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announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" s america. s the u.s. pledges billions more military aid for ukraine as ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy meets with president biden and vice president harris at the white house. israel says it struck more than 200 hezbollah targets as the death toll grows. the kenyan president tells the bbc he's confident his peacekeeping forces can restore order in haiti amid ongoing violence. ♪

a very warm welcome to world news america. it is good to have you with us. we are here at the united nations general assembly in new york where u.k. prime minister keir starmer is due to address world leaders shortly. it coincides with president zelenskyy's visit to washington where he's been meeting with president biden and vice president harris at the white house. president zelenskyy outlined his so-called victory plan to end the war with russia. president biden announced around $8 billion of military assistance for ukraine which includes a new air defense system and long-range weapons. they spoke briefly after the meeting, doubling down on the u.s.-ukraine partnership. >> let me be clear, russia wl not prevail. russia will not prevail. ukraine will prevail and we will continue to send buy you every step of thway. >> today, we have a new support package.

thisill be great help and the victory. we are prepared to talk about details. sumi: president zelenskyy initially planned to also meet with donald trump during his trip but that has since been stood down following president zelenskyy's visit to an arms factory in has a venue where he was joined by multiple democratic lawmakers. this drew ire from republican lawmakers, particularly the speaker of the house who said mr. zelenskyy's visit was designed to helpemocrats and that it amounted to election interference. speaker johnson has demanded ukraine fire its ambassador to the u.s.. joining me from washington is our correspondent who has been following the latest. very good to see you. tell us, did president zelenskyy get what he wanted with his visit to washington? jenny: there were two main asks. one was continued political support and the other was

continued military support. two main areas of focus for the president around the timing of this, the fact that ukraine is short of troops and they are about to head into another difficult winter. the other thing on the horizon is the new presidents we will have in just over a month time. in terms of military support, the key ask is for permission to use those long-range missiles deep inside russia, to hit military targets. so far, there has been no public granting of that permission. we would know even if it was granted until the strikes actually happened. so no further on that, but as you said, additional money and aid, $8 billion, as well as further weapons. president zelenskyy having to strike a balance between being grateful, sounding grateful for what has been put on the table, as well as needing to continue to push for that key ask. in terms of political support, i

think he will be feeling quite pleased both what president biden and vice president harris have said. kamala harris, the democrat pridential candidate, saying basically nothing will change under her administration. saying that her support was unwavering. she even took a swipe at donald trump by saying there was some in the u.s. who want ukraine to surrender. she said that was not what she wanted and would be bad for the u.s. and bad for the world. a very different message from the democrats from what we have seen with the republicans and donald trump, who is not appearing to meet with president zelenskyy. sumi: it does really seem that this is an important trip for president zelenskyy heading into these winter months in a critical stage in the war, isn't it jenny: yes, he's obviously got his mind on the fact it is a

difficult winter ahead. soar, we have not had any public granting of permission to use those long-range missiles deep into russia. there was discussion of a victory plan. we don't know the details of that, but it is one of the key things that president zelenskyy has said. that ending the war must involve russia giving up the territory it has occupied in ukraine. whereas, the mood coming from the republicans and donald trump is that perhaps he may have to back down on that particular ask. there has also been, from president biden -- sorry, president putin yesterday, a warning that any granting of permission to use long-range missiles could well drag na membersato -- nato members into the war that they could be attacked.

he issued a fresh nuclear threat. president zelenskyy continuing to say that kind of talk from putin is saber rattling, but so far, we have not heard any change of policy and terms of those long-range missiles. sumi: jenny reporting for us from the white house. as always, thank you for that. well, the other main topic that has been dominating the agenda here is the conflict in the middle east. the escalation we've seen between israel and hezbollah. we would like to bring in the deputy to the ambassador to the united nations. thank you for joining us. i want to start with the diplomatic situation surrounding this escalation between israel and hezbollah. the white house said today the cease-fire proposal that was put forward by the u.s., the u.k. and its allies, that it was coordinated with israel. at the same time, you have israel saying it will continue its strikes.

