Hello, im azadeh moshiri. As fears grow about an escalation of the Middle East conflict, saturday has seen a string of Cross Border attacks between israel and the iranian backed lebanese group, hezbollah. And the iranian backed lebanese these are live pictures from the region. Israel says it has Hit Thousands of Rocket Launchers in lebanon. Hezbollah says it has fired new waves of rockets into Northern Israel. Reuters video shows rockets coming from Southern Lebanon being intercepted by the Israeli Military. The Health Ministry has said that 37 people were killed in yesterdays israeli attack on beirut. Those are new numbers. Israel said it was targeting a top Hezbollah Commander who also died during the attack will stop it says it killed, in their words, 16 terrorists. The us national Security Adviser said he was worried about escalation between israel and lebanon. When he was asked about the israli Strike TargettingHezbollah Commanders. He said its a good outcome when people are brought to justice. A reminder that hezbollah are designated a Terorrist Organisation by the us and other western nations. Live to our correspondent injerusalem, daniel de simone. More Cross Border exchanges of fire, of strikes. It is Ratcheting Up tensions and those fears of escalation. Thats right. I think the Exchanges Today between Hezbollah And Israel are somewhat typical of the kinds of exchanges we have been saying for months. Rocket firing into northern Israel And Israel carrying out Air Strikes on hezbollah positions. But this week as a whole has seen significant escalation in the conflict and we have seen things we havent seen the before, for example in the Pager And Walkie talkie explosions targeting hezbollah members in lebanon. Only a couple of times before this week we saw this particular conflict which was israel carrying out an Air Strike Yesterday in beirut, a heavily populated area of beirut which has led to 37 people dying, with the Israeli Military saying 16 of those people were senior hezbollah members. I think early this Week Israel set a new War Goal which was to Return Home 60,000 israelis who had been displaced in Northern Israel by the hezbollah rocket fire. Since they set that goal early in the week we have seen this wave of attacks against hezbollah. But hezbollah is still Firing Rockets. We have seen it today. They have announced they are Firing Rockets and israel says around 90 rockets or projectiles were fired today. Hezbollah� S Leader says they wont stop doing that until israel ceases its aggression in gaza and the occupied west bank. So that leaves the question what else will israel do. It says it will achieve this goal even though others, the united states, germany and others, have been calling for a de escalation. IsraelS Leadership, the defence minister, has been saying that these military actions in this new phase of the war will continue until its War Goal is met. That leaves what else they will do, given Air Strikes so for having allowed them to achieve this goal. Allowed them to achieve this coal. ,. , , allowed them to achieve this coal. , ,. , goal. Could you put this into perspective goal. Could you put this into perspective for goal. Could you put this into perspective for us . Goal. Could you put this into perspective for us . In goal. Could you put this into perspective for us . In the i goal. Could you put this into L Perspective for us . In the last 11 months we have been covering regularly this Cross Border exchange of attacks between israel and hezbollah. What is different about this moment . Whats different is that israel has set this formal goal. It set a target for himself and said it will achieve it. It has set a bar really by which it will bejudged but set a bar really by which it will be judged but miley is really public. It hasnt said how it is going to do it and given it has been able to achieve this with the Air Strikes we have been seeing over the past more than 11 months, there are then questions and a public debate about what else might happen. There has been public debate about whether israeli troops might actually go into Southern Lebanon to create a so called buffer zone. Obviously that prospect is being warred against by various people internationally, including the united states, the un. We have had comments from germanys foreign minister, because they see this as a dangerous escalation. They think it means the conflict will spiral out of control and could lead to devastating consequences. But as things stand israel is saying it is going to carry on these military actions. It has set its target and says it is going to achieve it, even though hezbollah are saying it will not achieve it. Hezbollah are set out what it says, it will have a ceasefire, but it is tying it to gaza and the west bank. It is saying that they will only stop the action it is taking, the firing of rockets and drones, if israel stops in gaza and the occupied west bank. So we kind of have two positions. They cant both be right. But what the united states is calling for is a diplomatic resolution to this that will allow people on both sides of the border who have been displaced, because i think 90,000 odd people have been displaced on the lebanese side, and it would allow this people to go home. In and it would allow this people to go home and it would allow this people to go home. In jerusalem there for us. Meanwhile, hamas run gaza Health Ministry says at 22 people have been killed in an israeli Air Strike on a school sheltering displaced people. The Israel Defense forces say the strike targeted a Hamas Command Room at al falah school. There has been widespread global condemnation for attacking schools, civilian shelters and hospitals. Israel says they were Housing Hamas fighters. Lets go to beit mery, on the outskirts of beirut, to speak to Middle East analyst nadim shehadi. Hes the former Executive Director of the Lebanese American University new york. Thank you for your time. I first want to get your view. We touched on this with our correspondence earlier but in terms of the moment were right now, what position do hezbollah find themselves in . They are responding now to a series of embarrassing Security Failings. There have been Security Failings and they have certainly been embarrassing. But i have been listening to what daniel was saying. I am not sure how it affects their power. It may increase their power. It may increase their power because they are interested in control of the country and basically the revolutionary guard, militias in the region in palestine and syria, lebanon, iraq, yemen, being part of that if you like. And the key for hezbollah is to maintain its legitimacy as a resistance within lebanon and convince its own constituency because that is probably its weakest point. It cannot be defeated militarily. It can be defeated militarily. It can be defeated if its constituency stops supporting it. The proposal, the israeli idea of occupying a buffer zone, is absolutely absurd from that perspective. It will give hezbollah a huge boost and a boost in legitimacy which it lost 2a years ago as a Resistance Movement against israeli occupation. For the last 2a years it has been a resistance looking for an Occupation And Israel would provide that occupation if it