Of an escalation in fighting between Israel And Hezbollah is � acute� and � real�. Lets show you the situation right now as we look across the israel lebanon border. Saturday has seen a string of Cross Border attacks between israel and the iranian backed lebanese group hezbollah. Israels military said its Air Force struck thousands of Rocket Launchers that posed an immediate threat. Lebanons Health Ministry now says 37 people were killed in yesterdays israeli attack on beirut. Hezbollah has confirmed two of its senior commanders were killed in those strikes. Jake sullivan said the killing of a top Hezbollah Leader was justice, describing it as a good outcome. The Cross Border attacks follow the Pager And Walkie talkie explosions in lebanon last week which killed 37 people and injured thousands, thought to be carried out by israel. We start with this report from our Middle East correspondent, hugo bachega. As morning broke, the destruction became clear. An israeli Air Strike hitting dahieh, hezbollah� s heartland in southern beirut, its conflict with israel returning with force to a place they considered safe. Many here were still incredulous. Translation people were walking, going. Out and coming home. People were heading back from work, and there were those who were coming to pick their children up from the nursery. This is a terrorist act. Unbelievable. Among the missing, a four year old girl caught up in a war without being a threat to anyone. This is as close as we can get to the site of the attack. And as you can see, this is a densely populated neighbourhood of beirut. And all morning theres been intense activity from emergency services. The search continues for people who are believed to be under the rubble. And the situation here is still very tense. This footage captured the moment of the attack. Israel has called it a Precision Strike targeting top hezbollah officials. It says they were meeting on the ground of this building to plan more attacks. Among the dead is ibrahim aqil, a senior military commander. The us had put a 7 Million bounty on his head, accusing him of being involved in the killings of americans in beirut in the 1980s. This is another humiliation for hezbollah but it is also a blow to a country already exhausted by this conflict. Translation the israeli army, with all its continued crimes with the excuse of pursuing the hezbollah movement, has targeted a residential compound. Its committed a massacre in a residential building against unarmed children, women at home. How hezbollah is going to respond isnt clear. It doesnt want to spark a wider war with israel, and its supporters in iran dont want a major confrontation, either. But israel says this is just the beginning. Hugo bachega, bbc news, beirut. The hamas run gaza Health Ministry says at 22 people have been killed in an israeli Air Strike on a school sheltering displaced people. The un has found numbers from the Health Ministry in previous conflicts reliable. The Health Ministry says most of the victims were women and children. The Israel Defense forces say a Hamas Command Room at the school was targeted. There are reports of an unborn child being among the killed. Bbc verify has looked at several videos of the aftermath and clips appear to show a foetus being carried by a civil defence worker. We can cross to beirut and speak to senior International Correspondent, orla guerin. Those attacks on hezbollah over recent days, how damaging have they been to hezbollah . I recent days, how damaging have they been to hezbollah . They been to hezbollah . I think they been to hezbollah . I think the organisation they been to hezbollah . I think the organisation is they been to hezbollah . I think the organisation is very the organisation is very exposed and very much weakened after the attacks of the past few days, which really have been unprecedented. First of all we had the wave of explosions of pagers and walkie talkies, which basically shattered the internal Communication Network used by hezbollah. Then yesterday we had the high Profile Israeli Assassination here in beirut in the Hezbollah Stronghold and that targeted a senior Hezbollah Leader who was killed along with about a dozen other seniorfigures, and some of them have been buried today. There is a real sense that people just dont know what is coming next. At the funerals of some of those hezbollah Fighters Today we did hear plenty of the usual defiance, pledges that the organisation would fight on. But i think there is a big question now about what is it capable of doing now that so much damage has been inflicted. Throughout the day we know hezbollah has been Fighting Rocket to cross the border into northern israel. Once again about 90 rockets, the israelis say. Israel, for its part, has carried on with an Intense Bombardment of Air Strikes about 100 so far today. Thats about 100 so far today. Thats a huge optic on the volume of the last two or three days, even though we have seen Cross Border fighting even though we have seen Cross Borderfighting going on Cross Border fighting going on for the Cross Borderfighting