the u.n.as the second consecutive day the base came under fire from israeli forces. the u.s. defense secretary called israel's defense minister in the past hour or so, urging him to ensure the safety of uniformed forces and coordinate efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible. that is a reference to the u.n. peacekeeper mission there. it stands for united nation interim force in lebanon. this is what president biden has had to say in reonse to a reporter's question at the white house a short time ago. >> are you asking israel to stop hitting u.n. peacekeepers? >> absolutely positively. >> here, downing street sayst is appalled on reports israel deliberately fired on you and peacekeepers. there is also growing anxiety and the lebanese capital after israeli strikes in the center of the city last night in which 22 people were killed. from beirut, reporting --our correspondent reports. >> in beirut, smoke still rising from israel's latest attack on the c

while a u.n.never be attacked, i think there needs to be a little bit of common sense within the u.n. with regards to keeping those people, as prime minister netanyahu says, in harm's way during this operation. caitrÍona: to talk a little about the u.s. involvement, we saw yesterday the u.s. say it was to send high-altitude missile-defense systems to israel with about 100 u.s. military personnel to operate these systems. what does that mean as far as you are concerned? is this increased u.s. involvement? >> i don't think it's quite significant involvement. we have been sending patriot missiles in and out of the region for years, with american troops on top of the weapons systems. of course there hasn't been the amount of missile fire we have seen from hezbollah and iran as we are seeing in this current conflict, so that does increase the risk. the united states says it is committed to the defense of israel well protected with missile batteries inside of israel. to me that seems in line with our po

the u.n. general was asked about the incidents. >> peacekeepers must be protected by all parties of the conflict. and what has happened is obviously condemnable. there was naturally a reaction from many sides in solidarity with the peacekeepers that were wounded. in telling israel very clearly that these incidents is intolerable and cannot be repeated. host: israel's latest attack on those u.n. positions came after a conversation with the pentagon. a read out of a phone call held on thursday between senior u.s. and israeli defense officials said that u.s. defense secretary lloyd austin had emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of forces to israel's defense minister. mr. alston also urged coordinating efforts -- austin also urged coordinating efforts toward a diplomatic pathway. a former lebanese ambassador to the u.n. told the bbc that the u.s. has now lost its leverage. >> the problem is the united states is in a bit of an election campaign and washington says it has very limited i

i have spoken to the u.n. secretary general monday as well.the israeli defense forces incurred upon a post which was being manned by irish peacekeepers. that has ceased and i welcome and thank the u.n. and the united states for their help on that. caitriona: israel has asked for unifil to remove itself from that area. should it? >> no. the safety of our peacekeeping troops is paramount and the advice from generals on the ground, the advice from our chief of staff, and the advice from the u.n. secretary general is that it is appropriate for the mission to continue. we need to be honest. this is happening in a very dangerous environment in a very dangerous part of the world and there is no getting away from that. we cannot have a situation where aggression can force a peacekeeping mission to leave. this is a mission that has survived many decades and served an important function in both sides of the conflict. idf and hezbollah need to respect the role of her peacekeepers and we need to see an urgent de-escalation. caitriona: israel says that uni

the israeli u.n. ambassador telling those diplomats here iran wants to basically destroy the jewish state and also is calling for the irgc, to be designated as a terrorist organization. >> israel will not stand by in the face of such aggression. israel will respond. our response will be decisive. and yes, it will be painful. >> this comes as the united nations secretary general has been banned and barred from entering israel. israeli foreign -- declared him persona non grata. calling for a de-escalation and cease-fire and has not condemned iran and terrorist organization attacking israel. he gives backing to terrorists, rapists and murderers from hamas, hezbollah, houthis and iran, the mother ship of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the u.n. we are now ready for the meeting to begin and see if the secretary general issues a response to that attack. >> bill: eric shawn across town here in new york. thank you. >> dana: former congressman mike gallagher head of the defense d

