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and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. announcer: and now, "bbc news" . >> this coalition is directing a message to iran. we will not allow this aggression in the region. >> israel has decided it will responbut will it retaliate by attacking iran directly? that would also be unprecedented after decades of a shadow war. >> does israeli senior figures who have been speaking have been talking not about wreaking vengeance but about maintaining an international alliance

against iran. ♪ >> israel says it has killed a senior hezbollah commander in strike on lebanon. what does that mean for the shadow war with iran? some speculation benjamin netanyahu has been avoiding rishi sunak. until late this afternoon to the prime minister make contact with his israeli counterpart. still we wait for a clear signal of israel's next move. drama in brussels. police move in on a conference of right wing conservatives while nigel faraj was on the stage at the time should and with 50 days to the vote in europe, will be in the netherlands night for the first in europe wide series election 24. a very good evening. let's begin with the airstrike in southern lebanonhat killed

one of hezbollah's top commanders. he had served as a senior official in hezbollah's military wing. the idf said he planned rocket and antitank missile launches toward israel from lebanon's coastal areas. i don't need to remind you regional tensions remain extremely high after iran launched its missile and drone attacks on israel over the weekend. that in retaliation for an israeli strike on tehran's consulate in damascus. israel's foreign minister has written to more than 30 countries calling for sanctions against iran's missile program. the israelis have been showing journalists of one of the ballistic missiles fired toward israel on saturday. were cabinet met for a fifth time today. they have not yet released any details on what further steps they are planning although israel's military spokesman said the attack would not go unanswered. >> this coalition is directing a

message to iran. we will not allow this aggression in the region. this coalition is in opportunity for the middle east -- a strategic opportunity for the middle east, for countries who share the same threat from iran. firing 110 ballistic missiles directly to israel will not get scot-free. we will respond. in our time, in our place the way that we will choose. >> we will respond to downing street tonight said rishi sunak and the prime minister have spoken. it took some time. just to knock said he warned his counterpart against any further significant escalation in response. joining me is scholar in residence at the center for his early at the american university. he was the former deputy chief in washington.

the biden administration was pointing to the success of the weekend defense 99% of drones and missiles taken out. one source from within the administration set as far as they are concerned equilibrium has been reestablished. is that wishful thinking to you think? >> i think so. they do want to highlight the fact israel came almost unscathed from the attack and scored a victory vis-a-vis iran. i think the administration is under new -- under no illusion israel will not respond. expect israel to respond but they hope and they are sending strong messages to israel to respond in a proportionate way or a way that would not lead to further escalation but widen the conflict and certainly would not drag the u.s. into this confrontation to >> what we are getting from john kirby is it uld be narrow in scope.

kinetic but limited. what does that look like to you yet what options are on the table? >> there are a variety of options for israel. israel to strike neighboring iranian targets like in lebanon or syria or iraq but israel would want to send a clear message as iran attacked israeli soil from iranian soil israel will want to send a message of aid -- of a clear and direct attack on an iranian target inside of iran. it could be some facility somewhere in iran which is a military facility, defense facility. it will raise no questions as to the fact israel conducted a strike inside iran. >> the core of the decision-making within the were cabinet is benjamin netanyahu and the defense minister. there is a hard right element within the cabinet as well that demand a response from mr.

netanyahu. i'm much pressure is he under given the comment in the is really press the deterrence is diminished? >> he is walking a fine line here, a thin line. on one hand, he wants to not have this escalate and once the israeli response to be enough to suffice and not lead to iranian retaliation. at the same time his political base is demanding stronger and more effective targeting and i think in that way he is in a bind. balancing between those demands and what the international community is expecting of him. i don't think these voices will prevail. i think at the end the decision will be cooler headed and more leaning toward a limited response and in all out response light the far right is demanding. >> it has taken rishi sunak

nearly 72 hours to get a look in. they did speak this afternoon amid speculation he was being avoided. the speculation would be of course mr. netanyahu once the freedom to make his own choices. i wonder what would happen were they to make -- where this to be a sizable response. what might happen then? >> it is hard for me to imagine the u.s. would not be in the loop and neither with the british prime minister. i would think they would be made aware of israel's intentions and the scope israel intends to respond in. if it does not, it puts u.s. personnel, british personnel and others in the region in great danger as can be seen as colluding with israel, playing a part in the israeli attack. i don't think netanyahu wants to

jeopardize his relations with the u.s. or the u.k. it will be a -- responsibly updating both countries and making sure perhaps not to the specifics of the operation but the general nature and scope of what he plans to do. dark on the other signed there has been a meeting between the iranians and the russians. how precarious do you think the situation is at the moment? what is the level of risk we are looking at? >> i'm sorry. can you repeat that question? >> the meeting today between the iranians and the russians. work closely aligned then they re previously. i wonder what the scale of the risk is in mind of that developing relationship. >> this relationship has been ongoing and developing over time especially since 2015 when both countries became involved in

