Hezbollah is part of the political game here in lebanon. It is almost the only party that is, you know, armed and lebanon and also has representation in the parliament. But has engaged in fights and conflict with israel since it started in 19805 until this latest confrontation that we are living these days. Frank, a lot of people i think certainly after the attack we saw a couple of nights ago, that unprecedented attack in terms of Scale And Size that iran launched on israel. One question which people are asking is why did iran Attack Israel and will israel now Attack Iran . Ok, so this really goes back to april the 1st, when the israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike on Irans Consulate in damascus, killing a number of Iranian Revolutionary Guards officers, including allegedly the man who was coordinating the flow of arms from iran through syria to hezbollah in lebanon. And that was an attack on a diplomatic premise, the international outrage was pretty muted. Iran said it would respond. It gave everyone about a weeks notice, and 12 later after the attack, it launched a volley of around 300 drones, cruise and ballistic missiles at israel. So that really was unprecedented. It was the first time that iran had directly attacked the state of israel. And 99 of those were shot down by a coalition of israel us, uk, France Jordan and so on. Israel felt compelled and how to respond but there israel felt compelled it had to respond but there was a limited response by israel, a symbolic one. It hit a radar post. But subsequently, there have been two major assassinations both laid at israels door. The other is a hamas Political Leader into ron in the heart the other is a hamas Political Leader in theran in the heart of the reigning capital, as he had just finished attending the inauguration of irans new president. Israel didnt say they did it but everyone believes that it was mossad. Israels external spy agency, and then of course the assassination in beirut a few days ago, beirut a few days ago, of hassan, the hezbollah leader. Iran said two right thats too assassinations we cant let this go unanswered. So they say it is self defense. They are claiming article 51 of the Un Constitution and they have fired all these missiles at israel. Israel says there will be a very heavy response, but currently the jewish new year, but when that finishes and just about 36 hours time, there could well be an israeli response against iran in which Case Iran has said they will retaliate, and that is why everyone is fearing escalation right now. Tom, You Arejoining us from washington, and if we keep it current for the moment, because i think we will get into americas historic support for different countries in this region and why it is the way it is, but when we just look at what happened the other night with this iranian attack on israel, what is the us s response to that . Well, i think its important i for most of all to wind back. We saw such a sudden shift in what is happening both. On the ground and in terms of the way the us is going with this that i think its. Important to set out the change. Now, a week ago, i was covering the United Nations general assembly up in New York where the americans were leading a diplomatic charge to try and get a diplomatic resolution between Israel And Hezbollah after months of Cross Border Fire on the border between the two. That to me felt like quite a stark change from what had happened when it came to the Gaza War, because for months, the americans. Were actually vetoing calls for an immediate Cease Fire by the un security council. I this time the americans i were actually really among those leading this charge for, an immediate Cease Fire i so they were calling for restraint, for mediated negotiation between the two and a truce. | a 21 Day Truce in the context of everything that frank has just been about. Now, that efforts completely failed and it failed in a very vivid form because the israeli Prime Minister was at New Yorkl for the general assembly, gave a speech where he didnt mention the Cease Fire at all, | and within about 90 minutes of the outcome of the strikel was launched by the israelis that killed hassan in beirut. It was authorised by Benjamin Netanyahu from his Hotel Room in New York, even to the extent that i the israelis released a photo of him doing so. So that felt like a clear Signal Tojoe Biden that they werent going down the path of diplomacy on This One. They thought it was right, they had the opportunity, | and they killed hassan. So then we see the iranian i response, and the americans have now had to follow suit. They publicly support the killing, they of. Course back their ally, israel, publicly. They supply the weapons for it to carry out these l Military Operations. So now theyve been trying to kind of walk this line of trying to, i first of all, they were trying to bring down the temperature and bring down the scale of the iranian strike on israel by being quite threatening before hand. They said that the iranians would they said that the iranians would suffer, they said that the iranians would suffer, in they said that the iranians would suffer, in their they said that the iranians. Would suffer, in their words, severe would suffer, in their words, severe consequences would suffer, in their words, severe consequences for. Would suffer, in their words,. Severe consequences for any strike severe consequences for any strike on severe consequences for any strike on israel. Severe consequences for any strike on israel. So severe consequences for any strike on israel. So there severe consequences for any strike on israel. So there is strike on israel. So there is now strike on israel. So there is now a strike on israel. 