the u.n.'dinator for lebanon told me more about the situation on the ground. >> we have seen reports of israeli strikes killing people in council buildings wednesday. we have also seen hezbollah say they are engaged in close contact -- combat with the idf. can you give us a sense of what has been happening? >> over the last 24 hours certainly there have been a number of different strikes. some have been in the southern suburbs of beirut. there have been a number of strikes in the south with a great deal of casualties. i think the one you are referring to was at the municipality in the south around 11:00 this morning. the irony of it, in a sense, is that the meeting that was taking place was between the mayor and a number of the disaster response workers, the young men that work with us in terms of responding to the current needs. sumi: if you listen to what we have seen from israel, they have said it is hezbollah using civilians as shields. we have heard from the israeli ambassador to the u.n.

we are ready to work with all u.n. members because the scale of the challenges we face demands it and our prosperity and security depends on it. i will say it again. all this matters to britain should mr. president, by tackling conflict, taking progress in the fight against climate change and poverty and reforming the international system so that it is fit for the 21st century, we can realize the hope and the promise that shine through the founding documents of this organization. together in all our interests, we can change direction from the dangerous destructive path we find ourselves on and turn instead towards the rule of law, towards cooperation, responsibility and progress, towards peace. thank you. [applause] thank you. >> i wish to thank the prime minister and first lord of the treasury of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. >> c-sn is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? it

u.n.g force, which goes by its acronym unifil in lebanon, is charged with keeping the border between lebanon and israel quiet, and demilitarized on the lebanese side. as special correspondent leila molana-allen tells us, the prospects for either are further away every day. leila: shock in the international community today as israeli tanks fired on two u.n. peacekeeper bases in southern lebanon. two soldiers were injured. elsewhere along the southern border, fighting raged between idf soldiers and hezbollah forces. 10,000 peacekeepers from 50 u.n. nations are stationed here in the far southern coastal town of naqoura, with bases dotted along what's called the blue line. for nearly two decades, unifil has tried to implement the u.n. resolution that aims to keep peace along this febrile border. in calmer times, unifil troops work to assist the local community here, and distribute aid when necessary. but for the past two weeks, they've been trapped under intense shelling and small arms fire fr

. >>> u.n. peacekeepers injured in israeli fire, amid the idf growing campaign against hezbollah in lebanon. >>> and milton's deadly aftermath. president biden gets a firsthand look at the devastation in florida as residents begin picking up the pieces. his new pledge to rebuild the storm-battered region. >>> spacex makes history with a catch. the unprecedented dramatic landing for the company's starship rocket booster. >>> the bengals bring down the giants in sunday night spotlight. a big win for cincinnati, and all the other highlights from week six in the nfl. >>> and the chance encounter that led to a miracle gift this pastor will never forget. it's monday, october 14th. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i'm christina ruffini, and there are only 22 days left in the countdown to election day. and the race could not be any tighter. new polling from nbc news shows a statistical dead heat between vice president kamala harris and former president donald trump. nbc's alice barr joins u

and it violates the u.n. sanctions. but to answer your question specifically, i do not see any russian involvement. and your second question was -- reporter: regarding the statement yesterday that said the minister decided to include a no text scenario in the future. i'm wondering if that requires a revision of were time operation plans -- wartime plans? sec. austin: i won't give -- i won't provide specifics about the contents of our planning. i would just say we are constantly planning and upgrading our plans and working to make sure that we are ready to fight tonight if it comes to that. but again, the fact that we continue to increase our interoperability -- i think that reassures our allies and partners in the region and it also serves as a deterrent against anyone who would want to do the unthinkable and try to take on this great alliance. >> on the first question, on the icbm launch, was their technical support from russia -- that has not been confirmed at the moment. and what we predict is that there is no eviden