syria. iran is supplying russia with drones and russia is helping iran with armaments. it is very concerning. this could lead to further escalation. tomorrow the u.s. congress is holding a special hearing to focus on the russian iranian relationship. definitely this should be on the radar of everyone this intensifying cooperation and security coordination between russia and iran. >> grateful for your time this evening. here in the u.k., mp's have been voting on legislation that would create a smoke-free generation should major public health intervention. the tobacco and vapes bill passed on a free vote. >> the ayes to the right, 383. the nos to the left, 67. > that is a majorit of 316

to give the bill a second reading. the size of the support suggest it will be supported by all sides. when it becomes law, young people born since 2009 will be banned from ever buying a cigarette but some tory mps have described the plans as profoundly unconservative. boris johnson branded bill nuts should ts was the hell and social care minister opening the debate this afternoon. >> there is no liberty in addiction. nicotine robs people of their freedom to choose. the vast majority of smokers start when they are young. three quarters say if they could turn back the clock, they would not have started. >> labor shadow health minister echoed that sentiment. >> this is a lethal addiction, a scourge on society and annan and our mess burden on our nhs. a drag on our economy and it to the dustbins of history >> among the critics of the bill was the

former prime minister liz truss . >> the instinct of this establishment which is reflected by a cross party consensus today that they, the government, areve better at making decions for people than people themselves. >> nuts or sensible intervention? ? with us to discussed is associate professor at the university of bath and his also a member of the tobacco control group. thank you for being with us. not a single person liz truss has said has raised the issue on the doorstep. ashe right? >> i find that hard to believe. surveys suggest the vast majority of the public support this proposed legislation to i find it difficult to believe no one has suggested this is a good idea to liz truss. >> there will be a whole new enforcement challenge for the police.

it puts new onus on shopkeepers. what is this a better way forward than a public education program and higher taxes for those who do smoke? >> much of the rationale already and that is the addictive and lethal nature of tobacco products. something like two out of three people who try a single cigarette go on to be addicted. and that means smoking daily. we know there are various chemics added to tobacco products to increase their addictive nature. tobacco is a product unique in that regard and it is incredibly bad for people who smoke. tobacco is an incredibly important case where we need to tighten the measures to encourage individuals to make sensible decisions. in terms of enforcement, the industry made a big deal about the smoking ban and said it could never be enforced and people would not follow suit.

we saw the vast majority of people, something like 98% were enforced within eight months of the no smoking law . i think fears of a big lack of compliance are hugely overplayed here. >> what about the risk of pushing smoking into the shadows ? is there a danger you make smoking cooler or you create a black market? >> i think the detail is important. the law if it becomes law is not about banning smoking. millions of people currently smoke in the u.k. and will continue to smoke day after this law is passed. the point is it is abo stopping more people starting so smoking over time fades away. once again, the industry is quick to make the argument rules will create a black market. actually, we saw no increase in the market for tobacco products

when the age of smoking increased from 16 to 18 in 2007. >> would see a move toward vaping and now we have a problem with underage people turning to vapes. >> this is why we are dealing with the tobacco and vapes bill because part of the law being debated is to increase regulation of vaping products to make sure young people don't start vaping when they have not previously been smokers could this is a win-win policy because it looks to address tobacco use and cigarettes which are incredibly damaging but also looks to protect young people from the current trend of using vaping products which are not risk-free and should only be used by those looking to create -- looking to quit smoking doug coburn is the first. the new zealand government stepped back. when you look at the size of the majority, it is significant to with that suggest to you a government of any color but opted to follow the same path and not reverse it?

>> i cannot speak to the political situation in the future and what may or may not happen but this is a policy that has widespread public support which is supported by pretty much all public health professionals which is based on the science of tobacco intervention and what is likely to work. i predict if the u.k. passes these rules we will be the first country. many others will follow suit because it is such an effective policy intervention certainly in terms of the modeling that has been done. i welcome the strong majority for the bill today and i hope that continues into the future. >> group to talk to you tonight. around the world and across the u.k., this is bbc news. let's take a quick look at some of the stories making news in the u.k.. muslim student in london has lost a --

the school introduced the ban after some students begin praying during school breaks. the challenge argued the band discriminate against muslim pupils, a claim rejected by the court. the u.k. unemployment rate decreased to 4.2% between december and february. the number of people who are economically inactive not in work or looking for employment rose partly due to long-term sickness should economist suggested data could push the bank of england to cut interest rates in the summer. easyjet has announced it will not operate flights to israel before the end of october. easyjet had already suspended flights because of the israeli gaza conflict but says the continued evolving situation in the region meanservices will not resume until at least the autumn to customers booked to fly are being offered a full refund. you're watching bbc news. in brussels a political event

opened today. the national conservative conference. star speakers included nigel faraj, victor or bun. the prime minister of hungry pit thing have not gone to plants because police in brussels turned up to shut it down. there are confused accounts of what has happened to police insist they were not there to stop it but apparently they did tell registed attendees to leave and refused to permit them to return to the local mayor said public concerns had been erased some of the attendees hold anti-gay and antiabortion views. this is the third venue that was supposed to hold this event after two others pulled out amid protests pitted the belgian prime minister writing on after the decision said the mayors choi to bend the conference was unacceptable. banning political meetings he says is unconstitutional. here is how our -- here is our europe correspondent with the details.

