frank gardner and lina sinjab. let's speak to paula yacoubian.mber of the national coalition party. shejoins us from she joins us from beirut. shejoins us from beirut. i think there may be a problem with the line. i think it has come good, i hope you can hear me, paula yacoubian?_ come good, i hope you can hear me, paula yacoubian? thank you for having — me, paula yacoubian? thank you for having me. _ me, paula yacoubian? thank you for having me. hopefully - me, paula yacoubian? thank you for having me. hopefully the - for having me. hopefully the line will stay _ for having me. hopefully the line will stay stable. - for having me. hopefully the line will stay stable. i - for having me. hopefully the line will stay stable. i want l line will stay stable. i want to ask you, how does it feel to be in lebanon today, to be in beirut today, day one of the ceasefire? it beirut today, day one of the ceasefire?— beirut today, day one of the ceasefire? , ., ., ceasefire? it is day one of the ceasefire- _ ceasefire? it is day one of the ceasefire. the _ ce

military says it's targeting hezbollah facilities and fighters. 0ur middle east correspondent, lina sinjabrustration of the people caught up in the strike. well, there is a lot of anger and fear here because most of the attacks are hitting residential areas outside hezbollah—controlled areas. it seems that israelis are in the hunt for personnel related to hezbollah, regardless of their ranking. and people, civilians, are being killed. the story yesterday, 20 people were killed while they were asleep at 4am in the morning. there was no warning before. more than 60 injured in that one incident in that one incident in central beirut, in addition to many other strikes outside, in the south. so, there is increasing fear this conflict is not ending any time soon and you cannotjust hunt down a whole organisation and just keep killing civilians while you're trying to trace members hezbollah. that is how people are feeling here and feeling so much anger that they are caught in fire. and, lina, where do we stand with the latest efforts to reach a ceasefire between israel and hezbollah? lots of diplo

because this is seen as a violation of the country's sovereignty. 0ur middle east correspondent lina sinjabr old rayane salman, whose family home in southern beirut was destroyed by israeli air strikes. we have just arrived we havejust arrived here we have just arrived here and we are on the site where it has been bombed and we are meeting the family who once had a home here. can you introduce yourself two i lived here for around 25 years since i was born. ~ ., ., ., around 25 years since i was born. ., ., ., ., around 25 years since i was born. ~ . ., . ., ., born. we had to leave our home and it was _ born. we had to leave our home and it was so — born. we had to leave our home and it was so hard _ born. we had to leave our home and it was so hard for— born. we had to leave our home and it was so hard for us. - born. we had to leave our home and it was so hard for us. can i and it was so hard for us. can ou and it was so hard for us. can you explain — and it was so hard for us. can you explain what _ and it was so hard for us. can you explain what happened? if you explain what happened? i

we'll return to that in a moment or two, but i've also in the last hour or so been speaking to lina sinjabin beirut — she said people there are worried for their lives. the situation in beirut today is catastrophic, you know. there were more than 20 air strikes in almost two minutes, targeting parts of the city. some of them were sent without warning, you know, people are rushing out in different directions, they are worried for their lives, thinking that it's the hell before the end of a catastrophic period, or a start of a new period. terrible messages are being sent with these air strikes continuing inside the city. people are really hoping that a deal will take place but also worried that the details of this deal may not meet the success or the hopes that people want to go back to normality as soon as possible. lina, you take me to what is actually thought to be in this deal. take me through what we think is on the table because we are showing pictures of the skyline, we are showing pictures of the damage. we know a million people have been displaced. we know it's going to cost a huge

lina sinjab is the bbc correspondent in beirut.he israelis, you know, are determined to continue with their operation here in lebanon. and the mood in lebanon is basically focused on what's going to happen with the american elections. they know that, you know, the israelis won't stop until, you know, the new president—elect will run into office injanuary, so they're expecting, you know, furtherfights and further, you know, tension in the country until that day to come. of course, the essence of lebanon is that it's full of, it's a mosaic of different religions, different ethnic groups and so forth. is that structure kind of holding up under the series of attacks from israel, or is it looking rather dangerous? well, john, you know, things are bubbling up. you know, there are simmering tensions that are seen here and there. you have the christian neighbourhoods that are very protective of their safety, where they don't want to see any hezbollah members living among them so that they spare themselves any israeli air strikes. so, for e

our middle east correspondent lina sinjab gave us more details about the russian airstrikes.ell, this offensive started on wednesday by the rebeljihadist rebels sweeping through several towns and cities, including reaching most parts of aleppo. so it was expected that government forces and russians to start some sort of defence. and that's what happened overnight with russian airstrikes against rebel, you know, forces. and this time in the city of aleppo. we're still not sure quite where exactly and if there are any damages and what are the, you know, death toll after these airstrikes. but this is a sign that both the government and the russians have moved to push the rebels back. and we're still watching to see how this back—and—forth battle will unfold. and who's going to, you know, remain and control the power in aleppo. although we've seen also reports that, you know, the opposition who used suicide car bombs to advance towards the city of aleppo, faced little resistance from government forces. and there were some words for the army to pull out, to have tactical withdrawa

