, israel is a strong democracy and we _ done? well, israel is a strong democracy and we have - done? well, israel is a strong democracy and we have a - done? well, israel is a strong - democracy and we have a process that we value. there will be a discussion and a vote in the cabinet. i believe in the ability of the prime minister to pass a resolution that he

believes is good for israel. but it is legitimate to have different opinions. t but it is legitimate to have different opinions.- but it is legitimate to have different opinions. i also want to ask about _ different opinions. i also want to ask about the _ different opinions. i also want to ask about the war - different opinions. i also want to ask about the war in - different opinions. i also want to ask about the war in gaza l to ask about the war in gaza and if we do see the closing of the northern front, what that could mean for gaza. because palestinians have been expressing concerns that this could ramp up the war further there. ts could ramp up the war further there. , ., ., there. is that a possibility? on the contrary, _ there. is that a possibility? on the contrary, i - there. is that a possibility? on the contrary, i think - there. is that a possibility? on the contrary, i think it l on the contrary, i think it will help the negotiations in gaza because in the past, hamas believed they would not —— they would receive the support of iran and they had the wish of eradicating israel. today, they will realise we are here to stay, we are strong, we are determined and may be to push them to re—enter the negotiations. we are very worried about the hostages, ioi hostages, including citizens of the united kingdom, are being held in the dungeons of hamas. so i believe it will actually

support the negotiations. and support the negotiations. and finall , if support the negotiations. and finally, if ceasefire _ support the negotiations. and finally, if ceasefire is agreed he would hezbollah, do you have any idea as to a timeline and how swiftly it could be commented? 50 how swiftly it could be commented?- how swiftly it could be commented? ., ., commented? so it will involve a few stages- _ commented? so it will involve a few stages- it — commented? so it will involve a few stages. it will _ commented? so it will involve a few stages. it will not _ commented? so it will involve a few stages. it will not happen i few stages. it will not happen overnight. and i think we can see immediately, but it will take time to make sure hezbollah left the region and our troops moved over the border and will allow the lebanese military to step in. it is not going to happen overnight. ajudge granted a request from special counseljack smith to dismiss the federal election interference case against president—elect donald trump. it comes just hours after mr smith filed new documents, saying the case should be closed following donald trump's election victory, because of the justice department's policy that bans the prosecution of a sitting president. in the filing, jack smith wrote, "the governments position on the merits

of the defendants prosecution has not changed, but the circumstances have. as a result of the election held on november 5th, 2024, the defendant will be certified as president—elect onjanuary 6th, 2025, and inaugurated on january 20th, 2025." steven cheung, president—elect trump's communications director said in a statement — "today's decision by the doj ends the unconstitutional federal cases against president trump and is a major victory for the rule of law. the american people and president trump want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country." sarah krissoff, a former federal prosecutor who served as an assistant us attorney in the southern district of new york. she gave me her take on the case being dropped. we very much knew this was

coming, butjack smith had to consult with his lawyers. and so, the lawyers had to talk to their own lawyers within the justice department and get some guidance on what to do here. smith made it clear in the filing that he asked his lawyers, can we delay this and just wait until the president is out of office and pursue this then, or do we, or do we need to dismiss this now? and the office of legal counsel said, this case is got to go, it's done, it cannot go forward at this point. and jack smith has moved to dismiss the case in the court and granted that move. the question from the special counsel with regards to delaying because i also want to ask you, to what extent do you think the situation is the result of donald trump's legal team delaying the throughout this campaign trail as he faced those cases? his legal team did an incredibly effective job here delaying these cases and

they were complicated cases. and there were reasonable grounds to slow these cases down and they did that and they got what they wanted. and the election was really trump's opportunity to get out from underneath these cases and a very strange way to do it, but he did it and this is where we are at now. "dismissing these charges" are the key words there, without prejudice, keeping the door open for those charges to be brought again post 2029, but i wanted your legal opinion on that, what do you think of that? it's hard to imagine these cases going forward in a number of years. cases generally do not get better with age anyhow and witnesses forget, witnesses die, documents lose place, cases usually do not get better for the government

