He said, their moment of freedom, would come a lot sooner than people think. More on that in a moment. 0n LebanonIsraels Defence Minister said they were ready to use forces from air, Sea And Land to achieve its objectives against hezbollah to achieve its objectives against hezbollah to ensure people whod to ensure people whod evacuated their homes evacuated their homes in northern israel, in northern israel, were safe to return. Were safe to return. He told the troops, he told the troops, you are part of this effort. You are part of this effort. Hezbollah� s deputy hezbollah� s Deputy Leader has insisted that the group is ready leader has insisted that the group is ready if israel decides if israel decides to invade lebanon. To invade lebanon. In a defiant speech, in a defiant speech, he said the battle against he said the battle against israel will continue. Israel will continue. There have been more there have been more israeli attacks today. Israeli attacks today. Hamas says the leader hamas says the leader of its operations in of its operations in lebanon has been killed lebanon has been killed by an airstrike. By an airstrike. Another Palestinian Group said without middlemen. Another Palestinian Group said three of its leaders three of its leaders were killed in a strike were killed in a strike on an Apartment Block on an Apartment Block near central beirut. Near central beirut. Lets start this hour lets start this hour with Benjamin Netanyahu with Benjamin Netanyahu because he said they had because he said they had removed tehran� s puppets removed tehran� s puppets in Gaza And Lebanon in Gaza And Lebanon and had this meesage and had this meesage to the people of iran. To the people of iran. I want to address you, i want to address you, the people of iran. The people of iran. I want to do so directly, i want to do so directly, without filters, without filters, without middlemen. Imagine if all the vast money the regime wasted on Nuclear Weapons and foreign wars were invested in your Childrens Education and improving your Health Care and building your nations infrastructure, water, sewage, all the other things that you need. Imagine that. But you know one simple thing. Irans tyrants dont care about your future. But you do. When iran is finally free and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think everything will be different. The israeli Prime Minister talking about iran there. 0ur Correspondent Anna foster is in beirut for us. 0ver over Night And Today we have seen more strikes, so what has been targeted and who has been targeted . fix, been targeted and who has been tarueted . �. ,. , targeted . A lot of messaging auoin on targeted . A lot of messaging going on with targeted . A lot of messaging going on with the targeted . A lot of messaging going on with the strikes. Going on with the strikes. Yesterday afternoon we saw the israeli strike on the houthi rebels in yemen, and hamas said their lead in lebanon was killed in one of the strikes and listening to netanyahu there, linking that to the discussion around messaging, he was talking directly, he was saying to people in iran, and they will never see that message, unless they have a vpn, to access media from outside the country, because the media is very tightly controlled by the regime in iran, so who was that a message for . His own people, the israeli people, the international community . What is clear at the moment, and i know you will explore this with your guests in more detail, but what israel actually has planned here, they have talked about securing the northern border of the country, so people can return home, so they no longer have to fear hezbollah rockets, but what we are getting into now its a much more widescale perhaps picture of regional change if they are focusing on the houthi rebels in yemen, and focusing on perpetuating some kind of Regime Change in iran, it makes you wonder how far the conflict could go. The momentum seems to be increasing. Could go. The momentum seems to be increasing be increasing. Those are some ofthe be increasing. Those are some of the questions be increasing. Those are some of the questions we be increasing. Those are some of the questions we will be increasing. Those are some of the questions we will pose i of the questions we will pose in a moment. In terms of what we heard from the Deputy Leader of hezbollah, he said the group is ready for a Ground Invasion, but the question is whether hezbollah are in a position to respond with any real effect. Yes, that is a very good question. It would have been difficult to answer even a week ago, because we know that hezbollah are unarmed and backed by iran and we know they had a large number of iranian weapons are armed. Rockets they could fire into israel which caused Terror And Destruction for people living there, the sort of weaponry that iran has given to hezbollah is more longer range and more dangerous and it can target more of israel but how much of that is actually left after this week of israeli air attacks in lebanon because israel have targeted some of the leaders of hezbollah, including hassan nasrallah, the leader, and they have got strikes in the South And East which have killed many civilians. They say they were focused on hezbollah military infrastructure like Missile Storage and the ability to actually buy rockets and weapons, we dont know how much of that remains. We were told by the israeli military that that was a precursor for a Ground Invasion and that is a possible