First time in nine years. Campaigners in weber welcomed the move, while others are cautious. An inquest has been opened into the deaths of four people who died when a Luxury Yacht sank off the coast of sicily. Hello, im geeta guru murthy, welcome to Bbc News now. Irans supreme leader has defended his Countrys Missile Attack on israel earlier this week as � totally legitimate. Leading Friday Prayers in tehran for the first time in five years, Ayatollah Khamenei said it was the minimum Punishment Israel deserved. Overnight there were more israeli Air Strikes on lebanon including one near a Border Crossing which israel says targeted a tunnel used by hezbollah. Our diplomatic correspondent Caroline Hawley has the latest. This was designed as a show of strength from a regime deeply humiliated by a series of devastating blows to its allies. Hezbollah and Hamas Supporters gathered first to commemorate the hezbollah leader hassan nasrallah, killed in an israeli Air Strike a week ago today. Free transport was offered to those who came, and then the supreme leader appeared. Last friday, he was reported to have gone into hiding. Today, he came out in public to deliver a sermon for the first time since the start of 2020, when irans top Military Commander had just been killed in an american Air Strike. And he came with a message of defiance, saying that hamas� s attack on israel last october had been legitimate. So, too, Irans Response on tuesday to the killing of the hezbollah leader. What our armed forces did was the least punishment for the usurping zionist regime. In response to the regimes astonishing crimes. Speaking partly in farsi, partly in arabic. It was an attempt to rally muslims to stand against israel, to restore Irans Credibility at the helm of what it calls the axis of resistance. On tuesday night, it fired around 200 ballistic missiles at israel, and the world is now bracing for israels retaliation, wondering how iran will respond to that when it comes. And israel is continuing its battering of hezbollah. These explosions last night in the suburbs of beirut, close to the countrys airport, are thought to have been targeting the next leader of the group. And nothing being said, either by Iran Today or israel provides much hope now of anything beyond more destruction. Caroline hawley, Bbc News. Reuters is reporting that around 250 have been killed in lebanon on since the ground operation. Since the start of that israeli ground operation, according to reuters. They are also reporting that the israeli military is still assessing the damage of the strike against hezbollah strikes. You can see the latest live images from beirut as the strikes continue. And the iranian Foreign Minister has also been reported as saying that they still back efforts for a simultaneous Gaza Lebanon on ceasefire. The iranian Foreign Minister has also been in beirut, saying that they still want a stoppage to the fighting with hezbollah. It is dependent on a gaza ceasefire. The attacks as you can see there from those images, are continuing, both in southern Lebanon And Beirut where buildings have been flattened. 37 people have been killed. Missiles have hit the Main International Road to syria, that is a key route that people have been taking to leave lebanon. Our correspondent who is in tripoli, northern lebanon, gave us the latest. The lebanese authorities believe that 1. 2 million people have already been displaced because of this Conflict. Obviously, the fear is that this is a crisis that is that this is a crisis that is likely to get worse as the Conflict is likely to get worse as the Confli. , ~ is likely to get worse as the Confli , ~. ,. , Conflict continues. A lot of peeple. Conflict continues. A lot of peeple. As Conflict continues. A lot of peeple. As you Conflict continues. A lot of people, as you say, Conflict continues. A lot of people, as you say, the Conflict'>I Conflict continues. A lot of people, as you say, the south, the Southern Suburbs of beirut. These are areas where hezbollah has a very strong presence. People have been coming all the way here to tripoli in the north, about an hours drive from beirut. We have been told by one of the ngos here assisting those displaced residents, that around 100,000 people have come here to tripoli. It shows that it is a very difficult situation for those fleeing the Conflict. This is also putting a lot of pressure, not only on ngos trying to help, but also the lebanese authorities. The Un Today said that nearly all shelters across lebanon on are around around 900 shelters are full. A rising number of people are sleeping in streets and public squares. The concern here is that this is a Crisis Thatis here is that this is a crisis that is going to get worse. The lebanese authorities say they need around 400 Million to assist civilians who have been affected by this Conflict. In the north there, tripoli. Another correspondent is in as well for us, and he told us what he has seen so far today. The israeli helicopters in the sky. You might get to hear some. Some fighterjets some. Some Fighter Jets overnight, some. Some fighterjets overnight, quite a lot actually. A distinctive sound here. We also know more israeli troops are being sent towards