where do negotiations stand right now? >> quite simply, they are ongoing and have been ongoing for some time because we derstand the urgency of the situation. we believe there can and should be a diplomatic resolution to this conflict. in recent days and over the past couple of weeks, we have seen the prospects of a wider war flare in some ways. our goal and the goal of the dozen other countries that signed last night's to give diplomacy a chance. do the hard work to have the parties come to a cease-fire, a 21 day cease-fire so wcan potentially build on that. so we can achieve a durable solution that respects the security council resolution that brings calm across the border. sumi: are you hearing willingness from the parties you are speaking to to find a diplomatic solution? mr. price: i think both sides realized an escalation is in nobody's interest. but these are difficult questions. these have been difficult question since 2006, in some ways, even before 2006.

there's nothing simple about this but we are determined, and last night we saw that a dozen or so other countries are determined to work with us to impress upon both the israelis and lebanese the need to see a 21 day cease-fire. the need to see us do everything we can to give diplomacy the chance it needs. sumi: we talk about a 21 day cease-fire that is supposed to give the space for a diplomatic solution. what would happen in that time? what is the roadmap to de-escalating tensions when we are seeing such a hot conflict? mr. price: we don't know precisely how this ends, but we know where it starts. we know where it needs to start and it needs to start with this period of calm, this 21 day cease-fire. just as you said, this would give the parties the opportunity to talk, to have discussions that the envirment has not been conducive to, certainly in recent weeks. we know where this needs to go. there is an existing human security council resolution that

defines the blue line, the line between israel and lebanon. we want to see un security council 17-01 respected but since we want to see the party sit down, have that dialogue and create the space for diplomacy and ultimately engaged in that diplomacy to bring this conflict to an end. sumi: we spoke to a member of the u.s. u.n. delegation yesterday and we asked him about the fact we are hearing from both the israelis and hezbollah this instance -- this insistence of continuing strikes and he says it is not helpful. mr. price: our goal is not to characterize language and to say what is helpful and not. our goal is to see people on both sides of the border, tens of thousands of them have been forced from their homes. our goal is to see them return to their homes. ever since october 8, if you remember how this started, on october 7, hamas launched its attack. on october 8, hezbollah forces started sending rockets and

forces into israel. tens of thousands of innocent civilians, israelis and lebanese, have been forced from their homes. we want them to return to their homes. they will be able to return to their homes as long as rockets are being fired into israel and as long as the shelling is ongoing from the other side. our goal is to bring the parties together, to have that diplomacy. sumi: one more question. is the u.s. convinced that these two conflict that are running at the moment are linked? that a cease-fire and hostage release and agreement for the war in gaza would inevitably also mean a cessation of hostilities between hezbollah mr. price: quite the opposite in some ways. they should not be linked. the only linkage is the linkage that hezbollah has inserted into it. on october 7, hamas attack israel. on october 8, hezbollah took advantage of what they saw as an opportunity to attack their longtime foe and they did so with rockets and operatives across the border. we are clear that these conflict are not linked, but we are

acknowledging that if there is constructive diplomacy in the north between israel and lebanon, that does open the possibility that we could see some movement when it comes to cease-fire discussions in gaza. as we set for some time, we are very close, but oftentimes, the most difficult challenges, problems arise in the very last phases. right now, we are in the final phases when it comes to the cease-fire talks in gaaza, start of a 21 cease-fire in lebanon. sumi: thank you so much. really interesting conversation. mr. price: thank you very much. sumi: we are here at the united nations and also awaiting an address by the british prime minister keir starmer. you can see the pictures from the hall where he is set to make his first address to the general assembly as prime minister. we will be listening to those remarks live as soon as he takes the podium. as we mentioned, the conflict that is really dominating the agenda at the assembly is the middle east.