>> in brussels today, a movement that wants to go global collided with very local politics. the police came to shut down a gathering of conservatives from across europe and the u.s. because the local socialist mayor declared the far right were not welcome here. the leading lights of this anti-e.u. movement which said it champions traditional values had already filed in. top of the bill, u.k.'s former home secretary suella braverman . but by now, local officials have decided the views of the speakers could cause public disorder and so ordered the event to stop. >> absolutely monstrous. a very decent respectable group of people, members of the european royal family, academics, business people being told they cannot have their terms of you.

the >> local mayor says it is fears over antiabortion anti-gay sentiment held by people in the building. >> was the silencing free speech or protecting people from extremist ideology? what is happening is brussels police have lined up outside the venue and are refusing entry to anyone wanting to get in. they're not going inside and dragging people out. many delegates say they have the conference is continuing ats least for now. the band did mean far right french politician was unable to give his speech and it is unclear where the events will be held tomorrow. and so a gathering of only a few hundred people was catapulted onto the front pages of papers and websites as one organizer put it. you cannot buy publicity like this. >> we are going to talk much more about european politics in the second half should stay with us for that.

second day of jury selection in the criminal trial of donald trump should prosecutors and trump's lawyers have an questioning 18 potential jurors and whether they can remain impartial in this case. the question is being used to strike jurors if they don't believe they can render a verdict fairly. at one point this afternoon as trump's lawyer was questioning one of the prospective jurors, the judge was forced to intervene. trump was muttering something, gesturing toward the jury. justice merchant said i will not tolerate that. i would not have any jurors intimidated in this couroom. the manhattan district attorney has filed a motion in court alleging donald trump violated the gag order imposed by the judge three times in recent posts on truth social. prosecutors are asking the court to fine mr. trump $1000 per violation. the judge is scheduled to hit -- to hear that motion next week. >> every legal pundit, every legal scholar said this trial is

a death -- is a disgrace. have a trump hating judge. . we have a judge who should not be on this case. he is tally conflicted. this is a trial that should never happen. and should have been thrown out a long time ago. >> joining me a now is a professor of law at florida state university. help me understand what is going on in court at the moment. how does the questioning go and what are they looking for? dr. the real question is the degree to which donald trump's illegal activity or perspective legal activity related to the january 6 riots will be resolved in court as opposed to be resolved at the ballot box. prosecutors have brought a variety of charges and a real complexity is that charges are being brght against other participants in the right. today there was an oral argument in fisher versus u.s. which addressed some of the laws that have been brought against trump.

>> what we sell today in court is the cross-examining o the jurors was going on was the conflict between donald trump who has this big personality, makes a comment on everything and there rules of judge merchan's court. what did you make of that? >> my view is that trump is facing perpetual difficulty in that his tendency to opine on matters related from anything to the ongoing election to the rule of law puts him in position of perpetual difficulty. a litigant is typically structed to remain cautious when engaging in criminal prosecution or civil prosecution. trump's inclination is to go to the public and seek to appeal to the public. suggesting a judge should not be sitting is a remarkable move and one that typically a litigant would never undertake. boko there is this issue of his comments on truth social which the d.a. will discuss with

the judge next week. the gag order, it is a tricky thing for the judge because we are in the campaigning season. what is permissible in what is not when donald trump is campaigning around the courtroom? >> this is always a difficult point for courts to decide. in america, there is a general principle free speech is one of the most highly prized principles. judicial intervention that limits a political candidate from saying what they wish is highly disfavored. even though trump is saying things that might not be smart for his litigation or might complicate the litigation, the court will be hesitant to prevent him from saying what he wishes on the campaign trail. this is a strong addition in american politics. it is best known on can take -- in campaign-finance context. trump is pushing the limits on

this idea of how far click the candidates not be prevented from courts for saying what they wish is the highest principle of the land. >> in washington the supreme court was hearing arguments on a key january 6 case paired at question is whether prosecutors improperly stretched the law by charging people on the federal statute at makes it a crime to obstruct a federal proceeding. what is at stake here if the supreme justices decide that it was too wide and a narrow interpretation was required? >> it will not -- this decision is about a piece of legislation that is at its core designed for evidence tampering. the prosecution is being somewhat aggressive or creative in applying this to january 6 rioters. the writer is facing several charges. if the court decides that he is

-- and be appropriately prosecuted under the statute, it will make it more difficult for prosecutors to bring the same charge against trump. this statute has additional language. not only narrowly targeting evidence tampering but any obstruction of an official proceeding. what the court will have to decide is ever this particular rioters will be prosecuted under this anticorruption measure. if they decide he can't become it will be more difficult not impossible to prosecute trump underage >> good to have you on the program. thank you for your time. you're going to go to a short break. on the other side will begin a new series. 51 days from the european parliamentary elections. what is at stake? what does it mean for you? wherever you are watching, we will decay that. tonight we will start in the country that goes first in the european election.

will be in the netherlands. do stay with us. plenty more to come. announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james. bdo. accountants and advisors. cunard is a proud supporter of public television. 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: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... woman: a law partner rediscovers her grandmother's artistry and