going on for the past year. The lebanese government is certainly extremely worried about what may come next. The Prime Minister has cancelled a planned trip to the un general assembly, saying that nothing is more urgent than trying to stop what he called the massacre is being carried out by israel. Mil massacre is being carried out by israel by israel. All are, thank you very much. By israel. All are, thank you very much, our by israel. All are, thank you very much, our senior very much, our senior International Correspondent in beirut. International correspondent in beirut. Lets get more from nomi bar yaacov, international Negotiator And Expert in diplomacy and the Middle East, and associate fellow at chatham house. I wonder, given what has been said in recent days, what sense are you getting off the appetite for escalation . I think there is definitely going to be an escalation. It is very unfortunate but that is very clearly the case. On tuesday we saw the peepers, the pages go. On wednesday the radio communication. Huge, huge toll, both in terms of deaths and in terms of very serious injuries including blindness, and then the targeted assassinations of very senior Hezbollah Leaders. This was followed by Intense Bombardment of Hezbollah Rocket launchers. So there is definitely an escalation. It is not a question of whether there is going to be an escalation. This is a huge escalation to the crossfire we have steadily seen operate under unwritten rules since the 8th of october. How do you assess the potential for this to spill Out Of Control . For this to spill Out Of Control . ~ , , control . Whether it is spinning Out Of Control, control . Whether it is spinning Out Of Control, it control . Whether it is spinning Out Of Control, it certainly Out Of Control, it certainly will have regional ramifications. I think militias in iraq, in syria, we have the houthis in yemen. There is no doubt whatsoever that there will be a response. The question is the Nature And Scope of that. And how things are going to evolve in gaza and the West Bank. And it is not looking good. It doesnt look like there is going to be a ceasefire in gaza but the Military Operation is continuing there. There are hostages home and it is dividing israeli society. I think as long as netanyahu is in power, at least until november, at least until the us elections, i dont think there is going to be a ceasefire. And that really is terrible because that really is terrible because thatis that really is terrible because that is the key to stability and the De Escalation in the region. And at the same time the West Bank is on the brink of explosion. Of explosion. You mentioned october the of explosion. You mentioned october the 8th. Of explosion. You mentioned october the 8th. We of explosion. You mentioned october the 8th. We have i of explosion. You mentioned october the 8th. We have course are nearly a year since the terrible events of october the 7th. Where does this end . Does it . � ,. , 7th. Where does this end . Does it . � ,. , 4 7th. Where does this end . Does it . � ,. , ~ , it . Its not looking like it is auoin it . Its not looking like it is going to it . Its not looking like it is going to end it . Its not looking like it is going to end anytime it . Its not looking like it is going to end anytime soon| going to end anytime soon unfortunately. It looks like the israeli Government And Army have made a decision to continue the attacks against hamas, escalate the attacks against hezbollah and they are using quite a lot of force in the West Bank. And at the same time you are seeing more and more resistance, strengthening of hamas in the West Bank, and i think the attacks on hezbollah will only embolden them. They are maybe we militarily at the moment. Their communications have been disrupted, and certainly they have taken a moral hit and a physical hit on launchers, but it will only embolden them and make them want to fight even more once they recover, and they will recover their capabilities. They will recover their capabilities. They will recover their caabilities. , ~ ,. , capabilities. Thank you very much for capabilities. Thank you very much for talking capabilities. Thank you very much for talking to capabilities. Thank you very much for talking to us. You can see the anti government demonstrations in Tel Aviv and calling similar return of those hostages we have been talking about. More than 100 people still in captivity, being held by hamas, taken on october the 7th. The anniversary is fast approaching but the number of people out in their thousands on the streets of Tel Aviv. You can see so many people and such strong feelings about the current situation there in israel. Votes are being counted in sri Lankas President ial election widely seen as a referendum on the governments handling of the economy. There were a record 38 candidates running to lead the country, including the incumbent, ranil wickremesinghe. All of them are men. The full results are not expected until at least sunday. Sri lankans are looking for a leader who will be able to further repair the