this morning comes ahead of the next big u.n. conference and what the u.n.g is it is not too late yet but we are getting pretty close to that point. it is saying there needs to be a massive effort by all countries of the world to ramp up efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. it said it needs to be led by the rich countries. the rich countries need to lead the way as soon as possible. sumi: that was our climate editor. now to some other headlines from around the world. leaders of the nations of the commonwealth are gathering in samoa for a meeting to get underway on friday. the bbc has learned leaders are prepared to defy the u.k. with plans to examine justice for the transatlantic slave trade. the u.k. government insists the issue is not on the agenda but diplomatic sources are looking out in the agreement that could open meaningful conversation. leaders of boeing have turned down a labor contract by a wide margin. the international association of machinists and -- aerospace workers rejected a 35% pay increase over four years. the deal was turned down sho

you made progress with the u.n. and about 50 countries thinking about responsible use of ai and maybe tell us about how you are assessing that progress, looking at what are the muscle movements coming in -- in the coming months. >> i feel we are on a good track. i started in this job october 2022 and check tpp -- chat gtp came out in november. the work on ai to me is important because it cuts across virtually every area of human enterprise but also human research and development which we are concerned about nurturing. i think again, that's the reason that executive order is so bulky, it did recognize that ai is part of so many different aspects and there were very different objectives because we have to deal with safety and security issues and issues embedded in privacy and concerns about the impact on jobs and the focus on how the government will use ai. it's almost a year. a few things i'm proud of is today, changes have been implemented that actually affect how ai comes into american lives. today if you come into

so it is prompting the u.n. security council to hold an emergency meeting on the escalating conflict scheduled for 10:00 a.m. this morning. >> bill: iran is ramping up its aggression toward the u.n. targeting both campaigns with cyberattacks and plotting to assassinate the former president, donald trump and launching nearly 200 attacks on u.s. forces over the past year. >> dana: all this looming large at last night's vice presidential debate. >> what is fundamental here that steady leadership is going to matter. it is clear when our allies see donald trump turn towards vladimir putin, turn towards north korea, when we start to see that type of fickelness holding the coalitions together we'll stay committed. >> we have to remember as much as governor walz accused donald trump of being an agent of chaos, donald trump delivered stability in the world and did it by establishing effective deterrents. people were afraid of stepping out of line. iran, which launched this attack has received over $1 hundred billion in u

force called united nations interim force for lebanon, been there over four years under u.n.y council resolution 1701 passed in 2006, the hezbollah wasn't supposed to be south of the river they are the you will israelis got to push of north i think much more than limited excursion i think pushing north create a buffer zone i think going to do it has to be aggressive you can see the it good reason why doing it for president biden to say there should be cease-fire down the quite get what it israel trying to do to protect citizens. >> john ratcliffe former director national intelligence told me on sunday. secret democrats wand a cease-fire in advance of presidential election coming up to help kamala harris, and doing so willing to put you know politics above national security, it is troubling how far they are willing to go, they are willing to ignore act of war, that is what this is about, politics? >> well, yeah, look. most things about politics you get to that part of the region, you have to go back take a step back this should not be about united states needs state of ill we

and i would expect the u.n. to have the decency to the say who's good, who's bad. they cannot do that. that's bad, we condemn a hamas. we're going to mark october 7th next week at the u.n., we're going to have a special ceremony knit. the u.n. was not capable to pass a resolution condemning hamas since october 7th. so you ask yourself if you cannot do that -- only a condemnation -- what are you to doing there? charles: sure. i saw some of those videos, and the u.s. just, it's -- i don't think with people thought that kind of inhumanity was possible in a modern era. it was really that barbaric. i want to ask you about peace. a gallup poll just came out shows two in three do not think peace will ever be achieved. in israel, 66 said no, and in the west bank and jerusalem, 68% said, no. this is scary stuff because your existence, your children, your cell phone -- grandchildren, everyone in the region, for families, this has gone on too long. how do we get over these obstacles? >> we are at war, we're under attack. y