gives that buffer zone. I want to net a gives that buffer zone. I want to get a bit gives that buffer zone. I want to get a bit more gives that buffer zone. I want to get a bit more context gives that buffer zone. I want to get a bit more context on | to get a bit more context on this and hezbollah is designated as a Terrorist Organisation by the us, uk and several other western countries. In terms of the way the lebanese public view this situation, and the fact that civilians have been put in Harms Way during these attacks, broadly how would you characterise the grip, the power that hezbollah has in lebanon . Power that hezbollah has in lebanon . ,. , lebanon . The best example i can cive is lebanon . The best example i can give is the lebanon . The best example i can give is the Blitz Lebanon . The best example i can give is the blitz in lebanon . The best example i can give is the blitz in London Lebanon . The best example i can give is the blitz in london in give is the blitz in london in World War ii. When you are being bombed your anger goes against the 1s Bombing you, not against the ones that put you in that position. People did not demonstrate against churchill when they were bombed in World War ii and here, when you are being bombed by the israelis, The General feeling is more anger towards the israelis for two reasons. One of them is because of the violence and second because it is proving hezbollah right. It is proving hezbollah right. It is in a way legitimising hezbollah� s narrative. Those who do not believe in hezbollah� s narrative, and who believe there should be a peaceful border, that there are already in greenwood is that the constitution states we abide by the 19119 Armistice Agreement and since 2006 by security council resolution, which reaffirms the border and this arming hezbollah, people who believe in this are being weakened. Who believe in this are being weakened weakened. Just to ump in, becausefi weakened. Just to ump in, because h weakened. Just to ump in, because we are weakened. Just to jump in, because we are running weakened. Just to jump in, | because we are running out weakened. Just to jump in, i because we are Running Out Of Time, and i do want to ask in the next question. Hezbollah is backed by iran and they are seen as an important proxy for iran. Is there not discontent amongst some in lebanon about the fact there is this foreign influence on their own domestic politics . Influence on their own Domestic Olitics . , politics . There is huge discontent politics . There is huge discontent but politics . There is huge L Discontent but complete powerlessness to confront it. Your question is very relevant because if you bring in iran to the equation then this becomes a regional problem and it becomes a huge international dimension and it is absurd to think that you can solve such a huge regional and international confrontation almost equivalent to the one in ukraine, with hezbollah being the Front Line of it. It is absurd to think you can solve it with a deal between netanyahu with between Neta Nyahu with agreement between netanyahu with agreement between Hezbollah And Israel. An indirect agreement, israel. An indirect agreement, i would say, because there is no negotiation. This regionally has to be all the countries in the region are threatened by this. No single country is safe from a regional war. This is what makes Hassan Nasrallah� s, his speech broadcast yesterday, with translation. I dont think anyone gets that, not even the pope. That is power. It is power given by the current configuration, which i think is wrong. Configuration, which i think is wronu. , ~ configuration, which i think is wronu. , configuration, which i think is wronu. ,. ,. , wrong. Thank you for that analysis wrong. Thank you for that analysis. Former wrong. Thank you for that l analysis. Former Executive Director of Lebanese University in new york. Lets speak to former israeli brigadier general assaf orion, international fellow at the Washington Institute for near east policy. We do appreciate your time. I want to ask you about the new War Gold that israel has formally announced this week to return the displaced israelis back to the border with lebanon. Do you believe this Ratcheting Up of tensions, of provocations, is the right strategy to get them home . Good afternoon. These strategy to get them home . Good afternoon. These are strategy to get them home . Good afternoon. These are not afternoon. These are not provocations, and thank you for inviting me. What we are facing is unprovoked initiated War Of Attrition by hezbollah on israel, doubling down on the fact that it wont stop until gaza calms down. It insists on not allowing the Border Communities in israel to Return Home safely until its demands are satisfied. And what israel is actually doing is an operation that you can name, let my people go home safely. And the technique, as in the bible, is an escalating series of attacks, a bit like the ten plagues against pharaoh, and eventually they are supposed to dissuade hezbollah from continuing. Unfortunately until now hezbollah doubles down and since that is the Situation Israel also has some direct Approach Potential and tools and options to employ down the road. �. , �. ,. ,. , road. But doesnt an allout warjeopardise road. But doesnt an allout warjeopardise the road. But doesnt an allout warjeopardise the region i road. But doesnt an Alloutj Warjeopardise the region as well as jeopardise warjeopardise the region as Well Asjeopardise bigger aims of getting hostages home . I know this is something that domestically israelis have protested against and put pressure against the Netanyahu War Cabinet in that they feel the goals here, the main goal of getting hostages home, is getting lost . Getting lost . Hostages are indeed a premier getting lost . Hostages are indeed a Premier Level getting lost . Hostages are indeed a Premier Level of i getting lost . Hostages are i indeed a Premier Level of War Goals to a large amount of our public and we are still looking forward to their safe Return Home and anxious about their survival and their health. In this Sense Israel has to choose, or actually put a choice in front of hezbollah. You need to decide whether to continue your solidarity with gaza and risking large war, or go back to your senses and stop attacking israel and also distance your forces from the israeli border. We are not going to accept your ongoing threats to our population centres, Border Communities, national infrastructure and the rest. So it is a call to Hassan Nasrallah to do a reassessment. If israel wanted regional war now, ora if israel wanted regional war now, or a direct large conflict with hezbollah immediately its operations would have looked at differently. What we are seeing now, actually pressure leverages applied sequentially and in an increasing manner and allowing the other side to climb down. Allowing the other side to climb down. ~. , climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but i climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but i do climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but i do want climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but i do want to climb down. We are Running Out Of Time but i