countrys finances, after an economic collapse two years ago. Thousands of protesters faced with skyrocketing inflation and severe Food Shortages forced the Countrys President at the time to flee and later resign. Our correspondent Samira Hussain is following the story from colombo, and sent this update. We are seeing everyday Sri Lankans are paying higher taxes and they are paying much more for basics like food and medicine. At the same time what also been important is to see political stability. That economic crisis was largely due to financial mismanagement by previous governments. And so a lot of voters were also talking about looking for a government that was no longer corrupt, that would actually have the best interest of Sri Lankans in terms of their mandates. If you look at the Voter Turnout we see that about 75 8 of people came out to cast a ballot in these elections. And Thatis Ballot in these elections. And that is A Little Bit lower than what we have seen in the past two elections in sri lanka. And there are some that are actually attributed that to a real loss of confidence among the people in terms of their political leaders. Going forward, in terms of when we are going to get some kind of results, most people dont expect to know any clear winner until well into sunday. That is because there are 38 candidates that are vying for the position of president , which means it is going to take, notjust everyones first choice into consideration, but it is going to have peoples second and third choices into consideration when calculating who has won these elections. Will bring you the results of the sri lankan president ial election as we get them here on sunday. A first for us president Joe Biden this Weekend Hell be hosting foreign leaders at his house not the White House, but rather his home in delaware. Leaders from the � quad an alliance of the us, australia, India And Japan are arriving in the city of wilmington today. Maritime security is expected to be high on the agenda, particularly issues concerning the south china sea. Reuters, citing a senior us official, are reporting that Quad Leaders will announce at the summit their Firstjoint Coast Guard exercises. Lets speak to former us assistant secretary of state for public affairs, pj crowley. Hello to you. Thank you for talking to us. Among all the international alliance that we hear about what is so important about the quad . What is it . The quad is about the quad . What is it . Iie quad is focused about the quad . What is it . Tie quad is focused on about the quad . What is it . Ti2 quad is focused on the indo pacific region. During the biden administration it has been upgraded from a periodic meeting to a leadership meeting. So you have the Prime Ministers ofjapan, meeting. So you have the Prime Ministers of japan, Australia And India meeting with the president. They will be focused on issues such as the growth of the chinese presence in the south china sea. It has more of an humanitarian focus perhaps that a security focus. I think they will announce, for example, an initiative on combating cancer across the indo pacific region. In a way it is perhaps a means of counteracting the chinese Road Initiative that has had a similar focus across the similarfocus across the region. Similar focus across the re. Ion. , similar focus across the region similar focus across the reuion. , i , similar focus across the reuion. I, i , i, region. How much can be read into the fact region. How much can be read into the fact that region. How much can be read into the fact that this region. How much can be read into the fact that this is into the fact that this is actually at the president s home. It is not a formal setting like the White House but it feels a bit more special. But it feels a bit more special but it feels a bit more special. But it feels a bit more secial. I i, special. The president of the united states, special. The president of the united states, the special. The president of the united states, the United I united states, the united states have long standing and deep relations with japan and australia. They are treaty allies, for example. The biden administration has spent a lot of time courting prime Minister Modi of india. They have a very solid relationship but i think this is simply a gesture that there is a Comfort Level across there is a Comfort Level across the four of them and it is a reflection of the deepening conversations, regional conversations, regional conversations, that they are having across japan, Australia And India and the united states. I, i, i, , i i, states. You mention how special and important states. You mention how special and important india states. You mention how special and important india is states. You mention how special and important india is to states. You mention how special and important india is to the and important india is to the united states. We remember only a couple of months ago we saw the Renter Modi in moscow hugging vladimir Putin And Putin calling modi my dearest friend. Is that a problem for the us . It friend. Is that a problem for