♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by...

woman: a law partner rediscovers her grandmother's artistry and creates a trust to keep the craft alive. a raymond james financial advisor gets to know you, your passions and the way you enrich your community. life well planned. nicole: at bdo i feel like a true individual, people value me for me, they care about what i want, my needs, my career path, i matter here. 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" ♪ >> hello. you are watching "the context" on bbc news. >> there were extensive warnings

given by the israelis last night saying they were moving on essentially from bombing bunkers to bombing -- >> hezbollah's financial network is based on two main sources of income, money from the iranian regime and money from the lebanese people. >> these negotiations are going and we are going to see the bombing will increase in accordance. >> the world will stand by lebanon and its leaders if they make the brave and hard choices that are required at this time to benefit all of the lebanese people. geeta: hello. thanks for being with us. israel says more strikes on beirut in the coming hours as it continues its efforts to take out hezbollah hubs. also tonight, a metropolitan

police officers cleared of the murder of chris kaba after shooting him dead in south london two years ago. his family says they are left with the pain of injustice. the widow of the late opposition leader alexei navalny tells the bbc she will run for president of russia only once putin is gone. we will bring you that interview. two weeks out from the u.s. election, what does moscow make of the race that could have huge ramifications for russia and its war with ukraine? special report from our russia editor steve rosenberg. israel says it will carry out more strikes targeting hezbollah and its financial network in beirut in the coming hours as it expands its operation in lebanon. israel targeted dozens of key targets on sunday night. hezbollah says it is targeted and idf intelligence building in tel aviv, though it's unclear if the strike was successful. comes as israel says it has

dismantled spy network gathering intelligence for iran. the police say all seven members have been arrested, alleging the suspects completed some 600 missions for iran, mostly involving sensitive sites and potential human targets. there are concerns in washington about leaks from within the u.s. government. the white house has said it is easily concerned about the leak of a pair of highly classified intelligence documents describing israel's reparations for a retaliatory strike on iran the documents appeared on telegram over the weend including settling images and classified analysis. >> we are certainly aware of the report. we are very concerned. i'm not going to get into specifics, i'm not going to get into details. that is something for doj, ic, and dod to get into, and hoadley they can answer any questions you may have on this matter. as the reports are out there and what we are hearing, certainly we are very concerned by them. they are being looked into. it's being investigated by the appropriate authorities, by the

u.s. government. and so i'm going to let them speak to it directly. geeta: the u.s. secretary of state antony blinken is on his way back to the region, his 11th trip to the middle east since war broke out a year ago. he will be seeking to kickstart talks once again to try to end the war in gaza and defuse the spill of the conflict in lebanon, all whilst israel says it will launch further strikes on beirut in the coming hours to expand its operation against hezbollah in lebanon. well, i'm joined by a former u.s. national security council official under the trump administration. thank you for being with us. first of all, on intelligence leaks, obviously we have seen a very successful operation by israel on its own terms in recent weeks will to do you think information is secure? obviously all sites will be engaging and all sorts of counterintelligence activity. >> geeta, nice to be with you.

with respect to the alleged documents that have been revealed on the pro-iranian telegram channel, that is not good news at all for the u.s. intelligence community, because those types of intelligence products and assessments are kept in very secure physical and digital environments. so it is not clear how these two documents in particular managed to get out of those controlled either digital or physical environments and show up on telegram channel. intelligence value of what they show, that is also unclear from based on whatever information was in there. the fact that they emerged in the first place is not a good news story for the u.s. intelligence. geeta: in terms of where we are now, we are two weeks out from the u.s. election. do you think antony blinken on his latest trip, now just set off for the region, really still

has leverage? we do know the u.s. is providing key support to israel. javed: so here we are two weeks before an election in the united states, and as you mentioned, this is the 11th trip from secretary blinken and other senior u.s. officials who have shuttled back and forth in the region. amos hhstein was in lebanon yesterday, and into today. despite all the diplomatic effort that the u.s. has tried to engage in over the last year, obviously it has not led to an end to the war between israel and hamas, an estimated, now we have the war and as you mentioned, now we have the where with israel and hezbollah to the north, was anticipated to be israel's response to the iranian ballistic missile strikes of a few weeks ago. and will that israeli response to iran happen before the elections in two weeks, or will they wait until after it?