lola: we at the u.n.t is vital to have support from the international community to do things that are important. the humanitarian situation in port-au-prince. we are doing the best we can. we don't have enough funding. that's an issue. also, we need to make sure the other part of haiti where people are producing and having a life, they can also access the markets. it's really important that we give enough resources to save lives and build the capacities in the communities. carl: lola castro, regional director with the u.n. food program, thank you for those insights. lola: thank you. carl: before we go let's look at the moment a monkey trapped and tortured by global animal abuse ring was released back to the wild. you can see the moment here. minnie was rescued and taken from the forest after her mother was killed and her owner toured her and filled it for customers. she was eventually released, rescued, rehabilitated at the century in jakarta. minnie and her adopted family redeemed ready to return back to

and again, it violates the u.n. security, u.n. sanctions. but to answer question specifically, i don't see any russian involvement. and your second question was? >> the second question is regarding the statement yesterday. put out by the minister and secretary austin decided to include nuclear text scenario. i'm wondering if that requires of revision wartime operational plans between south korea and the united states? will that happen? next year, coming years? any timeframe for that? thank you. >> certainly i won't give, provide specifics about the contents but i would just say we are constantly planning and upgrading our plans and working to make sure that we are ready to fight if it comes to. but again the fact we continue to increase our interoperability, i think that reassures our allies and partners in the region, and it also serves as a deterrent against anyone who would want to do the unthinkable and try to take on this great alliance. >> on the first question on north korea icbm launch. was very technical support from russia? that ha

that is the head of the u.n. hezbollah on the same moral plateau as the idf, the day after -- and i want to play this for our viewers -- your israeli defense forces found a tunnel in hezbollah beneath a child's bedroom with a cache of weapons underneath and a plan to commit october 7th from the north. what do you think we knew hear the head of the u.n. equivocate your country to hezbollah? >> that's shameful, and it's not the first time. since october 7th, the secretary general and other officials of the u.n., they make equivocation between aggressors and how we are defending ourselves. even last night, that attack from iran, the secretary general could even mention iran in his statement. he called for de-escalation. you have to speak all sides, playing the game. that is unacceptable. imagine during world war ii, if the allies spoke not to germany, the u.n. would have called for both sides to de-escalate. it was not in place back then, but it was formed exactly to avoid such scenarios. we see today, when you have

the u.n.g the situation in northern gaza desperate as it delivers the first food aid allowed into the area in more than two weeks. more agencies are calling for entry into the territory to deliver lifesaving aid, as fighting between israel and hamas continues caret israel says it is targeting hamas. fighters the operation was launched in neighboring towns. hundreds of people are reported to have been killed. around 400,000 palestinians remain in the region. it comes as the first team of u.s. troops arrived in israel on monday to help boost israeli air defenses amid threats from iran. the spokesperson of the palestinian red crescent society told us more about the situation on the ground in northern gaza. >> u.n. says it has delivered the first food to the north of gaza in two weeks. it is describing the situation as desperate. what can you tell us about the situation in northern gaza in particular? >> good evening. thanks for having me. the situation north of gaza is beyond catastrophic and hor

created a u.n. interim force. they have done nothing and i don't blame the israelis for going back against the u.n. they are absolutely emasculated. they haven't done anything. that's the reason the united states has no opportunity to leverage this. and bring some type of piece to the region and work in with other allies in the region. we shouldn't let them fight alone. this is our fight as well. i know that's hard to say i'm some people go, we are expanding the war? this is a war that needs to be fought and it's being fought now. the question is, when does it end. that's the reason i keep going back to what netanyahu said. he has said it repeatedly. he looks at this in biblical fashion. it's a fight to the end, a fight between good and evil and it's a fight to the finish. we should acknowledge that. sometimes we talk in diplomatic speak and we think it's going to be okay, we need to cease-fire. no. stokley to happen. this is going be a fight to the finish between good and evil and we should stand on the side of g

untraditional justice we are making a significant effort in working with the u.n. and the u.n. high commissioner for human rights and we just met with him to talk about bangladesh and its efforts to go out there and to lead an international team to focus on traditional justice to hold as you say them accountable mohammed has agreed to come back and lead this transition and that is an incredible market public service because again he's been in exile. he is coming back and he has a very hard job to lead in this transition environment when people want to see again democracy delivered. we are thinking the us government how to help them. deliver and protection of minorities deliver on security to make sure there is no jihadists threats. they want to make the case that democracy is bad which we don't want. we are trying to help a homak and the secretary nights is met with him two weeks ago at the u.n. and he's working very hard. one thing he's trying to do which is top of mind is to work on jobs. he understands correctly that the students in the streets who are part of this movement

