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>> more than speculation tha iran's oil infrastructure could be targeted. it depends on what part of that infrastructure. >> the export facilities in iran are those at greatest risk, and the aftermath of what happened tuesday night -- in the aftermath of what happened tuesday night. >> the prospect of israel striking iran's oil facilities has sent crude prices higher as the world rippled -- as the global ripples from the wider conflict spread ever wider. israel continues to target hezbollah. nine people have been killed after a strike on a nine story block. britain agrees to hand over d -- hand over the -- islands to

india. global oil prices have risen sharply after president joe biden said he was talking to israel about potential strikes on iran's oil facilities in response to iran's ballistic attack on israel on tuesday. mr. biden's comments lead to an immediate jump in crude prices although it has since fallen back. iran is the seventh biggest oil producer in the world. the markets fear a further escalation in the middle east could mean -- [no audio]

-- a key waterway for oil -- building in central beirut. the multistory building, israel said it was hit in what it called a precision attack, and that the target was a has below official. -- hezbollah official. -- close to lebanon's parliament building. let's go live to my colleague in beirut for us. we have seen israeli strikes, right in the city center, not st in the suburbs where there had been strikes in the last few days. >> that's right. this is the center of beirut and when that building was hit last night, it was about 12:20. i looked across and saw the orange flames, saw the windows of the surrounding buildings lit up, saw the smoke rising.

a lot of these strikes have been focused on the southern suburbs of beirut, where hezbollah is based and it was unusual to see a strike like this in the heart of beirut in the downtown area, very close to the parliament, this big u.n. building. i think it was enhanced ar after seeing that last night because so far, the majority of those strikes have been concentrated in one area. the idf have said that they have hit 15 different hezbollah targets in beirut itself and down to the south as well, those airstrikes have continued throughout the day. remember, before israel launched their ground invasion into lebanon, the head of the army said they were doing that to try and degrade hezbollah's military infrastructure ahead of any ground invasion. i think what is interesting is

even though that has started, we still see these airstrikes continuing. >> in the last couple of hours, reports of an israeli strike on a warehouse close to theeirut airport. not surprisingly, the airlines have canceled flights in and out, making it even harder for people who want to leave lebanon to get out. >> it is really difficult. that aa is naturally close to the airport. they are almost next to each other on the map. if you want to try and get a flight out, if you were to try and book one now, you would be looking at at least 10 days, to two weeks. the lebanese national carrier is still flying their routes but everyone else has stopped. we have seen governments organizing charter flights including the u.k. government.

they charter the plane, bring it in, let nationals of that particular country buy the seats and then take them out. it is also worth mentioning that many countries, the u.k., the u.s. and others had been telling their nationals for weeks. to leave. they said leave -- for weeks to leave. they said leave while you still can. a lot of people did, but a lot of people still didn't. that is why you are seeing governments taking steps of their own to get people out. >> thank you for being with us. we will talk to frank, a former u.s. special envoy for middle east peace under former president barack obama. we heard joe biden at the beginning of the program, saying they were talking with israel about the possibility of hitting iranian oil facilities in retaliation for the strikes on

israel and that sent oil prices higher. that is a global consequence of this continuing escalating conflict in the middle east. >> yes, absolutely. it is a pivotal moment. we are on the knife's edge, we could go either way. talking about the oil facilities, not only is it a problem for the world, it is particularly an acute problem in the united states. the last thing biden and harris want right now is a spike in gas prices. we are trying to restrain israel as much as we can in the hopes that the iranians will back down and that we can move towards resolving the problem in a more peaceful way. >> wasn't wise for joe biden to even talk about the possibility of strikes on oil facilities? >> it is an interesting question.

it is an opportunity to air out our concerns. the other thing to think about is the iranian nuclear facilities and what we are most concerned about is if israel strikes at the enrichment facilities, that would likely elicit a very strong reaction from iran. maybe the oil facilities are the lesser of two evils. >> why would the united states not want to ce iran's nuclear facilities -- want to see iran's nuclear facilities bombed? why would they not want to see those attacked by the israelis? >> we would very much like to see that if there was a way to do it that in a way that would not result in iran sending 1000 ballistic missiles to israel in response. a handful of missiles made it through with a set -- when they sent 200. if they send 1000, you will be looking at massive casuaies.

