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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. annocer: and now, "bbc news" >> i am caitriona perry in washington and this is bbc world news america. israel strikes the heart of the lebanese capital, targeting hezbollah central command. iran calls it a dangerous escalation. vice president harris makes her fifirst visit to the u.s.-mexico border in more than three years. d tropical storm helene unleashes flooding throughout the u.s. southeast, leaving dozens dead in its path.

hello and welcome to world news america. a major escalation in lebanon as israel strikes the capital beirut and the militant group hezbollah retaliates with rocket fire into northern israel. the israel defense forces say it was targeting hezbollah's central command. two people were killed and more than 70 injured. that is according to the lebanese health ministry. we are now hearing that israel's army is warning residents of specific buildings in southern beirut to evacuate. the hezbollah leader was reportedly the target of the beirut attack. that has not been confirmed by israel. neither israel or hezbollah has confirmed his current status. the president of iran called the

attack a war crime and the lebanese ambassador to the united nations denounced of the strikes in strong terms. >> this is really aggression against lebanon at unprecedented magnitude. they are spreading terror, all kinds of psychological warfare, sonic bombs. and all of this leads to disrupting normal life in the country as a whole. caitriona: our correspondent has the latest from beirut. >> israel has struck beirut with a series of massive explosions. it's hard to imagine a bigger escalation or a starker picture of war.

and here was the aftermath. the hezbollah stronghold in the southern suburbs, now looking like gaza. many lebanese fear that is where things are headed. the israeli military says it targeted hezbollah's hq. >> the israel defense forces carried out a precise strike on the central headquarters of the hezbollah terror organization that served as the epicenter of hezbollah's terror. hezbollah's central headquarter was intentionally built under residential buildings in beirut. as part of their strategy of using lebanese people as human shields. >> some israeli media are reporting that the target of the strike was the hezbollah leader,

hasan nasrallh, but that is unconfirmed. pro regime media in iran are saying he's in a safe place and was not affected. several buildings have been brought down in beirut and hospitals are appealing for blood donors. bbc news, southern lebanon. caitriona: this large-scale attack has prompted israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to cut short the trip to the u.s. he was in new york delivering a speech at the united nations general assembly. the israeli government has released to this photo where it says prime minister netanyahu was approving the strike in beirut from new york. the israeli prime minister make no mention of the cease-fire, standing firm on the idea that israe's offensive against hezbollah in lebanon would continue until israel's objectives were met. he also accused the united nations of antisemitism and striking a tone of defiance,

saying israel was defending itself against the common enemy in iran. >> i have come here today to say enough is enough. we won't rest until our citizens can return safely to their homes. we will not accept a terror army perched on our northern border, able to perpetrate another october 7 style massacre. i have a message for the tyrants of tehran. if you strike us, we will strike you. there is no place in iran that the long arm of israel cannot reach and that is true of the entire middle east. caitriona: the u.s. president joe biden has said the u.s. had no prior knowledge of nor participation in the israeli airstrike on beirut. the pentagon echoed that message. >> i know you are seeing reports

about a strike in lebanon. secretary austen spoke by phone earlier today to his israeli counterpart, mr. gallant. the u.s. was not involved in this operation and we had no advanced warning. minister gallant spoke with secretary austen as the operation was underway. caitriona: let's speak about all the developments with ambassador jim jeffrey, former deputy national security advisor and former u.s. ambassador to iraq, turkey and albania. thank you for joining us. no confirmation yet from israel but if it is the case that israel was targeting the hezbollah leader in this strike, does that but this whole situation a step closer to an all-out war? amb. jeffrey: it may. it also could put it closer to some kind of resolution. take a step back. in the year 2000, iran was in a very weak position. 23 years later, on october 6,