the border, towards lebanon, behind me. As is well intensified its campaign. The israeli defense forces have been given some information, photos, videos, about what they have been doing as they carry out what they continue to call these limited and targeted operations. In some cases, going not too far across the border and retreating. We know they have faced some intense fighting with hezbollah over the last few days or so. The israelis are also saying they have been able to capture some of the weapons that the hezbollah have left behind after fleeing their positions. It is worth stressing, we are a limited on what we can assess here and what we can see. But certainly there are all the noises of war. I would suggest in the last 48 hours or so, the amount of booms, explosions, in the distance, which we presume as israeli outgoing fire. That has diminished. The tempo has decreased, but certainly where we are, maybe they are in a different phase of the operation. It is still in its early days. Well, within the last hour our Correspondent Lucy Williamson has sent this footage into us. She was filming on the israeli side of israel lebanon border, close to places with reported clashes between hezbollah and the israeli defense forces. At time of filming, the team heard small Arms Fire from across the border, before sirens sounded and incoming rockets from lebanon. Were starting to see more signs of resistance to israeli forces on the other side of the border. Even a year of airstrikes, intelligence operations, raids by Special Forces have not destroyed hezbollah� S Ability to fight back just a few miles in, spread out. Weve just heard some bursts of small Arms Fire and what sounded like some grenades from the Israeli Army. And now you can hear the sirens are going off telling us to get out of the area. Explosion we just heard a series of very loud explosions. What seems to be rockets landing nearby. Some small Arms Fire across the border. It seems the Israeli Army is pushing in to a location. And this was the response . Yeah. Good. Good to go, jojo. Come on. Time to go. Lucy williamson there. The price of oil continues to rise. A Senior Adviser at the international crisis group. Thank you forjoining us. Obviously, No One is sure as to how this is going to escalate in a lot of political efforts going on sale to try to calm tensions. If rare sale that my if israel does hit the infrastructure, what will that mean . It infrastructure, what will that mean . ,. ,. , mean . It is hard to say. It will obviously mean . It is hard to say. It will obviously have mean . It is hard to say. It will obviously have some L Mean . It is hard to say. It will obviously have some effect on Irans Ability to continue to produce oil. Iran is the third largest producer of oil in opec. But it doesnt sell to the international market because of the us sanctions on it. So it is hard to gauge exactly what impact it will have. It will, however, further impact the price of oil, at least in the short run. We have heard a lot least in the short run. We have heard a lot about least in the short run. We have heard a lot about the least in the short run. We have heard a lot about the strait least in the short run. We have heard a lot about the strait of. Heard a lot about the Strait Of Hormuz and the likelihood of a Run Blocking that. Do you think Thatis Run blocking that. Do you think that is likely . That is likely . This comes up periodically that is likely . This comes up periodically and that is likely . This comes up periodically and has that is likely . This comes up periodically and has come i that is likely . This comes upj periodically and has come up that is likely . This comes up i periodically and has come up in the past every time iran has been faced with a sticky situation. Of course, iran could close the straits, but you have to keep in mind that if it does that, it impacts itS Ability to export goods and its own oil. The only thing you would have to think about in this scenario is if its Oil Production capabilities have been targeted, then it doesnt need to and can no longer employed oil. That means closing the straits would be that much more attractive to it. It is important to say that in the past it hasnt resorted to doing that. To doing that. What will that mean for to doing that. What will that mean for other to doing that. What will that mean for other oil to doing that. What will that| mean for other Oil Supplies . Difficult for supplies from the states to get the rest of the world. It would then have, yet again, and impact on the price of oil. We have to understand that actually the price of oil has been relatively resilient, given everything that has gone on in the asian. There have been spikes but it hasnt got out of control. You would imagine that, unless things really escalated much more, that there would be peaks in the price of oil but ultimately it might adjust. It might adust. What are the other it might adjust. What are the other political it might adjust. What are the other political or it might adjust. What are the other political or military i other political or military options open to iran if it does choose to strike back across the potential israeli move in the potential