it is the retaliatory spiral we are concerned about. >> what would you expect israel to do and the united states to accept? it is pretty clear that israel is going to respond in some way to the attacks from iran that we saw on tuesday. >> absolutely. it is clear they are going to do that and we are supportive of that general objective. the real question is whether the attacks on iran's military sites can be complement it by u.s. sanctions in a way that enables the israelis to do less damage militarily. we are pushing an overall approach that has heavy sanctions and a lighter military response. >> thanks very much.

one of the most senior leaders of hamas, designated a terror organization by many western governments, has told the bbc that the current crisis they provoked in the middle east which has led to the deaths of thousands in the last year is justified. the deputy leader of hamas and said the october 7 attacks which killed 1200 people, mostly israeli civilians were necessary to place the issue of palestinian statehood back on the global agenda. he insisted that without it, the cycle of violence in the middle east would not end. our international editor sent us this report. >> with an israeli attack looming, iran and their allies are trying to rally. the iranian president was in qatar, embracing the political leadership of hamas, whose attack on israel last october started a war and a crisis that

is deepening. they became the senior hamas leader outside gaza after israel assassinated his predecessor in july. his leg was broken in the attack and he was still in a surgical boot when we met him in doha, a few hours before iran attacked israel on tuesday. let's go back to the seventh of october last year. why did hamas attack israel? >> we had to sound an alarm to the world, to tell them that we are a people with a cause and demands. it was a wake-up call to the international community. we had to do something that would tell the world that there is a people who have been under occupation for decades. >> why did your men kill so many civilians, children as well? >> we ordered our resistance fighters not to target civilians, women and children,

only the occupation soldiers. we don't endorse harming civilians. on the ground, there were certainly mistakes and actions the fighters may have felt that their lives were in danger. >> your men weren't in danger, they were standing with terrified civilians sitting on the ground and standing over them with weapons. that is not a battle. >> we have all seen how the fighters went into the houses. they spoke to the families, they ate and drank. >> sorry, they were shooting them. there are videos. >> when they went into some of the houses, none of the women and children were terrified. those videos were published by the israeli occupation. they were not published by us. >> almost a year later, gaza is in ruins. more than 40,000 dead, many of them are civilians. your capacitto fight israel has been massively diminished.

was it worth all of that? >> it was the occupation and its army. who destroys gaza? who killed its people? who is killing civilians in shelters, schools and hospitals? ask the world and those who created inrnational law. if 1200 people from the occupation are killed, how does that justify israel killing 15,000 people and destroying all of gaza? they are motivated by the lust to kill, occupy and destroy. >> the israelis say clearly that they respect the laws of war and they also say that the reason why so many civilians have died is because you and hamas fight from within the civilian population, and you use them as human shields. >> that is not true. they destroyed mosques on top of the heads ofheir owners when there were no fighters. they destroyed houses and high-rise buildings when no one

was in them. they bombed houses when there was not a single fighter in the. it is all israeli propaganda. >> israel says under the right circumstances, they would have a cease-fire. what about a cease-fire where you simply give back the hostages and the war ends? would you accept something like that? >> the question is, when will netanyahu decide to stop the war? when wilthe world compel him to stop the war? it is the decision of netanyahu and israel to continue the war. >> you could do it, you could surrender. >> how could we surrender? people who resist the occupation do not give up. our people won't give up. if the world gave us our legitimate rights, this cycle of violence would stop. but israel does not want that. the return of refugees and self-determination.

the world needs to understand that israel wants to burn the whole region. >> for you, it is the -- is the israeli state part of the future? the hamas charter said the zionist state must be destroyed. >> we said that israel wants to eliminate hamas and the palestinian people. israel is crying and claiming that the palestinian people want to destroy it. let's ask what israel thinks of the palestinian people. give us our rights, fully sovereign palestinian state. >> the israelis say the reason why they don't accept a two state solution is because they fear that people like you want to destroy their state and kill their people. >> so far, israel does not recognize a one state solution or a two state solution. israel rejects it all. international solutions, international law and our rights. >> do you think of yourself as a

