targeted with bomb threats. a parting agreement between biden and president xi. china releases three us citizens held four years in a prisoner swap. a warm welcome. 24 2a hours on, the ceasefire agreement between israel and hezbollah appears to be holding. thousands of lebanese civilians are returning to their destroyed homes, authorities saying they are focusing on recovery and reconstruction after being pummelled by israeli strikes. the lebanese army and a unifil, the un peacekeeping mission

that operates on the countries, so they will monitor violations and support the implementation of the deal. the israeli defence force says its withdrawal in southern lebanon will be gradual. a spokesman added that any violation of the ceasefire terms would be answered with fire. and as for statements as the agreement, hezbollah claimed victory over israel, adding it will continue resisting and stand along palestinian fighters. it is not clear what this means for the agreement. un secretary—general antonio guterres welcomed the agreement, saying it was "the first ray of hope" in the region since the conflict began. translation: | received - an auspicious sign yesterday, i would say the first ray of hope i received regarding the piece amidst the darkness of the last few months. i received it in portugal and it was the agreement to cease fire in relation to lebanon and a moment

of great importance, especially for civilians. hugo bachega has been travelling from beirut to tyre in southern lebanon. he sent this report alongside those making their way home. early in the morning, they grabbed what they could and headed south. forced to flee because of the war, they didn't wait to see if the ceasefire would hold. they were already driving back home. this was a moment of celebration. there were hezbollah flags, and posters remembering the group's late leader, hassan nasrallah. this is the main road between beirut and the south of the country. and for hours, thousands of people have been trying to go back to their homes. they say they haven't been defeated in this war and that this

is a sign of victory. translation: what i happened is very good. this is a victory for the resistance. the resistance is our honour and pride. without its existence, there would be no homeland, no south, nothing. translation: it doesn't matter if the house is still— standing or not. the important thing is that we're returning, thanks to the blood of our martyr nasrallah. five hours later, we arrived in tyre — a journey that usually takes only one hour. this is the city centre of tyre, the largest city in the south of the country, and i remember being here before this conflict. it was a vibrant place. now there's widespread destruction and it's completely empty. this family was visiting their flat for the first time. an israeli air strike

destroyed a building nearby. the attack was so powerful, it damaged almost everything here. i am so sad. i am so sad here because my building is so damaged. i don't like this. recovery for this country will be long and difficult. for lebanon, it means that this crisis isn't over. hugo bachega, bbc news, southern lebanon. around 60,000 israelis were moved from their homes in the north during months of hezbollah attacks. many expressed their own ease about the ceasefire, concerned the armed group will continue its campaign. from a northern israel, lucy williamson in this report. from the burnt—out windows of kibbutz manara, it didn't

sound like a new beginning. israel's army, firing a suspects spotted in the lebanese village of mais al—jabal, just across the border. one of several similar encounters, the army said, with four people arrested. inside the kibbutz, the ceasefire drew people home. it was the first time that meital and her daughter gefen had dared to see it. this is unbelievable. it's like a, it's like a nightmare. it's yourfirst time back in a year? after one year and two months, yeah. we left in the 8th of october �*23. you've heard the small arms fire outside? yeah. do you trust the ceasefire? not so much. three quarters of the buildings here have been damaged during the war.

anti—tank missiles punched straight through their walls. the entrance point is over there. for the rocket, the missile? yeah, one of them. in the dining room, 0rna shows me the hole left by a rocket. she's lived through two previous wars here, but says this ceasefire is different. it won't be the same. 0ur forces will not — will not leave these villages and will not allow terrorists to come back here. and you can — you can hear it yourself while you're here. whenever someone will try to come back, they will be shot. the ceasefire is triggering the first discussions of what it would take for residents to return. this family home was burnt out after a missile came through the living room wall. with the ceasefire in place, people are coming back

to see what's happened to their border communities. damage like this isn'tjust a practical challenge, it's also a reminder of what hezbollah weapons can do. rebuilding this will take months, but rebuilding a sense of security could take much longer. through the living room window, the shattered houses of their lebanese neighbours. as close as ever but the distance between them has changed. gunfire lucy williamson, bbc news, manara. us special envoy amos hochstein helped secure the truce, telling the bbc hopes the deal could help unlock a in gaza.

i think there is a moment in time where we have changed something, the dynamic has changed, the linkage between lebanon and gaza has been broken, and hamas has to wake up this morning at 4am when the ceasefire went to effect and understand they are alone, the rest of the region is abandoning them. it is time for them, asjoe biden said yesterday from the white house, they have not come to the negotiating table in good faith for several months. if they are willing to release the hostages which will help bring about an end of the conflict, that is within our grasp, we can do everything we can lead by president biden to bring the hostages home and bring this to a close. i think the ceasefire with lebanon can be a spark or a key to unlocking them. i enjoy now i will thomas, the deputy director in the middle east programme at the center for strategic and international studies. many thanks for your time on the programme. i will ask you about gaza that we just

heard about it firstly do you expect the ceasefire to hold? it will be extremely difficult for it to hold, i think we are likely to see small challenges in the coming weeks if not days. the bigger question is whether those small violations reach the level where israel really feel the need to respond with a significant literary attack. i think at the moment, it is probably feeling quite happy that it has quieted this conflict to the north, and has been able to focus more on gaza, so i do not believe it ultimately wants to continue to fight in lebanon at this time. i think it also hopes, the israeli government is hoping they can provide some kind of early win to incoming president donald trump, and having a ceasefire in lebanon is