next step but clearly what we are seeing is that while it is are looking at Lebanon And Hezbollah, they are looking further afield than that as well is that while israel are looking at. That as well is that while israel are looking at. Thanks forjoining israel are looking at. Thanks forjoining us. Lets speak to Norman Roule former us national Intelligence Manager for iran. I know who you have been listening to what Benjamin Netanyahu has said in the video. What was your assessment . Video. What was your assessment . ,. , video. What was your assessment . ,. , assessment . The message is meant for assessment . The message is meant for three assessment . The message is meant for three audiences, i assessment . The message is i meant for three audiences, the israelis are demonstrating to the world that they are no longer going to sit back and be attacked, that they will reach out to their adversaries, and this could increase diplomacy but also additional defensive capacity, the second audience is domestic. It is telling the israeli people that netanyahu who has prided himself on being a security Prime Minister, is fulfilling that role, and lastly he is speaking to the iranians, the initial portion of the report, the statement, rather, reaching out to anyone, thatis rather, reaching out to anyone, that is directed to the iran leaders. They will have good reason to be concerned about israels reach. Israels reach. Tehran has clearly got israels reach. Tehran has clearly got some israels reach. Tehran has clearly got some crucial. Clearly got some crucial decisions to make given everything we have seen over the last few weeks. What are the last few weeks. What are the likely calculations . Tehran has significant the likely calculations . Tehran has significant challenges the likely calculations . Tehran has significant challenges and | has significant challenges and first of all it has relied upon providing weapons and technical skills to its proxies to undertake actions, but that is no longer possible. Hamas and hezbollah, and the houthi rebels are not a strategic threat to israel at the moment, and iraqi actors have a limited capability, so next you have the capacity of iran to provide them with different material and the logistic lines have been cut by israel and also by the us and partners In The Red Sea and the Arabian Peninsula which leaves irans missiles and drone capacity, the us and their partners have a robust Military Force in the region capable of defending israel and other states to the extent that we did in april, so for iran, the primary goal is to protect the primary goal is to protect the regime and also to protect the regime and also to protect the proxies in the long term. Hamas and hezbollah. Iran will push for a diplomatic solution as well as bellicose rhetoric because a diplomatic solution would leave these elements in existence. Would leave these elements in existence existence. One thing that has been talked existence. One thing that has been talked about existence. One thing that has been talked about is existence. One thing that has been talked about is that been talked about is that everything we have seen could accelerate iran trying to get a Nuclear Weapon, so how close do you think they actually are . The answer on how close they are is that it depends on how fast are is that it depends on how fas ,. ,. , ~ fast they wish to undertake activity and fast they wish to undertake activity and how fast they wish to undertake activity and how covert fast they wish to undertake | activity and how covert they wish to make it and how many weapons they might want to develop. We are weeks away from multiple weapons but we are months from developing an actual weapon itself and a Delivery System and in that time period, israel and others would be able to likely uncover that activity. Your question as to whether this pushes iran further from a weapon could play either way, and certainly iran could say we need a Nuclear Weapon because our proxies are no longer a capable defence but iranian leaders will say, we are incapable of keeping that activity secret or protected from israel because of Israels Ability to conduct lethal activity within iran itself so i do not think they will do this until they believe they can do so safely and securely and achieve what they need to do. They are more likely to make steps towards a weapon because that would not necessarily provoke a military attack. ,. , attack. One final thought, netanyahu attack. One final thought, netanyahu has attack. One final thought, netanyahu has talked attack. One final thought, netanyahu has talked for| netanyahu has talked for decades about going after iran and not allowing them a Nuclear Weapon and he repeated the same thing at the Un General Assembly on friday. Is there a possibility that he could be emboldened by everything we have seen over the last year to go the one extra step of knowing he has the us umbrella as cover . , knowing he has the us umbrella as cover . ,. ,. , as cover . That umbrella of cover would as cover . That umbrella of cover would have as cover . That umbrella of cover would have to as cover . That umbrella of cover would have to be as cover . That umbrella of cover would have to be a i cover would have to be a long term cover, and it isnt guaranteed. He would have to be able to handle lebanon. And he has the houthis to keep in mind. I think it is unlikely that he would undertake a vast attack against iran until he had the long Term Logistics Capacity