you know what happen if this big u.n. objective failed so that's that's one of the reasons that that action on behalf of the united nations was seen to be as it seemed to be tremendously important of my perspective. i think one of the things, despite not getting declaration of war, truman is very successfully able in the summer of 1950 to build both a domestic an international coalition behind the deployment of troops. so that evaporates by the end of the year. but he does, i think, because two overlapping factors here that coincide. one is the cold war, the fact that korea is is important is important strategically because of its geographic position vis a vis japan, as well as its symbol. but it's also important when truman is in independence, missouri, on the 24th, when he learns of the attack, he flies to washington the next day. and in his memoirs, he says, as i'm looking out the window, i'm thinking about the 1930s and in the 1930s, when the west allow totalitarian dictatorships to expand, the news falls without any

the u.n.me supplies are reaching the north of the territory. this comes after a fortnight when no aid were able to reach the people trapped. america's envoy to the united nations called the emergency meeting and told them that the u.s. government made it clear to israel that it must do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties in gaza. linda: a "policy of starvation" would be horrific and unacceptable and would have implications under international law and u.s. law. the government of israel has said that this is not their policy. that food and other essential supplies will not be cut off and we will be watching to see that israel's actions on the ground match this statement. >> a view from the u.s. at the united nations. let us bring you up-to-date on what is happening in lebanon. israeli strikes are continuing. the u.n. peacekeeping force said that israel fired at one of its positions near a southern lebanese village. in southern lebanon, 16 people have been killed including the mayor

a few hours later, the u.n.al says they will remain in lebanon and cannot be targeted. a spokesperson added that attacks against the peacekeepers are in breach of international law. and they may institute the war crime. and i spoke to the ambassador about these developments and more. ambassador, thank you so much for being here with us this evening. i know that towns have been bombed and they are being damaged. with all this in mind that it seems like they would follow the new playbook. do you see it that same way or do you think something different with that play on lebanon? >> it is exactly as you said, and it has been used for a year now on gaza, which is being used again in lebanon. and all good things, spelling no support teams and no facilities. and brutalizing the population that are not clear and sometimes they are delusional. so it is the same one. >> you said israel has been violating the u.n. resolution, which will mandate they can not be in the buffer zone before the conflict started. they would poin

the u.n. they must stay under international law, and that it is incumbent on israeli and lebanese forces to ensure their safety. the idf demanded the evacuation of a further 20 towns and villages. fully a third of the country is now under fire. yesterday, a century old souk and mosque in nabatieh were razed to the ground. 2300 people are now dead, nearly 11,000 injured. the idf says it will tell lebanese when they can return, but many of their homes, entire villages too, have been flattened. and the bombing is escalating across the country. in the past few days, christian towns in the north were hit for the first time, while the strike zone in the capital continues to expand, often without warning. mohammad was left reeling after the streets housing his family home and his gym business in a calm, central beirut neighbourhood were hit within 5 minutes of each other. the area had become home to dozens of displaced families who fled from the south. his family survived, but many in their building

anchor: a situation report from the u.n. agency and gaza has revealed a worsening crisis. the u.n.ency said 1.4 million gazans did not get food rations in september and that number is up from one million in august and is a 40% increase. nearly 70% of the crops have been destroyed and when it comes to schools, 86% of the schools have been damaged or destroyed since seven october. israel's bombing has continued. these are the latest scenes coming from central gaza where multiple homes were destroyed and body bs were seen being taken away on horse wagons. palestinian medics say 29 people have been killed across gaza today. humanitarian agencies have been trying to evacuate oddly injured children in gaza that have been injured in the israeli strikes. some of them have been brought to jordan for treatment. i've been speaking about the process with the head of mission at doctors without borders in jordan. talk to me a little about the journey out of gaza. how do those so badly wounded take it from there to you? >> today, we speak abo 100,000 wounded in gaza according to the who figures.