these intense diplomatic talks we were just discussing with net price, they are ongoing. the white house says talks are continuing with israeli officials as the u.s. continues to press for that 21 day cease-fire across the border. the lebanese health ministry says at least 28 people were killed in israeli airstrikes on thursday and one of them, israel says it killed one of hezbollah's top commanders. our correspondent anna foster witnessed the aftermath of one strike in the southern suburbs of beirut. anna: this is an apartment on the first and second floor. you can really see the damage that has been caused. the idf would describe this as a precision strike. when they carry out these operations in the southern suburbs, they are normally targeting the senior leadership of hezllah. some of the senior commanders in this area just a few days ago. they killed hezbollah's head of its missiles and rockets program. we know they've been carrying out strikes. you can also see the aftermath

of a moment like this. you can see members of hezbollah in the street but you can also see the army are here. you can hear the sounds of sirens and ambulances arriving. i just want to show you in this direction, you can see the chaos in the streets as people try to work out what has happened, a people try to work outs who has been targeted. it really impacts the civilians who live in this area. their safety and security as well when they see something like this happening very close to them. sumi: anna foster reporting in beirut. amid all of this, the israeli prime minisr has arrived in new york ahead of his address at the u.n. general simply on friday. upon his arrival, he said the idf would continue hitting hezbollah with what he called for force -- full force. paul adams reports. paul: after a lull of several

hours, has below rockets started arriving around the middle of the day. -- hezbollah rockets begin arriving around the middle of the day. this is evidence that a cease-fire is not yet on the cards. not that they appear to want one. >> we must finish this. to kill them, to stop them, but not stop the war. no. >> for the past 11 months, it felt like we've been abandoned. now, personally, i am happy that the government has started to do something in lebanon. paul: israelis just want the rockets to stop. at the scene of a recent attack, israel's foreign minister scoffed at the idea thathe country's assault on hezbollah would stop now. >> there won't be a cease-fire. we are going to win in order to change this reality. paul: israel is still signaling

its willingness to escalate further, releasing these pictures of troops exercising near the lebanese border. no word yet on when or even if a ground operation will begin. we have spent the last three days in the north. occasional glimpses of what could be preparations. nothing yet that looks massive or imminent. the two lebanese villages you can see on the ridge behind me are both hezbollah strongholds. both have been heavily bombed the last weeks. they are the kind of places israel's top general has in mind when he warns israeli troops could be on the ground inside southern lebanon. benjamin netanyahu has arrived in new york. he will be taking his case to the u.n. general assembly. >> we are continuing to strike hezbollah with full force. we won't stop until we reach all of our goals. paul: washington says a diplomatic solution is still viable.

but is that what the prime minister wants? paul adams, bbc news, northern israel. sumi: back here in new york, we are awaiting the speech by the british prime minister, sir keir starmer. this will be his first address to the general assembly since he took office in july and the prime minister is excited to focus on the conflicts in ukraine and middle east. it comes a day after he joined those calls for an immediate cease-fire to bring israel and hezbollah back from the brink as cross-border tensions build. at wednesday's un security council meeting, he noted the increasing humanitarian crisis in sundan, urging the international community to violate and seek solutions. atop his agenda, military and diplomatic support for ukraine. he's set to join the chorus of western leaders in new york urging a united front against russia.

written is ukraine's third -- britain is ukraine's third biggest supplier of aid. we are awaiting that speech. the greek prime minister at the moment is actually speaking. we are expecting sir keir to that.the podium shortly after i can tell you the u.k. prime minister did hold bilateral meetings with the prime minister of pakistan and also with u.n. secretary general. those meetings were productive meetings. a downing street spokesperson said the prime minister met the pakistan prime minister and they discussed at the deep relationship between the u.k. and pakistan, including strong people to people links, and on trade and investment. we are awaiting sir keir starmer speaking in a moment. we also understand that from the readout of the meeting that the british prime minister had with united nations secretary general, the readout said they discussed some of the most