as things go on. what is interesting is the florida case still looks like it may proceed and i don't think it will, but is still pending against the two other individuals that were charged alongside the president. in the classified documents case, those codefendants, they're not out of the woods yet and there's a potential here that they could be convicted. yes, it really depends on what the circuit court does with this pending appeal, and thejudge had dismissed the whole case on the basis that jack smith had exceeded his authority in bringing this case and that issue is on appeal before the circuit. the circuit could agree with him and going forward and if the circuit overturns the canon, the case against those two individuals could proceed and it's hard to imagine a case going forward considering how intertwined the soon—to—be

president is with all the facts that surround the charges related to the two individuals and it could theoretically happen. when it comes to the department ofjustice and the special counseljack smith, of course, to what extent were taxpayer funds invested in all of this? there's always an expenditure of taxpayer funds on criminal investigations at any level, whether it is a state investigation, a federal investigation, local investigation, but that is the way our system works. and if you look at, i don't know the numbers, but certainly, there were resources spent to do these investigations and every administration decides what the priorities are going to be and where those resources are going to be spent. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news.

the director of nursing at the hospital where lucy letby killed seven babies and tried to kill seven others said she had good intentions, despite failing to escalate concerns about the nurse. alison kelly denied being dismissive of doctors' worries about unexplained deaths on the unit in 2016. do you think there's any possibility that things had become so acrimonious, doctors v nurses, with you backing the nurses, that a culture of fear had developed? i wouldn't say i a culture of fear. i think there were challenges with the relationships. - i think trust had broken down. and i think, on reflection, we could have done more to support the clinicians. i ms kelly was speaking at the thirlwall inquiry, which is examining how lucy letby was able to commit her crimes. the public inquiry is now in its 11th week and is expected to sit until early 2025. its findings will likely be published in autumn next year. letby is currently serving 15 whole life sentences.

you're live with bbc news. more heavy rain is forecast over large parts of england and wales this week, as communities struggle to clean up after storm bert caused major disruption, with torrential rain, widespread flooding and high winds. a major incident was declared in northamptonshire, as emergency services tried rescuing some of the one thousand people left stranded in a holiday park. more than 100 flood warnings remain in place, including the severe warning meaning there's a danger to life. meanwhile, a huge clean—up operation is under way in south wales. many residents, whose homes and businesses have been flooded, are angry that warnings didn't come soon enough for them to prepare. cleaning up after a night few will forget. we had a message saying, if you don't leave now, you could die.—

you could die. the deluge of rain brought _ you could die. the deluge of rain brought not _ you could die. the deluge of rain brought notjust - you could die. the deluge of rain brought notjust water, | rain brought notjust water, but boulders of mud from an old coal tip is the land above them slipped, they had to get out. t slipped, they had to get out. i am terrified because i don't know what the situation in the house will be like when we come back. this is literally less than a month old and it is ruined. ht than a month old and it is ruined. ., ~ than a month old and it is ruined. . ~ , ., ruined. it will take days to clean up _ ruined. it will take days to clean up the _ ruined. it will take days to clean up the street, - ruined. it will take days to clean up the street, but i ruined. it will take days to i clean up the street, but what really worries the residents is what is happening up there, behind their houses. an inspection is being carried out right now on an old coal tip where this landslip seems to have started. tina and her family had to evacuate, to commit leaving behind their cat pippin. but reunited this afternoon, they have to fully take in the damage to their home. ~ , , ., home. we were 'ust trying to scramble h home. we were 'ust trying to scramble and _ home. we were just trying to scramble and get _ home. we were just trying to scramble and get things - scramble and get things upstairs. yes, save what we could~ — upstairs. yes, save what we could~ it _ upstairs. yes, save what we could. it wasjust madness. it is not — could. it wasjust madness. it is not something you expect to happen, — is not something you expect to happen, the mounting coming down — happen, the mounting coming down behind you, so it is really— down behind you, so it is really scary. in pontypridd, storm bert _