we have a u.n. peace-keeping force, u.n. security council resolution, and we would be ready as a lebanese government to play our part in that. >> right, right, yes. ambassador, i'm sorry. we're out of time. we have to leave it there. i appreciate the conversation. and, please, come back soon so we can continue it another time. that's rami mortada, ambassador to lebanon. >>> stay with us on the program. on the other side, investors looking ahead to minutes from the fed as policy makers urge caution on the right path. we're going to bring you more details on the other side. stay with us. we're back in two. what is cirkul? cirkul is the fuel you need to take flight. cirkul is your frosted treat with a sweet kick of confidence. cirkul is the energy that gets you to the next level. cirkul is what you hope for when life tosses lemons your way. cirkul is your gateway back home. so what is cirkul? it's your water, your way. cirkul, available at walmart and drinkcirkul.com. if you' waking up in the united states, hurricane milton is

the u.n. and the u.s. as the principal supporter. it's the peacekeeping force established by u.n.olution. after the last series of conflicts in lebanon designed to prevent what we're seeing now. they failed to do so. we provided through humanitarian assistance, the u.n. relief works agencies which has diverted critical resources to terrorist organizations in gaza and lebanon. in both cases we've seen good intentions laid low by bad executions providing things to terrorist organizations at the end of the day. >> dana: the accused afghan terror suspect. the guy in oklahoma from afghanistan. he had an election day terror plot that was thwarted and the administration until last night said he was thoroughly vetted. turns out that's not so much the case. the chaos did not lead to us being able to take care of people who should be here under special immigrant visas and now we have this situation. >> if we think he is the only one or last threat to face from a population that came into the united states without proper vetting we're sorely deceived. 76,000 afghans came acontrols in the wit

now in hospital grounds for you and schools -- or u.n. schools.ther morning and 18-month-old. i am the one who raised you she says. i am the one who raised you. to the north, the ildren killed by a strike in a camp. among the wounded, boys who were playing marbles at the time. while he was grieving his 14-year-old son. >> he was not holding a weapon or anything else. unless children's toys have become a threat to them. that is something else. >> in this place, childhood vanishes fast. bbc news, jerusalem. >> peter lerner is a spokesperson for the israel defense forces. he tells the bbc there are still routes to evacuate northern gaza and he claims the world food program did get trucks into northern gaza earlr today. he insists the idf operation is critical to keeping israelis safe. >> what has -- what hamas was planning on the seventh of october on the anniversary of last year was to conduct another launch, to launch another attack against israel from northern gaza. from the areas. so we are currently in the effort of dismantling and preventing th

. ♪ ♪ >> ghada (speaking arac): ♪ ♪ >> the u.n.ontrol aid to prevent food and fuel reaching hamas. >> ghada (speaking arabic): (people talking in background) (crowd clamoring, yelling indistinctly) >> ghada: ♪ ♪ (people yelling in background) ♪ ♪ (voice breaking): ♪ ♪ (camera shutter clicking) >> look who arrived to the middle area. heent out from the indonesian hospital from the north of the strip, and he lost his lens. he went through a checkpoint for israeli army, and here's ibrahim. >> ibrahim (speaking arabic): ♪ ♪ >> (chanting softly) >> ibrahim: (phone ringing out) >> ibrahim's mother: >> ibrahim: >> ibrahim's mother: >> ibrahim: >> ibrahim's mother: >> ibrahim: >> ibrahim's mother: >> ibrahim: (muttering) (line beeping) ♪ ♪ (explosion roars) >> ghada: ♪ ♪ (sniffs) (voice wavering): >> woman: >> ghada: (crying): ♪ ♪ >> (talking indistinctly, laughing) >> ghada: ♪ ♪ (men talking indistinctly) >> hamas prepares to release a fourth group of hostages. >> we're now told by israeli officials that they have the final list of women