these are all interconnected dynamics to a much broader conflict that has been emerging the last year. geeta: if donald trump does win in two weeks time, how do you think u.s. policy will change? javed: that's an interesting question. going back to when president trump was in office from 2016 to 2020, he was a staunch supporter of israel. there were key policy developments that happened under his presidency with the move of the u.s. b embassy and the abraham accords that came about a couple years later that include all the countries in the region that were envisioned at least that was initially started. i have to imagine it would continue to be another strong pro-israel support. but would it make a demonstrable difference between how strong that support is between president biden of israel the last three years? unfair. if anything, he might increase

it even further, which would only mean the military campaigns would continue. geeta: your sound just went slightly off mic in the last question. let's hope it is still ok. javed ali, in terms of just pursuing that thought, knowing the people that are around donald trump, there has been a lot of speculation as to whether netanyahu would then deliver him some sort of deal in return for further promises of support from donald trump, given the previous support between that pair, and therefore, is it likely really that there is going to be any diplomatic breakthrough before november 5? javed: yeah, sorry for the technical issue. between now and november 5, i don't see any change beyond the status quo at the moment. and then depending on who wins, whether it is donald trump or

kamala harris, then you might see a breakthrough, whether it is hostages held by hamas, whether it is a cease-fire in gaza, whether it is a similar kind of cease-fire between israel and hezbollah. i don't see any of those dynamics changing until after the election, not before. geeta: javed ali, former national security council official under the trump administration, thank you for being with us. javed: thank you, geeta. geeta: metropolitan police officer martyn blake has been found not guilty of murdering 22-year-old chris kaba, who died of a single gunshot to the head during an armed police stop in south london two years ago. mr. kaba was unarmed. tonight his family said their verdict left them with the deep pain of injustice and it represented a failure of all those affected by police violence. the police commissioner said the officer made a split-second decision and what he believed was necessary to protect others.

martyn blake martyn blake, who was suspended from the force during the legal process can has tonight been reinstated. our correspondent was in court. reporter: the final moments of chris kaba's life caught on officer martyn blake's body worn camera. they weren't expecting him to try to escape, and that is when the fatal shot is fired. pierced through the windscreen into chris kaba's forehead. despite officers giving him cpr and the arrival of paramedics, the 24-year-old dies in hospital the following day. today, metropolitan police officer martyn blake, who fired the shot, has been cleared of murder. >> today's verdict is significant. no firearms officer sets out on duty intent on ending the life. their sole purpose is the complete opposite, the

protection and preservation of life. reporter: chris kaba was killed and soon to be a father. the car he was driving had been linked to a shooting in brixton the previous night, and that is why police have been following him before he was stopped. while giving his evidence, metropolitan police firearms officer martyn blake told the jury he had a genuine belief that one of his colleagues could be killed if he hadn't had used this gun. he also told the court he did not intend to kill chris kaba, and it was the sudden movement of the car that led to him firing the shot. but chris kaba's family say he did not deserve to lose his life. in a statement released after today's verdict, they said, "no family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced. chris was stolen from us, and this decision shows that his life and many others like him does not matter to the system. our son deserved better.