2023, look at how strong they were in iraq, syria, lebanon, gaza, and yemen. what happened in those 23 years? we constantly preached, particularly to israel but other countries, cease-fire, de-escalate. military is not the solution. on october 7, the fruit of that policy was made very clear to israelis. all of them, not just netanyahu, not that he wasn't going to jail if he loses power. israelis generally support returning fire with fire with hezbollah. they see them as an existential threat to eir country. largely, they are right. they have taken a very risky step of escalation, but nobody knows how this will turn out. same with ukraine. caitriona: you mentioned iran. the iranian president has

described this as a game changing moment. do you expect iran to move to be directly involved? there is an indirect involvement through hezbollah. amb. jeffrey: again, iran has been directly involved in threatening not only u.s. and arab countries, and the state of israel for over 20 years. this is a critical point, but iran has a great deal to lose. the u.s. will come a even if we were not involved in this strike, we will defend israel just like we did against iranian attacks. this time, it will be massive and probably target their nuclear program, the revolutionary guard headquarters, and possibly the regime leadership. the israelis are not fooling around. caitriona: talking about u.s. defense measures, antony blinken was speaking earlier and he said if u.s. interests in the area were threatened, that the u.s. would take every measure

available to defend them. what do you think he means by that? amb. jeffrey: i think he's stating standard u.s. policy. he's often reluctant to extend that to israel, taking every available measure when it feels its security is threatened. at is what the israelis are doing and they are getting a lot of tssk-tssk's out of washington. we heard this last year. in the end, washington goes a lot because we don't have an alternative to hamas, hezbollah and iran. caitriona: speaking of hezbollah, what do you expect the response to this will be? we don't know the status of the leader nasrallah at this point in time. if he has been killed or incapacitated, what will that mean for hezbollah? amb. jeffrey: the conventional wisdom, which the israelis are challenging, the conventional wisdom was that hezbollah would launch their 150,000 rockets in massive barrages against israeli

infrastructure. that is possible. one, we don't know how much damage israel has done to hezbollah's command and control, and frankly to its stocks of rockets and missiles. the other thing is hezbollah's missile and rocket potential exists to deter an israeli attack not on lebanon, but on iran. iran does not want to see that wasted. iran cannot deluge israel with missiles the way hezbollah may be able to. so, that is another factor that they have to consider. caitriona: looking then to have potentially this might end, obviously, there is the 21 day temporary cease-fire on the table. a couple of days ago. we hear from the secretary-general from the u.n. saying we cannot have endless negotiations like we've seen in gaza. how do you see things proceeding from her is there any hope of a cease-fire temporary or

otherwise at this point? amb. jeffrey: again, the hope i want is that israel wins against hamas and hezbollah and that is what most of the arab state leadership hopes and probably what joe biden hopes as well. without a lot more killing. it is not obvious how you get there. the 21 day cease-fire would simply give hezbollah a respite. there is no guarantee, there is nothing in that document that would have gotten has a lot to pull back from the border. that is the underlying israeli demand, so we can resettle the large depopulated northern part of the country. caitriona: we have to leave it there for the moment. former u.s. ambassador jim jeffrey, thank you for speaking with us. we will have more from lebanon later in the program. first, the vice president harris is visiting arizona on her first trip to the u.s.-mexico border in more than three years. a recent cbs poll shows 50% of

americans put policies on immigration and border security as a major factor in deciding how they will vote in november. ms. harris is expected to call for tougher rules at the border and more resources for agents. e visit also comes as republicans continue their attacks on the president and vice president over this administration's record on immigration. border crossings have fallen dramatically in recent months after record highs earlier in joe biden's administration. that fall follows an executive action by the president in june which disqualifies migrants from asylum if they cross the border between legal entry points. let's go to arizona now. the only battleground state that borders mexico. we can speak to our correspondent who's in douglas, arizona with the vice president. emma, what is the vice president doing there today? what has the response been like to her visit?