the u.n.el about mounting a polio vaccination campaign for children inside gaza. kids who have done nothing in this war to deserve what is going on there. today, the u.n. announced they are having to call off that polio vaccination campaign in the north of gaza because israeli forces bombardment is so intense and because the siege that's going on at the refugee camp means there's no way for the vaccination campaign to go ahead. >> that's pretty awful and grim. the hostages that hamas still has, are they a priority for israel right now? does the public believe they are a priority? >> reporter: yeah, i think that's an important distinction. you ask the israeli government, they tell you they have three war ames. destroying hamas. degrading hezbollah. getting the hostages back. for people in israel, it feels like a distant third priority. you can tell all the diplomatic emphasis, all of the focus of the government right now is on this campaign in lebanon. while there's talk from the u.s. governmen

and regarding the u.n.ee relief, there's plenty of evidence that many, if not most of those people, are either hamas or hamas sympathizers. but the key point as i've said over and over again is the u.s. administration should stay out of israel's way. if -- israel is winning, and biden-harris should let them go on to winning. let the idf do best what the ikf does best. -- idf does best. they're wiping out hamas, they're wiping out hezbollah, and they are likely the hit iran, the head of the snake, by attacking iranian military installations. give the idf all the rope it needs. they will save america and all civilized people from themselves. and we will thank israel before long for doing it. and that's tonight's riff. all right. joining me now is a great friend, david friedman, former u.s. ambassador to the israel. david, or welcome. thank you for coming on. your early thoughts on the killing of sinwar. >> well, we condition underestimate its importance -- can't underestimate its importance, larry, and thanks

. >>> israel banning the u.n. agency for palestinian refugees. the main humanitarian aid group in gaza. from operating in israel. after alleging employees were tired to the october 7th attack. >>> one year after his death the family of "friends" star matthew perry speaking out about their tragic loss, exclusively to nbc news. >>> mcdonald's to begin selling quarter pounders again after the deadly e. coli outbreak. what consumers need to know. >>> and the bronx bombers looking to bounce back as the world series returns to yankee stadium for the first time in 15 years. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening and welcome. we have begun the last mile on the road to the white house. with just over a week to go the finish line now in sight. and both donald trump and kamala harris focusing on their closing messages. the trump campaign, however, also working to put some distance between itself and a campaign rally in new york city last night that sparked fallout across the partisan divide. when one of the rally speaker

the u.n. does incredibly important work in gaza. incredibly important work in the region. the u.n. play an important role for security and stability. we think it is important for israel to engage with the u.n. something israel needs to be cognizant of is it standing in the world. steps like this are not productive to improving its standing in the world. >> my point is -- [indiscernible] >> i have made clear -- i do not like it when people put words in my mouth -- i made quite clear what we think about this. let's see what happens moving forward. >> ok. [indiscernible] you often say israel has the right to defend itself. this morning, six first responders were killed in lebanon, civilians. in gaza, women and children. in lebanon, one million people are homeless. [indiscernible] >> absolutely not. wars have horrific consequences. they always have and they always will end these wars have had horrific consequences for the people of gaza and now the people of lebanon. it is where the u.s. has worked hard to try to reach a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. what you saw going back mo

leila: the reaction from the u.n. has been anger and frustration. so the reason the unifil troops are there -- they have been there nearly 50 years -- but in this current iteration they've been there since 2006, the end of the war between lebanon and israel. th were a key part of ending that war. and they are there for three major reasons. firstly, to try and get hezbollah to lay down their weapons and withdraw further up the country, and to allow the lebanese armed forces to be the main authority in the south of lebanon. what we've seen over the last week is israeli tanks embedding down next to uniform bases and then starting to fire on those bases. several peacekeepers have been injured. they also breached a compound, a uniform compound yesterday and today and entered inside. now, that's completely against international law. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu issued a statement saying that the u.n. must withdraw its peacekeepers for the risk to their lives, but they are saying no, we're here under an international mandate. we're here to try