built up. But we are off the map in terms of hard predictions these days, so we should be humble on our sense of prediction in the future. Great to have you on the programme, thank you very much for being with us. Lets continue. Lets speak to director and Chief Executive of Chatham House bronwen maddox. Welcome to bbc news. Give me your analysis of where you think we are as we are speaking now. I think we are as we are speaking now. ~ think we are as we are speaking now. ~. ,. , think we are as we are speaking now. ~. ,. ,. , now. I think netanyahu has managed now. I think netanyahu has managed to now. I think netanyahu has managed to put now. I think netanyahu has managed to put israel now. I think netanyahu has managed to put israeljust| now. I think netanyahu has| managed to put israeljust a week short of the anniversary of October The 7th back on the front foot in a way that he has failed to do in the past year. In fact, before this attack on Lebanon And Hezbollah began, this was all very much in iran and its proxies favour. They managed to humiliate the idf, the is really Air Defence forces, and the rift in israel about whether to bring the hostages back. And they had provoked israel in a way in terms of losing tonnes of support. They are now back with these attacks on hezbollah, and looking to have the upper hand. And that being responded to with rising support within israel. So at the moment, he very much appears in control of this, ran on the defensive. But a big question your previous speaker was referring to, this has been netanyahus obsession in recent years, saying it is intolerable for israel for iran to have a Nuclear Weapon, and we cannot let it get to that point. And america has been saying for a long time, we dont want to do anything, but he may feel now that he is in a position to put enough pressure on iran that he might begin to dispatched all week diplomatic tal iran r wider peace, a dispatched all week diplomatic tal iran that er peace, a dispatched all week diplomatic tal iran that he aeace, a dispatched all week diplomatic tal iran that he might a dispatched all week diplomatic tal iran that he might begin to on iran that he might begin to negotiate, but we dont know negotiate, but we dont know whether there is an action whether there is an Action PointMilitary Plan as well. Point Military Plan as well. And briefly on this Point And Briefly on this point because you have touched on it, because you have touched on it, in terms of the map, the in terms of the map, the dynamic of the region which for dynamic of the region which for so long has been settled with so long has been settled with hamas, hezbollah, tehran and hamas, hezbollah, tehran and their influence, has that been their influence, has that been upended, do you think . Upended, upended, do you think . Upended, es. Es. Upended, do you think . Upended, upended, do you think . Upended, yes there upended, do you think . Upended, yes there are upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very few yes there upended, do you think . Upended, yes there are upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very few upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very few things yes. There are very few things that are completely decisive upended, do you think . Upended, yes. There are very few things yes. There are very few things that are completely decisive for the region, but it has put for the region, but it has put the initiative with israel, who the initiative with israel, who say they are surrounded by a say they are surrounded by a Ring Of Fire and have to Ring Of Fire and have to justify striking, so it has justify striking, so it has dispatched all week diplomatic dispatched all week diplomatic talks for wider peace, a talks for wider peace, a rapprochement between iran and israel, and act with it if you are listening to netanyahu, there is talk around the palestinians who deal asking the question, and in a way that is the best thing that can be done. Where is this this going to take israel, in the long term, what is israels aiming all of this, because and i share the view that is very hard to see a piece or a future in which israel survives and thrives without some kind of wider peace, and that means with notjustjordan, a country that it has had accords with for a long time, but saudi arabia, and working with all those countries to contain iran, which is a problem to them mall. That is not the Way Israel has been going. And a final brief thought about us strategy. They have spent months talking about the need not escalate. We may not have an all out war, but we have a war in all but name, dont we . Yes, we do, and we have escalation. We dont need to around that. And that is despite Antony Blinken and Jo Biden himself talking to israelis and saying, please dont escalate, so the us influence of this administration is not what it was. All it can do is try to keep talking and pushing its desire for things not to get out of hand. Desire for things not to get out of hand. �. , a,. , out of hand. Bronwen maddox, alwa s out of hand. Bronwen maddox, always good out of hand. Bronwen maddox, always good to out of hand. Bronwen maddox, always good to have out of hand. Bronwen maddox, always good to have you out of hand. Bronwen maddox, always good to have you on out of hand. Bronwen maddox, | always good to have you on the programme, thank you for joining us live here on bbc news. Around the world and across the uk, you are watching bbc news. Youre wa