emma: well, this is a section of the u.s.-mexico border where you can see the border wall stretching out for miles into the distance. this was one of the busiest sections of the border for illegal crossings at one point. kamala harris' aim is to meet border security and she will be setting up her case on the way she would tackle the migrant crisis and drug smuggling and people smuggling over the border if she became president. this has been a difficult area for democrats and kamala harris because donald trump has made illegal immigration and border security central to his campaign, and republicans have used this issue to attack kamala harris, talk about her being very weak on this issue. polling suggests that more voters trust donald trump on this issue than they do kamala harris. she's going to be talking tough on border security today. talking about the way she would try to increase the number of border patrol agents.

she will also be talking about the way she would try to revive that previous bipartisan, cross party border bill which effectively donald trump killed off and she argues would have helped to tackle the crisis here. this is a weak point. it is a potential electoral vulnerability for kamala harris so she knows she has to come here and try to convince voters to trust her on what she would do to try to tackle the border. caitriona: why is the issue of immigration such a contentious one? why is it so important to american voters, even those that don't live at a border region like where you are now? emma: that is right. whether you live a few minutes away from the border or people who live thousands of miles away from the border, it has become the number one concern for voters in this election. now, part of that is because we have seen the numbers of people crossing illegally going up and they surged and pked during the joe biden administration. in 2023, at the end of the year,

there were some 10,000 illegal crossings per day. that has come down somewhat now because joe biden tightened the asylum ability, the ability for people to claim asylum. nevertheless, it remains a great fear for people about the number of people coming across undocumented and remaining undocumented in the u.s. for many years, and drug smuggling too. particular, the amount of fentanyl that is coming across and the way that's happening intact on communities. as a whole range of reasons why people are fearful of the people coming across the border, the kind of criminal organizations that are able to exploit the border. and because donald trump has put this front and center of his campaigning over the past decade, that's so helped to lift up the ante for people come increase the amount of fear people feel and it has been visible at the border crisis, covered again and again on news networks for my years. whoever wins the presidential election, it is a big issue for them to tackle, not only is

it a humanitarian crisis. many people die in the hot weather, and the deserts trying to make these very dangerous journeys to cross this border. it is a humanitarian issue as well. caitriona: emma vardy, thank you for that. and a reminder that you can get all the latest on the race to the white house in our new series, path to the presidency, and a new episode drops on youtube today so cap that. now, let's turn to some other important news from around e world. new york city mayor eric adams has pleaded not to five criminal charges. he was indicted earlier this week on allegations that he accepted illegal campaign funds and luxury travel benefits from turkish nationals in exchange for his influence as mayor. the former police officer has denied any wrongdoing and rejected calls to step down as mayor of america's most populated city. climate activists from the british protest group just stopped oil have thrown soup at

two paintings by vincent van gogh in london's national gallery, just hours after two other members of the group were jailed for doing the se thing two years ago. the activists who were jailed on friday were given sentences of up to two years. elsewhere in new york, donald trump and president zelenskyy have met to discuss russia's war on ukraine. the former u.s. president and republican nominee in this upcoming election told the ukrainian president that the war would be resolved very quickly if he was to win back the white house. the ukrainian president expressed gratitude for the meeting and said he hoped washington support for kyiv remains strong. at least 33 people have been killed across florida, georgia and north carolina as storm helene brought flash flooding and fierce winds so much of the southeast. the storm beryl into florida's big bend as a category four storm on thursday night before weakening as it traveled north.

cleanup operations are underway in florida. this was the scene in perry, about 50 miles southeast of tallahassee. residents begin returning home. there has also been severe flooding in parts of georgia with some areas in atlanta completely underwater. now before we move on, let's take a look at a dramatic video from the clearwater coast guard. it shows the rescue of a man and his dog who were sailing off the coast of florida's sanibel island as the storm was approaching on thursday. you can see just how choppy the water was. after the rescue, emergency services say the pair were in a good medical condition. now, one of britain's best, well loved actresses, dame maggie smith has died at the age of 89. in a statement, her son said she died peacefully on friday morning known for her roles in harry potter and downton abbey, her six decade career on stage and screen saw her win two

oscars and five bafta's. today, king charles paid tribute to her, remembering what he called her warmth and wit both on and off stage. our culture editor takes a look back at her life and legacy. >> that was bloody brilliant. >> thank you for that assessment. >> her professor mcgonagle introduced dame maggie smith to a whole new generation. >> little girls, i'm in the business of putting all heads -- >> it was another teacher role that won her first oscar. the prime of ms. jean brody was an acting master class. and over seven legendary decades, she admitted her nerves of being her best often got to her. >> i think i just get extremely grumpy.