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But my sense from washington at the moment my sense from washington at the moment is my sense from washington at the moment is they my sense from washington at the moment is they are my sense from washington at the moment is they are still my sense from washington at the moment is they are still trying moment is they are still trying to moderate moment is they are still trying to moderate or moment is they are still trying to moderate or restrained moment is they are still trying to moderate or restrained to. To moderate or restrained to some to moderate or restrained to some extent to moderate or restrained to some extent the to moderate or restrained to some extent the israeli some extent the israeli response some extent the israeli response i some extent the israeli response. I dont some extent the israeli response. I dont thinkl some extent the israeli. Response. I dont think its immanent response. Idont think its immanent within response. I dont think its immanent within the response. I dont think its. Immanent within the coming hours. Immanent within the coming hours. But immanent within the coming hours, but probably immanent within the coming hours, but probably within. Immanent within the coming i hours, but probably within the coming hours, but probably within the coming days hours, but probably within the coming days hours, but probably within the coming days. Thank you, tom. These are coming days. Thank you, tom. These are your coming days. Thank you, tom. These are your questions these are your questions answered here on Bbc News. Nora has been in touch. Thank you for this, has been in touch. Thank you forthis, nora. She says, and this is one for you lena. What does the fundamental reason for the war and what has lebanon got to do with it . Got to do with it . Well, it started, got to do with it . Well, it started, really, got to do with it . Well, it started, really, after got to do with it . Well, it started, really, after the i started, really, after the event of the 7th Of October where hamas launched an attack in israel and then israel responded by attacking gaza. Hezbollah here, they call themselves a Resistance Movement to liberate Lebanon And Support palestine. Engaged in this war and started to fire across the border missiles that hit northern border of israel, something that forced some 60,000 israelis to flee their homes and villages for safety because it hasnt become an unsafe safe area. Hezbollah continued with these kind of attacks. And of course, there was a response from the israelis across the border. So there was a year long Cross Border clashes and violence between hezbollah and israel. Some 400 or over 400 hezbollah members have been killed through this. But the recent weeks, there was an escalation where, you know, israel felt the need to return the 60,000 residents to their villages and towns and announced a full fledged, you know, campaign against hezbollah. It started with attacking, you know, leaders, assassinations. There was also the big blow to hezbollahs security, which is the major detonation that israel did not claim. Which is the Pager Detonation that israel did not claim. But the hezbollah, you know, points the finger against at israel for being behind this attack, some 3000 were injured on that day and dozens were killed, mainly members of hezbollah. That was a big blow to their security. And then it followed by the big assassination that happened on friday to the leader of hezbollah, hassan nasrallah. Of course, in between that, there were massive attacks at the villages and towns in the south that forced a Big Exodus of people towards the north. And in one single day there were more than 500 people killed, including many women and children. And that was the main reason of what were living today. But of course, there is a history of tension between hezbollah and israel. The main foundation of hezbollah itself in the 80s was to push Israel Outside Out of lebanon. Thank you, lina. And frank, when we look at what people are searching for online, there are often some really, really clear themes that come through. And one of them is that people are really clearly interested about nuclear weapons and who has them in this region. So a lot of people are asking online, does iran have nuclear weapons or does israel have nuclear weapons . So only one state in the region has nuclear weapons. Thats israel. It doesnt talk about it, but its widely assumed to have scores of nuclear warheads, and it has since the 1960s. It decided a long time ago it needed them for its own survival. Famously, years ago, there was a Defecting Israeli Scientist who was kidnapped in italy, i think, and lured and brought back to israel and was imprisoned for a long time. Irans nuclear programme is highly suspect. Why . Because un nuclear inspectors, whose job it is to try and make sure that iran is not expanding its nuclear programme, its civil nuclear programme, beyond the lines thats supposed