terrorist? that is what israel calls you. >> i'm seeking freedom and defending my people. to the occupation, we are all terrorists. the leaders, the women and the children. you heard what is really leaders called us. he said we were animals. >> about an hour after the interview, iran attacked israel. the israelis still insist on total victory over hamas. the u.s. and its allies including the u.k. and saudi arabia all say middle east peace requires a secure israel alongside an independent palestine, but right now, military action, not diplomacy is setting the pace. >> jeremy has been explaining us why he asked the leader of what many countries described as a terrorist organization for that interview we've just seen. >> we felt, i felt strongly that

it was important to try and speak to people from hamas, to see why they have done the things that they have done. why they attacked last october, why they kild so many people. what they are planning, what they are thinking about, the current situation, whether they are prepared to fight on. i think we got some answers. i try to challenge him as i could on the things he said, and if israel allowed international journalists like myself and others from the bbc and organizations into gaza, which they do not do, then i think more routinely we would speak to hamas supporters and also those in gaza who oppose what they've done. in general, what i would say about interviewing a man like that is that it is a very important part of fair and impartl reporting. >> that is our international

editor, and just seeing a line from the g7 saying it is voicing its deep concern over what it calls the deteriorating situation in the middle east. much more on the middle east to come. you are watching bbc news. ♪

>> it has been the center of a bitter dispute for more than half a century but now britain has agreed to hand over sovereignty of the remote but strategically important islands. it imade up of over 60 islands. they lined the indian ocean, one thousand miles south of the indian subcontinent. handover will include the island of diego garcia, home to a crucial american military base which the united states will retain. our correspondent has this report. >> a scattering of tiny islands

ep in the indian ocean. british for now, but after today's agreement, not for much longer. the islands are uninhabited, say for one, an important one. diego garcia. it is home to a vacant and secretive american military base. today, britain agreed to hand it all over to mauritius. crucially, the americans will remain in place. >> a crucially protects the national security interests of the united kingdom and our allies, reaching a full agreement with the united states by retaining the base on diego christ -- diego garcia. >> but some have warned that china could exploit the deal to extend its influence. it is over half a century since

the inhabitants of the island we deported forcibly by the colonial power britain. this deal will give them the right to return home at last, perhaps even to resettle. >> it's about the sense of belonging. something that was robbed from me. a place we can call home. we will be free and be able to participate and get back what really belongs to us. >> mauritius has been campaigning for this deal for years, recently planting their flag on one of the atolls and winning growing international support, not -- most recently the united nations which called on england to end their illegal occupation. finally, negotiations began. today, reluctantly but peacefully, the government agreed to hand over one of the very last scraps of britain's

old empire. >> we can talk about this now, to a member of chagosian voices, a grassroots organization representing the chagos islands in the u.k. what was your reaction when you heard this news, and you will commit? -- and do you welcome it? >> -- the way it was announced. we only learned through the media outlet. a meeting on monday. they never mentioned anything about sovereignty. negotiations are ongoing, but this morning, i got an email

from bbc saying we have an announcement and it was a shock. >> so you are not welcoming this decision? i think i am right in thinking that you are saying your community won in her pen -- wanted independence and sovereignty for the islands? >> the larger chagossian community once protection like all the other british sovereign territory. >> so you don't want a change in the status. correct. we want to stay under british protection, as the island has always been since 1840. it has been hundred u.k. sovereignty since then. >> do you not feel that the people of the chagos islands

have been badly treated over the years? they were forced to leave the island over half a century ago. >> we were forced to move to mauritius. there was a deal on the back of this, compensation, agreements to relocate. they were treated worse in mauritius than the treatment we were forcibly removed. we were treated as a second-css citizen. the people who were sent to -- they did not receive any penny for that compensation and to this day they have not received anything. >> thank you very much are being with us. a third generation chagossian.

thank you very much for your time. let me tell you, that -- it is not for the first time actually, but after a four-month delay in belfast, a cruiseship has finally set off on its three and a half year crews. there was a false start the other day. where is it going? the owners say it is heading for france and then the bahamas. the passengers appear to have been told they are heading for scotland. >> we are lifting anchor and sailing away. we've got the full go-ahead and we are making our way to scotland, first stop. sailing away. >> let's show youhe scene in

beirut right now. we were talking to my colleague there a little bit earlier on about the latest israeli airstrikes and reports of one on a warehouse in the last few hours, close to the airport as israel continues its attacks on hezbollah. some of the global repercussions of the conflict in the middle east, making themselves known today with oil prices rising rapidly before falling back. much more on that to come. you are watching "the context" on bbc 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,

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