the acquittal of martyn blake isn't just a failure for our family, but for all of those affected by police violence." inquesta into chris kaba's debt is expected next year. -- death is expected next year. geeta: the family gave a statement following the verdict. >> no family should endure the unimaginable grief we have faced since chris was stolen from us. an this decisiond shows his life and many others like him doesn't matter to the system. our son deserved better. the acquittal of martyn blake isn't just a failure for our family, but for all those affected by police violence. geeta: more on that ne on the website. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. ♪

geeta: the wife of the russian

opposition leader alexei navalny, who died in a penal colony earlier this year, says she intends to run for president when the time is right. currently yulia navalnaya faces arrest if she returns to russia. she has published the memoir her husband was writing before his death, including his diaries from prison, and has been speaking to our culture and medi editor. >> even if i don't come back to russia, i will participate in the elections. reporter: as a candidate? >> as a candidate. reporter: yulia navalnaya told me she wants to be president of russia, but just like her husband, the russian opposition leader alexei nalny was, she is charged with extremism and faced with the rest if she goes home. what it means is you can't go back -- yulia: yes, i will be in prison. reporter: alexei navalny took on president putin, poisoneth the nerve agent novichok in 201

3, he traced that to rsia's the fsb. after he recovered, the couple returned home. >> are you nervous? >> no. reporter: at the airport navalny was arrested and jailed. he died three years later, a political prisoner in a siberian penal colony. the russians claim he died of natural causes. yulia says he was poisoned on the president's order. yulia: i believe it was the president for the death and murder of my husband. we do have some evidence. reporter: what evidence do you have? yulia: i would like to come with the whole picture. reporter: yulia navalnaya is publishing her husband's memoir called "patriot." features never before seen diaries that reveal the extent of the harsh treatment in prison, including 290 days in solitary confinement. >> it is so hot in my cell, you

can hardly breathe. you feel like a fish tossed onto the shore, yearning for fresh air. most often, it is like a cold, dank cellar. yulia: he was tortured, he was in awful conditions in prison. and he was starving. reporter: yulia couldn't return to russia for her husband's funeral, but thousands brave to the authorities. yulia: and i'm very grateful to all these incredible people who obviously shared his views. reporter: six months after a huge exchange between russia and the west saw prisoners freed. yulia confirmed to me that navalny's name was on the list before he di. yulia: i knew that he could be part of this prison exchange. reporter: and did you know -- he know? do you think the reason why he died is because vladimir putin was not ever going to let him

get in the exchange? yulia: you never know what's in putin's mind. i think that one day he decided that he would never release my husband. >> my message for the situation that i am killed is very simple, not give up. reporter: do you have a message for the russian people? yu reporter: yulia navalnaya has taken up her husband's fight, but told me she can only stand in elections when vladimir putin is gone. for now she is a political figure in exile and a widow keeping her husband's name alive. geeta: a senior lecturer at

manchester university specializing in question and -- in russian and east european politics, thanks for being with me. obviously it's a very interesting interview we heard there. how realistic is ms. navalnaya's wish to be able to stand for political office back in russia eventually one day? >> i think it's a very noble aim. she is certainly a very prominent figure amongst the russian optician, almost all which is forced -- russian opposition, almost all of which is forced to live in exile but i don't see a situation in russia changing dramatically in the short term, and potentially in the medium to long-term, so i think the realistic chances of her being able to take on that role and stand in free and fair elections is not very likely. geeta: and obviously they remain outspoken in opposing putin's regime. are they safe outside the country? eleanor: i think there have been

a lot of concerns in the past few months. we've seen a number of attacks almost certainly august raided by russian security services on russian opposition figures living in exile including in eu countries like the mania and spain and so on. i think there are a lot of concerns about her safety and the safety oher children and her associates. geeta: everyone obviously is watching what the u.s. election means for global relations, including what happens with ukraine, whether a trump administration would continue to support ukraine. how much could potentially change in a month's time, or two weeks' time? eleanor: i think unfortunately it could change enormously, and we've seen even with that the democrats in the white house there have been a lot of issues in terms of the amount of support that has been given to ukraine. we know that it is not enough, there's been debates and arguments around the fact that the u.s. isot willing to let ukraine as it stands use long-range missiles to attack russia in self-defense, of