israeli move in the next few days . Again, obviously there are a lot of possibilities, but how does that affect the region as global Economy Factors . You mentioned global Economy Factors . You mentioned one, global Economy Factors . You. Mentioned one, closing the straits. The other one would be for iran to target regional oil installations. Pipelines, the israeli pipeline. While targeting the eggs israeli one would make sense from the perspective of tehran, targeting oil infrastructure, particularly Gulf Arab infrastructure, doesnt make much sense any more. Especially after the events yesterday, where the leadership met indo undecided and communicated to iran the desire to be neutral in the Conflict. It is one of irans objectives now to lessen tensions with the Gulf Arab states around it and targeting their Infrastructure Infrastructure would not help. What about if israel was targeted directly by iran . Well, that would be the natural thing for tehran to do, they have shown they are willing to do it. To some peoples surprise. So far, they have been relatively good at calibrating their response, in order make sure it doesnt get out of hand, escalate into a regional war. Out of hand, escalate into a regionalwar. It out of hand, escalate into a regional war. It doesnt want to find itself in a regional war that it cannot win, and it would not be able to win it. The problem is, the more they are. The more difficult it becomes to calibrate that response. The more likely you are tcf significant israeli response. Are tcf significant israeli reaponse are tcf significant israeli resonse. ~. , , response. We have been seeing some pictures response. We have been seeing some pictures coming response. We have been seeing some pictures coming into i response. We have been seeing some pictures coming into us i some pictures coming into us from yemen, where people were gathering in support of what is going on. In support of both hezbollah and of course hamas. We have seen their involvement. Again, they are supported by the iranians. If Thats Part of this crisis also escalated, as has been speculated, what does that mean . What are the possible geographic impacts . Well, it is likely that the iran backed acts of resistance, has mass hamas, hezbollah. It would be likely to target israel and us assets in the region. There is no reason why that would stop now. If the houthis for example increase their activities In The Red Sea, which is what they have been doing over the course of the last year, targeting israeli ships In The Red Sea and gulf. That makes it difficult for international shipping, things like peas in yemen, or in the Middle East. All of these Conflicts are linked. ,. , ,. , linked. Obviously, we are waitin linked. Obviously, we are waiting to linked. Obviously, we are waiting to see linked. Obviously, we are waiting to see what i linked. Obviously, we are i waiting to see what happens in the us, politically. There has been some sense that, until that political Leadership Race is resolved, will there be, really, a chance of a ceasefire in the Middle East . If things to continue to ratchet up for the next few weeks, the impact globally is difficult to see, but it is obviously extremely alarming. But it is obviously extremely alarming but it is obviously extremely alarmina. ,. ,� alarming. Absolutely. Youre absolutely alarming. Absolutely. Youre absolutely right. Alarming. Absolutely. Youre absolutely right. The alarming. Absolutely. Youre absolutely right. The united | absolutely right. The united states has been largely able for now, they havent been present in a way that many have wanted them to be. They havent been able to push for a ceasefire in the way that, frankly, they are the only one who could actually do it in this Conflict right now. And so that has meant that we have found ourselves in this explanatory spiral which is unlikely to stop. A regional war might be regional but it wouldnt be limited to the region. It is likely to bring in the us, potentially russia, maybe china. Obviously not militarily. So it would have global proportions. And it would pose a problem for many, notjust in the region. Not ust in the region. Thank Ou Notjust in the region. Thank you very notjust in the region. Thank you very much. Notjust in the region. Thank you very much. Just notjust in the region. Thank you very much. Just to i notjust in the region. Thank you very much. Just to let i notjust in the region. Thank. You very much. Just to let you know, we are seeing pictures in yemen of some of the houthis who have gathered in support of iran and, of course, they have been involved for many months now, supporting hamas and hezbollah. Around the world and across the uk, this is Bbc News. An inquest in britain has been opened into four people who died and sank off the coast of sicily. Our reporter is at suffolk currently courts. Mil suffolk currently courts. All four british suffolk currently courts. Fill four british nationals who died when the yacht sank off the coast of italy. They were opened and adjourned here in ipswich this morning. Mike lynch, his daughter hannah, they were alongside Jonathan Bloomer and his wife anne, who was known asjudy. They were among seven people who died