another push to achieve a ceasefire in gaza in the coming days joining me now — our correspondents lina sinjab, frank gardner injerusalem and jess parker in washington. lena, i begin with you and lebanon and reaction thereto that curfew is sued by israel. people were thrown today with the announcement of the cease—fire, thousands of families rushed back to their towns and villages in the south, and of course this curfew comes to halt their excitement to reach their villages and towns, but they are hoping that this isjust are hoping that this is just a few hours of curfew, it would last until 7am in the morning, the israelis don't want anyone in the south to cross north or in the south to cross north or in the south to cross north or in the north across south, so they want to hold any movement after 5pm local time, which already started two hours ago, however throughout the day, people, thousands of people have reached many villages in the south despite warnings from the south despite warnings from the lebanese army might from the lebanese army might from the idf, that it is a gradual process,

let's speak to our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab.es to those russian air strikes, what kind of a difference have they made? well, little difference, to be honest, monitoring the situation overnight after sending message is to president assad that the forces should take control of aleppo again they started bombing rebel areas in aleppo for the first time since there event is started. but throughout the day we had seen that the rebels have advanced and are taking large parts of the capital, of the city aleppo, and even the government forces announcing they had withdrawn and admitting that the rebels have taken control of aleppo. so this is really very interesting time to see how this operation is taking place when president assad is loyalists are also weakened in the region, especially his brother and iran. we are waiting to see the development what is going to happen next, are the rebels going to hold control over aleppo or they will be some sort of negotiations taking place. all of this is going to be clarified in the days to come. t

let's speak to our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab.e we are now. it’s bring us up-to-date with where we are nova— we are now. it's a fast developing... - we are now. it's a fast developing... in - we are now. it's a fast developing... in the i we are now. it's a fast l developing... in the city we are now. it's a fast - developing... in the city of aleppo and the area surrounding it. since the early hours of the morning the rebels are advancing. and now they seem to be in full control of aleppo. there are some reports saying the syrian army have relocated and withdrew from aleppo and is also withdrawing from another city. the rebels have imposed a curfew starting 5pm local time until the next day. we are hearing some condemnation from iran about the consulate inside the city of aleppo, they said that the consulate came under attack. howeverall the that the consulate came under attack. however all the staff are safe so far. thousands of people are fleeing the city thatis people are fleeing the city that is now under rebel control. feari

joining me now, our correspondents lina sinjab in beirut, and frank gardner injerusalem. we saw, many people on the mover in lebanon, returning home, perhaps discovering for the first time those homes are no longer standing. give us yoursense no longer standing. give us your sense of the day so far? at this time of the day it is 13 hours since the truce began, the ceasefire began, after 13 months of violence in lebanon where the last two months of extreme violence that left over 1 million displaced. today we are seeing people rushing back to their homes, i have been out to their homes, i have been out to their homes, i have been out to the southern suburb of beirut and people were walking over the rubble of their homes where they had spent their lives, looking at what is left, there is nothing left from their lives before. but yet they are happy there is a ceasefire, they are worried about what will come next and how this will go back to life, how this will go back to life, how to rebuild. but everyone is really holding their breath at least there is no more violence, no

i will be back in a moment _ joining me now is lina sinjab our correspondent in beirut, our correspondentut. 0ne mp saying that is really seeking revenge with intense strikes — seeking revenge with intense strikes before any truce. about what _ strikes before any truce. about what they— strikes before any truce. about what they are expecting coming hours — everyone is waiting about how this deal— everyone is waiting about how this deal will be sealed, speculation it is like a ceasefire, 60 day ceasefire or an end — ceasefire, 60 day ceasefire or an end of _ ceasefire, 60 day ceasefire or an end of the war. the details are still— an end of the war. the details are still being made. as this is happening the situation in beirut — is happening the situation in beirut today is catastrophic. there — beirut today is catastrophic. there were more than 20 air strikes — there were more than 20 air strikes in _ there were more than 20 air strikes in almost two minutes targeting several parts of the city, — targeting several parts of the city, some of them, one of them was without— city, some of them

let's speak to our correspondent in beirut, lina sinjab.an you start by telling us what we know about the russian air strikes?— air strikes? this offensive started on _ air strikes? this offensive started on wednesday - air strikes? this offensive started on wednesday by| air strikes? this offensive i started on wednesday by the rebel, jihadist rebel sweeping through several towns and cities including reaching most parts of aleppo. it was expected governments forces and russians to start some sort of defence and that is what happened overnight with russians air strikes against rebel forces. this time in the city of aleppo. we are still not sure quite when exactly and if there are any damages and what are the death toll after the air strikes that this is a single to government and russians have moved to push the rebels back and we are watching to see how this back—and—forth battle will unfold and who is going to remain in control of power in aleppo, although we have seen also reports that the opposition who used a suicide car bombs to advanc

our middle east correspondent lina sinjab is in beirut. morning — and what are the chances this ceasefire will hold? well, the ceasefire started in effect almost four hours ago local time, so we can see movement has started towards the south and southern beirut as well. people are excited and hope that this deal will continue and hold on and people are desperate to go to their villages and homes although the israelis have warned people not to go back yet to the south. we know the lebanese army is preparing to take its own responsibility in this deal and to deploy troops to the south to maintain it free of any armed hezbollah presence, but the priority for the civilians and residents who have lost their homes and been away from their homes and villages four weeks, they want to go and check on the situation there and are holding high hopes, but also lots of speculation and fear that this might break down any minute.— break down any minute. thank you ve much break down any minute. thank you very much indeed. _ break down any minute. thank you