to keep within. They say that iran is enriching uranium, its stockpiles of enriched uranium well beyond the levels it needs for civil Nuclear Power and there is a suspicion, certainly held in israel, but also in some other countries, that iran is secretly far below ground, working to produce the capability, at least, of being able to produce a nuclear bomb. So, you can imagine for israel that deluge of ballistic missiles that came through a few days ago. Imagine if those had been nuclear tipped. Not all of them were intercepted by Israels Air defences. Some of them got through and landed and exploded on waste ground. But if those carried a nuclear warhead, that would be pretty, pretty serious. Like, thats an understatement. So, there are some in israel who are saying right now is the best opportunity to try and take out irans nuclear facilities. That would be a massive step, and it wouldnt necessarily succeed because theyre buried so far underground, well guarded, well protected. It almost certainly wouldnt succeed. And i think that particular ship has sailed in terms of israel trying to physically knock out irans Nuclear Enrichment Facilities permanently. And, tom, to you in washington, again, i did say we talk a little bit more fundamentally about the us and who it backs in the region. And again, looking at those online searches, a lot of people asking, why does the us support israel . Well, its historical, and it goes back a century. And if you look at The Roots of the Conflict L in the Middle East, you have to go All The Way Back to the role of European Powers there in the first half of the 20th century, at a time when you had a growth of rising nationalisms i both in the Middle East and all over the world, | especially in the aftermath of the first World War. Now, what had happened then was that the growing Zionist Movement that sought a | homeland for the jewish people, had got a promise from. The british in 1917 to create a jewish homeland in palestine, as it then was now. Now, after the first World War, britain took control under a so called mandate of the league of nations, then of palestine, and the french, incidentally took control of the Area North of that what is now lebanon and syria. As for the role of britain, it spent about 30 years. In the region as conflictl between arabs and jews broke out over the land there. And then what happened i was we saw the americans increasingly back thej right, as they saw it, for the Zionist Movement, for a jewish homeland. Now, in 1948, there was. The british pulled out, um, and then there was a I Conflict after the state of israel was declared. Arab Countries Invadedj and during that period, over about a year or so from before that into late 1948. L in that conflict there, about three quarters of A Million palestinians were forced or fled from their homes in the war surrounding. Israels creation. Now, when the state of israel was declared, the us was the very first Country Toi recognise the state of israel. And weve seen then throughout the last i the next century, the century that followed, that, the us continued to back its israeli ally. And increasingly become involved in supplying it militarily and supporting it militarily. Now, when you look at the sort of wider region, there is also i a strategic interest for the us. And it has seen, really, israel as a key ally in extending its own strategic interests in the Middle East as well. Some of those have changed over time. | if you look back at the 1970s, for example, the us was much more dependent on oil from the gulf than it is, for example. On oil from the gulf than it is, for example today. Now, that played into all those relations in the way that the us was managing its relations between arab countries and israel. But fundamentally it still sees a core strategic interest in its support for israel. Its a really Big Question that but actually its worth saying if you are interested in the whole history and the politics of the Middle East, toms got a brilliant series called the mandates. If you have a look on bbc sounds, that is still on there, and you can listen to those episodes as well and really find out more about how a lot of this began. Youre with us on Bbc News. These are your questions answered. Another question now, This Ones from indigo, and This One is for you again, lina, here in beirut, it says hezbollah is always referred to as iran backed hezbollah. But what does that actually mean in a concrete sense . Are they given weapons or other resources by the iranian state, or are they backed in a more symbolic sense. How does it work . Thats a very important question to explain to our audience the history of establishing hezbollah. Hezbollah was established in the 19805 when israel invaded lebanon, and that was the time when a shiite group started this by Training And Support from iran. Their target was or mandate was to fight israel, to liberate palestine and liberate any occupied territories, but actually their affiliation and belonging was to the iranian leadership, to the Ayatollah Leadership in iran. So theyre basically a religious group of the shiite group that have been, you know, supported to be established by the iranians throughout these years with several, you know, conflicts in the region with israel or here in lebanon, with further conflicts with hezbollah. Iran was the sole supporter for hezbo