i'm ry touchy. just theory is that myself -- furious at myself. >> in charge of everything. but i think inside, there was an anxiety to get it right. and she always did. she was so bloody good. you could forgive someone for being the best of the best. >> she made her name on the stage. >> i love you with so much of my heart. there is nothing left to protest. >> one of the finest theater actors of her generation. >> in her great performances, you think you've got the better of her but you never have because she's always ahead of you. she's always taking you somewhere thrilling, strange, interesting and unexpected.

>> that never occurred to me. >> truly, i never worked with anyone like her. >> what's that? >> dame judy dench, her contemporary an equal, was a lifelong friend. >> you are always asked first, if i may say so. >> i am turning on you now. >> it is all coming out now. >> that wit and humor became her trademark. a scene stealer in downton abbey. >> of course, i will have the weekend. >> we will discuss this later, we must not bore the ladies. >> what is a week end? >> have you ever wched downton? [laughter] >> i've got the box set. >> witty to the end. >> what is it youeed?

>> time, professor, as much as you can get me. >> amongst the many tributes, daniel radcliffe called her a legend with a fierce intellect and gloriously sharp tongue. micchelle said there was no one quite like maggie. the king tonight said the curtain has gone down on a national treasure. caitriona: dame maggie smith there, who has died at the age of 89. let's return to our top story. the major israeli attacks on beirut. joining me now from beirut is our correspondent anna foster. we are seeing in the last little while from the idf, evacuation calls for specific buildings in southern beirut. what is the situation like at the moment? is there a sense of a further pending escalation? anna: that would certainly be suggested from these messages that have been sent by the idf, the israel defense forces.

something which is normally more regularly seen in gaza where they ask residents of certain areas to move out of the way before they strike them. just over an hour ago, they put messages out for the southern suburbs of beirut, where we've already seen this significant strike earlier in the day. an area of three buildings, they've asked residents to leave and move away because they are telling people they are in hezbollah areas. what we are seeing and what we are seeing a social media and lebanese tv stations are pictures of people panicking, gathering their belongings together and trying to move out of the areas. all of this is happening at the same time as rescuers are digging through the rubble of those buildings that collapsed in the earlier attack, which is the most significant strike here in the heart of the lebanese capital since this phase of the conflict started over a week ago. caitriona: if that earlier strike, anna, as is being reported was designed to take out the leader of hezbollah,

nasrallah, which iran's president is now calling a war crime, how significant of a development is that? anna: it would be hugely significant. he's the leader of that organization. what is very unclear tonight is whether or not he's alive or whether he idead. we are hearing different things. the israel defense forces say they are looking and checking to see whether or not he was killed that strike. some different messages coming out of iran. messages of fury and defiance there were some earlier messages saying he was fine, but there were some posts coming up from semiofficial channels on social media saying quite cryptic things like the leader of any organization has people ready and waiting to take over. i think the next hours and days, that will be crucial as to whether or not the leader of hezbollah is still alive or was killed in the strike. caitriona: thank you for that

update. you can keep up-to-date on that situation and all of the day's news on our website, bbc.com/news. that is it for world news america today. i'm caitriona perry. thank you for watching. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. 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: "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. geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna nawaz is away. on the "news hour" tonight, millions are without power in the southeast as residents begin the long, arduous recovery from hurricane helene. ukraine's president meets with donald trump as competing political visions for u.s. aid to ukraine cast doubt on the future of the war effort. and, we go inside a georgia election center to get an up-close look at the voting protections at the center of a critical swing state.