Leaders to co ordinate a united diplomatic response to irans brazen attack. Heres what we know about the situation in israel at the moment. Israels military says some restrictions have been lifted. Forces have told the bbc that some restrictions have been lifted on movement inside israel, but did not provide futher detail. Israeli media says israelis nationwide no longer need to stay near shelters. Air sirens sounded in multiple locations in israel earlier. There were explosions over jerusalem, according to witnesses. Israeli media say they are from aerial interceptions. Israels Defence Forces say one 10 Year Old Girl has been injured so far and that light damage was caused to a Military Base. We do not have details of which base. The idf s Spokesman Says the injured girl is being treated by paramedics. And this is the view right now ofjerusalem. There are reports from witnesses on the ground there of explosions and sirens sounding. Explosions. Sirens wail. Multiple sirens wail. As you
As concerns mount, heres what the us president had to say. Reporter mr president , what is your message to iran in this moment . Dont. We are devoted to the defence of israel. We will support israel, we will help defend israel and iran will not succeed. Thank you very much. Our state department correspondent, tom bateman, has this analysis. Well, i think theres two things going on here. Because what weve had is the very public messaging from the white house right up to President Biden himself, which has been around the fear of or the concern of the credible threat of an attack by the iranians onto israeli soil. And what has been said to be an ironclad commitment by The Americans to israels right to defend itself, in the case of that, but then theres been this behind the scenes messaging, which has been going on for several days now, from across the us administration, which has been far more specific about what kind of strike this might involve. Now, that is included. Our us news partne
Tehran has been threatening to retaliate for a deadly air strike on an iranian diplomatic compound in syria. Daniel hagari the Israeli Military spokesman said dozens of israeli planes were patrolling the sky and israel was prepared very strongly in case of an attack from iran. Translation of the Home Front Command is publishing an update and adjustment in the Defence Policy in these minutes, as of tomorrow morning and during the next few days the educational systems, camps and planned trips will not take place. At six oclock in the morning we will update the directive again, starting tonight and in the coming days no educational activities including overnight stays in parking lots and excursions are allowed. In the last few minutes the israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said his country is prepared for a direct attack from iran. In an an address to the nation, he said Defence Systems were deployed and the armed forces were ready to respond in kind. Hes advised israelis to
Many thanks. Religious leaders have used their christmas messages to reflect on the darkness brought by the coronavirus. Theyve also been speaking about the many selfless and heroic responses to the pandemic. Heres nicholas witchell. A day for reflection on a difficult year. At the vatican in rome, pope francis attended a Christmas Eve mass in st peters basilica timed so that the very limited number of participants could be home in time for the 10pm curfew. In his homily, he said jesus was born an outcast, and he urged communities to do more to help the poor and the needy. Westminster cathedral in london was empty for Midnight Mass the service was delivered online instead. Earlier, a small socially distanced congregation had heard Cardinal Vincent nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic church in england and wales, speak about the heart warming way in which people had responded to the pandemic. Have we not seen in these months of difficulty being marked by countless acts of random kindne
Hello, a very good day to you and welcome if you are watching in the uk oraround the welcome if you are watching in the uk or around the globe. After relief on both sides following the post brexit trade deal, European Union ambassadors are getting some of the details in a Christmas Day briefing. We are hearing from Michel Barnier, who has led the eu negotiating team during a year of fraught negotiations with britain. Borisjohnson said that britain have achieved a £660 billion per year trade agreement which would protect jobs. But the Opposition Labour Party said the deal was thin and didnt protect workers. The agreement must be ratified if it comes in on the 1st ofjanuary. Helen catt reports. Its Little Wonder that he looked so pleased. This was a big moment, a deal done after nine months of talks and years of divisive debate. Im very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada style free trad