really scary. in pontypridd, storm bert brought - really scary. in pontypridd, storm bert brought an - really scary. in pontypridd, storm bert brought an all i really scary. in pontypridd, i storm bert brought an all too familiar sinking feeling. hit hard by floods four years ago, defences were put in, but couldn't hold back the river yesterday. couldn't hold back the river yesterday-— couldn't hold back the river esterda . ., , , yesterday. gareth has bad news for his customers. _ yesterday. gareth has bad news for his customers. myself, - yesterday. gareth has bad news for his customers. myself, i - for his customers. myself, i wouldn't _ for his customers. myself, i wouldn't bring _ for his customers. myself, i wouldn't bring my— for his customers. myself, i wouldn't bring my car- for his customers. myself, i wouldn't bring my car down| wouldn't bring my car down here — wouldn't bring my car down here it _ wouldn't bring my car down here it is _ wouldn't bring my car down here. it is not _ wouldn't bring my car down here. it is not a _ wouldn't bring my car down here. it is not a safe - wouldn't bring my car down here. it is not a safe placel wouldn't bring my car down i here. it is not a safe place to leave — here. it is not a safe place to leave your _ here. it is not a safe place to leave your vehicle, _ here. it is not a safe place to leave your vehicle, is - here. it is not a safe place to leave your vehicle, is it? - leave your vehicle, is it? you've _ leave your vehicle, is it? you've got— leave your vehicle, is it? you've got to _ leave your vehicle, is it? you've got to try- leave your vehicle, is it? you've got to try and - leave your vehicle, is it? - you've got to try and explain that— you've got to try and explain that to — you've got to try and explain that to customers _ you've got to try and explain that to customers now - you've got to try and explain that to customers now and i | that to customers now and i guess— that to customers now and i guess i_ that to customers now and i guess i dont— that to customers now and i guess i don't know- that to customers now and i guess i don't know where i that to customers now and i guess i don't know where to that to customers now and i i guess i don't know where to go from _ guess i don't know where to go from here _ guess i don't know where to go from here-— guess i don't know where to go from here. with 200 properties here flooded, _ from here. with 200 properties here flooded, some _ from here. with 200 properties here flooded, some feel- from here. with 200 properties here flooded, some feel they i here flooded, some feel they have been failed again. warnings were issued, too late for many. an warnings were issued, too late for many-— for many. an investigation has been promised. _ for many. an investigation has been promised. there - for many. an investigation has been promised. there will - for many. an investigation has been promised. there will be l been promised. there will be lessons we need to learn. we learnt lots of lessons last time, we put that investment in, but that is something we will have to investigate further. will have to investigate further-— will have to investigate further. ., ,, ., further. in the wake of storm bert, further. in the wake of storm bert. there — further. in the wake of storm bert, there will— further. in the wake of storm bert, there will be _ further. in the wake of storm bert, there will be weeks - further. in the wake of storm bert, there will be weeks of. bert, there will be weeks of repairing and rebuilding, as well as wondering whether more could have been done to protect these communities. the g7 summit is under way in

italy. the us secretary of state antony blinken is meeting foreign ministers from canada, germany, italy, japan and the uk. forthe germany, italy, japan and the uk. for the first time, they werejoined by their were joined by their counterparts from the werejoined by their counterparts from the middle east. while he was not in attendance, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu was also at the centre of discussions after the international criminal court issued a warrant for his arrest last week for committing alleged war crimes in gaza. allegations he has strongly and angrily denied. as day one comes to a close, i spoke with foreign affairs journalist christina re feeney at the summit and i asked her if those warrants have been discussed. t warrants have been discussed. i mean, i have asked, not officially, no and has told me, but it is a topic of conversation, especially the awkwardness it causes for even the host country italy. italy was a founding member of the icc, but the right—wing giorgia meloni government has sent mixed messages as to whether or not benjamin netanyahu would be

arrested and picked up if he were to travel here. one of the minister said, we don't know, we'll have to look into it, and that was followed by a comment of support from the prime minister who of support from the prime