certainly a way to maintain that. , ., that. on the terms of the ceasefire, _ that. on the terms of the ceasefire, the _ that. on the terms of the ceasefire, the lebanese i that. on the terms of the - ceasefire, the lebanese army is tasked with reinforcing, enforcing it rather, and they are known to be underfunded. why do you think this has happened this way and why now? hezbollah is only the weakest it has been in decades, it has lost a large part of senior leadership, israel has been able to destroy and dismantle a lot of the infrastructure that it uses to fight against israel and shoot those rockets into israel that we heard about. i think this was the moment for israel to try to press this advantage. i think that for the lebanese army, it will be extremely difficult to take back control of this area, while hezbollah is a militarily

fighting force, it is also a political entity, it has a lot of political legitimacy along a large number of lebanese zuccoli in the south and for these people hezbollah was the actor that provided services. even basic goods and services through them, so i think for hezbollah, they will try to focus on the domestic angle to rebuild their ability to govern in this part of lebanon, and for the lebanese army it will be difficult to dislodge them because for decades now the lebanese army has had a policy of not entering into direct confrontations with hezbollah. very different operation from hamas. what does this mean for gaza and the potential ceasefire there? i gaza and the potential ceasefire there?- gaza and the potential ceasefire there? ., ., ~' ceasefire there? i do not think the ceasefire _ ceasefire there? i do not think the ceasefire in _ ceasefire there? i do not think the ceasefire in lebanon - ceasefire there? i do not think the ceasefire in lebanon it - the ceasefire in lebanon it means that we are really close to a ceasefire in gaza at all.

although it is true that hamas is probably feeling a lot more isolated than it has, even since october 7, four hamas to agree to a ceasefire would probably equate to a total surrender at this stage. gaza lies in ruins, we have 60% of buildings in the gaza strip damaged or totally destroyed, and so for hamas to release the hostages but it keeps, that it still holds onto, if they still alive, that would be giving up the final card it has to play. i do not think on the israeli side that israel is willing to agree to any kind of ceasefire that allows hamas to survive, politically that is a much more challenging ask for the israeli public. of course, they want vengeance and a degree of justice and to ensure that hamas can never wage the kind of attack again that it did on

october 7 last year. i do not think hamas is likely to agree to a ceasefire and i do not think israel wants a ceasefire in the near term either. we will have — in the near term either. we will have to _ in the near term either. we will have to leave _ in the near term either. we will have to leave it there, many thanks for your time. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. a police investigation has been wanted to more than five people who may have facilitated mohamed al fayed in his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of women and girls. the new investigation comes after 90 alleged new victims came forward following a bbc documentary that reveal the extent of the billionaire's alleged predatory behaviour. john adonis and has more. harrison put out a statement this evening and say we are

aware of and wholeheartedly support the police investigation, we have an open direct and ongoing line of communication with the met police, any benefit of the survivors. we continue to encourage all survivors to engage with the met police and we welcome the investigation and we support survivors in their wider pursuit ofjustice. mohamed al fayed died last year smiley face no criminal charges, plenty more details on the story and many others on our website. you're live with bbc news. a number of donald trump cabinet unease have received bomb threats and what appeared to be hoaxes. the fbi says it is aware of numerous bomb threats and a swatting incidence, a tactic where police are called urgently to someone's home under false pretenses. these incidents usually target incoming

administration nominees and appointees, and the agency also says it is working with law enforcement partners. donald trump himself was not a target, according to us media reports. let's cross out to a north america correspondent peter. good to talk to you. what do we know about... we good to talk to you. what do we know about. . ._ good to talk to you. what do we know about... we know there are at least ten _ know about... we know there are at least ten nominees _ know about... we know there are at least ten nominees for - at least ten nominees for president trump was like administration who have seemingly received these threats, either bomb threats or threats, either bomb threats or threats of swatting which is when someone will call the police and say perhaps there has been a violent incidents in the hope of prompting a major response from the authorities, perhaps a swot team will go to the home of the person who was targeted in the commotion, which will be frightening and quite dangerous for anyone in a

particular property, so we have people like elise stefanik, the us ambassador for the united nations nominee who said that she had received a threat for her family she had received a threat for herfamily home, lee zeldin will be head of the environmental protection agency who said he had received a bomb threat at his home but also a message that was a pro—palestinian themed message, and the list goes on. more than ten people. we had from the white house, president biden has been informed and is keeping in touch, also heard from the trump transition team, a spokesman who said this are violent un—american threats to trump appointees and also added that dangerous acts of intimidation and violence would not deter them. 5m? intimidation and violence would not deter them.— not deter them. stay with us because there _ not deter them. stay with us because there are other - because there are other developments in the us i want to you about. in a post in his social media sites, truth social, trump has claimed that

texacois social, trump has claimed that texaco is leader has agreed to stop migration during a conversation between the pair. he says it would effectively mean closing the border between their countries. what more can you tell us about that? this their countries. what more can you tell us about that?- you tell us about that? this is seemingly _ you tell us about that? this is seemingly quite _ you tell us about that? this is seemingly quite an _ you tell us about that? this is seemingly quite an unusual. seemingly quite an unusual interpretation of a phone call between the president—elect and the mexican president. donald trump initially saying in a social media that the mexican leader had agreed with immediate effect, at least his interpretation, to stop migration between mexico and the us, of course you remember earlier this week donald trump threatened to impose tariffs to the extent of 25% on mexican goods coming into the us if mexico did not do