pressing global issues including ukraine, gaza, lebanon and sudan. that goes on to say the prime minister underlined his commitment to working with the ited nations to tackle global challenges, including climate change and development. they also go on to say the prime minist reaffirmed the uk's commitment to the u.n. charter. here's the british prime minister now delivering his first address at the u.n. general simply. -- assembly. p.m. starmer: i address the assembly today with the value of international corporation. i remember reading the universal declaration of human rights as a student. it had a profound impact on me. i spent my career as a lawyer working to protect those rights. and the declarations still inspire me now as prime minister. because it speaks about our

inherent dignity. the very essence of what it is to be human. of equal and onunalienable rights based on the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. yet, as we meet here today, that can feel like a distant hope. conflict touches more countries now than at any time in the history of this assembly. around the world, more fires are breaking up and burning with ever greater intensity. exacting a terrible toll in gaza, lebanon, ukraine, sudan, myanmar, yemen, and beyond. the vast majority of humanitarian need in the world today is driven by conflict. after 20 years of gains in tackling poverty, disease, war

is one of the main reasons that progress has stalled. that is a catastrophe made by human hands. it has weakened the cause of corporation -- cooperation. sewn political division between north and south. and turned the geopolitical dial away from the rule of law towards brute force and aggression. this matters to us all. it matters to the british people. my government was elected to ange britain. to deliver national missions on higher growth, safer streets, cleaner energy, more opportunity, and a healthier society. but behind every one of these missions sits another insight. unspoken. that used to be but now needs to be said. that we recognize that our success in britain can never be

separated from events beyond our shores. global challenges bound on us on home. and to grapple only with the effects of war, poverty, climate change, pandemics, or irregular migration would arrive on our doorstep is to set ourselves up to fail. we must work with others to solve these problems at root. to tackle the causes, britain is stronger when we do so. so, we are changing our approach on the global stage, too. my message today is this -- we are returning the uk2 responsible global leadership, because i think the international system can be better. we need it to be better. people talk about an age of polarization, impunity,

instability, an unraveling of the u.n. charter. and i fear that a sense of fatalism has taken hold. but, our task is to say no, we won't accept this slide into greater and greater conflict, instability, and injustice. instead, we will do all we can to change it. this is the moment to reassert fundamental principles and our willingness to defend them. to recommit to the u.n., to internationalism, to the rule of law. to work together for peace, progress and equality. because it is right, yes, absolutely. but also because it is plainly in our self-interest. so, we are ready to step up in a spirit of respect and equal partnership. i don't claim that solving these

problems is easy, but there are positive, practical things we could do together. this starts with addressing the rising tide of conflict and preventing a regional war in the middle east. i caed on israel and hezbollah, stop the violence. step back from the break. we need to see in immediate cease-fire to provide space fo ra diplomatic -- for a diplomatic settlement. and we are working with all partners to that end because further escalation serves no one. it offers nothing, but more suffering for innocent people on all sides. and the prospect of a wider war that no one can control and with consequences that none of us can foresee. this is intimately linked with the situation in gaza, where

again, we need to seek an immediate cease-fire. it shames us all that the suffering in gaza continues to grow. the answer is diplomacy. the release of all the hostages and the unfettered flow of aid to those in need. that is the only way to break this devastating cycle of violence and begin the journey towards a political solution for the long-term. which delivers the long promised palestinian state alongside a safe and secure israel. we must also work together for peace in sudan. and a proper response to the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. we need to see greater action to deliver aid and to deliver peace. the world cannot look away. and we must stand up for international law and that is

why we are so resoluten our support for ukraine. they are exercising their right to self-defense as provided for under the u.n. charter. sumi: you have been watching sir keir starmer deliver his address to the u.n announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freen foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: "usa today" calls it, "arguably the best bargain in streaming." that's because the free pbs app lets you watch the best of pbs anytime, anywhere.

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. >> good evening. i am geoff bennett. >> on the news hour tonight, floridians brace for impact as hurricane helene takes aim at the state's big bend region. geoff: the u.s. pushes for a cease-fire plan to end the violence between israel and lebanese hezbollah. but israel's prime minister vows to keep fighting. amna: as president zelenskyy visits washington to lay out a plan for victory and we report from the front lines in ukraine