course. and of course we know that trump has been deeply uncivil that big to the ukrainian cause -- deeply unsympathetic to the ukrainian cause and more sympathetic to putin and seem to think they enjoy a personal relationship people are concerned about what could happen in november. geeta: in terms of what central position there is in russia, what can you tell us about who are the existing players? eleanor: unfortunately in terms of who is left in russia, there is almost nobody that is able to be public about opposing putin's reme, because we know the penalties for doing so register norman's. we feed people -- penalties for doing so are just enormous. we've seen people get gel terms proposing something-- jail terms for posting something on social media or sing something to a colleague. people are very frightened, and from the perspective of the ordinary public, there is no reason for them to speak out at this point, and anyone who is

more active politically or in terms of civil society or free media and so on, almost all those people are living abroad. geeta: and who are those key names, and do they work together, do they work with yulia navalnaya? how much is alexei navalny, usually prominent around the world, but how much is his name known and how much support does he have within russia? eleanor: well, it's always been a difficult one because when he took that ralph decision to return to russia in early 20 -- brave decision to return to russia in early 2021 and of course he was immediately arrested and remained in prison until his death, he had the sense that he would be more effective within the country than outside it. prior to that point his name recognition in russia itself outside of major cities, where most of his support base was, tended to be fairly low because russian media was not allowed to report on his activities. in terms of the others, he had many supporters and colleagues

and we can look at the people who were exchange in the pris oner exchange mentioned in your report, various others who are now living in exile and who are allies, i would say, of yulia navalnaya and her colleagues but so have that other perspective on how the russian opposition should move forward. there's not really a consensus on what they should be doing. and of course there divided in terms of they are living in different locations in very different -- living and working conditions as well. it is a difficult situation. geeta: many thanks indeed. we are just 15 days out from that key u.s. election. it is still far too close for anyone to call. both candidates had been crisscrossing the country targeting the seven key battleground states. in our polling tracker, donald trump is ahead in four of the seven key battleground states that will decide the winner including the key state of north

carolina. kamala harris is committing in wisconsin, michigan, and pennsylvania today. whatever happens on november 5 is not only important for america, but as we've been saying, does have a huge impact in many countries around the world. including, as we've been saying, russia. on the campaign trail trump has boasted of having a good relationship with putin. kamala harris has called the kremlin leader a murderous dictator. but what are they saying in russia by the u.s. election? from moscow, are russia editor steve roseerg. steve: russia is not voting, but it is watching closely. so who does moscow want in the white house? well, when donald trump won in 2016, at the russian parliament they celebrated with champagne. true, the fizz went flat when trump failed to mend u.s.-russian ties. but he continues to say things the kremlin loves. mr. trump: the problem is not that putin is smart, which of

course he is smart, but the real problem is that our leaders are du. steve: and he avoids blaming russia for the war in ukraine. >> trump seem to be more pragmatic and lacking certain principles. and being pragmatic without principles, you make it easier to strike a deal. steve: by contrast -- vice pres. harris: if donald trump were president, putin would be sitting in kyiv right now. steve: kamala harris has called vladimir putin a murderous dictator. on the campaign trail she said that support for ukraine is an american strategic interests. a u.s. presidential election campaign is rath like a traditional russian doll. it seems to go on and on and on, forever. the question is, is russia doing more than just sitting on the

sidelines watching? the kremlin's already been accused of meddling. the biden administration claims the russian government is spreading disinformation through social media to try to influence the results of the 2024 vote. the russians deny it, but there is no denying that in recent years, u.s.-russian relations have gone from bad to worse to even worse than that. and yet, once upon a time things were going swimmingly. at the end of the cold war, this american duck monument in moscow celebrated east-west friendship. though you wouldn't know what talking to igor. "the u.s. was our enemy in soviet times, and it still is," igor says. "it doesn't matter who was president there." but marina likes the idea of a

woman president. "i'm not saying it will be better or worse," she says, "but it will be different." so russia and america have one thing in common, their presidents have always been men. steve rosenberg, bbc news, moscow. geeta: well, just let me show you the latest pictures from the middle east, because we are seeing smoke on the screen in beirut. israel had issued warnings that there will be more attacks in lebanon and beirut in the coming hours. this is as antony blinken is en route to the region. but of course israel is continuing its attack on 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: get the fr pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by...