The video report discusses the escalating tensions in the Middle East, focusing on Israel's ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The video highlights the impact on civilians, particularly the displacement of children in Lebanon, and reports on military activities from both Israeli and Hezbollah sides. U.S. involvement is notable, with American military aid being deployed to Israel and a stern warning sent to Israel about improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The U.S. government has communicated its concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza by delivering a strong letter to Israel, urging them to allow more aid into the area to prevent contagion and further suffering. In Lebanon, Hezbollah continues to show defiance despite losses due to Israeli raids, while government support for international peacekeeping missions, such as UNIFIL, remains strong.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. displaced [dɪsˈpleɪst] - (verb) - Forced to leave one's home typically due to war, persecution, or disaster. - Synonyms: (uprooted, relocated, evacuated)

Unicef says more than 400,000 children have now been displaced, 90% in the last three weeks as Israel continues its offensive against the iranian backed group Hezbollah.

2. offensive [əˈfɛnsɪv] - (noun) - A military operation that aims to capture territory or achieve a specific goal. - Synonyms: (attack, assault, campaign)

Unicef says more than 400,000 children have now been displaced, 90% in the last three weeks as Israel continues its offensive against the iranian backed group Hezbollah.

3. retaliation [rɪˌtæliˈeɪʃən] - (noun) - The action of returning a military attack; counter-attack. - Synonyms: (revenge, reprisal, retaliation)

That in retaliation, of course, to Tehrans attack on Israel two weeks ago.

4. humanitarian [hjuˌmænɪˈtɛəriən] - (adjective) - Concerned with human welfare and the alleviation of suffering. - Synonyms: (charitable, compassionate, altruistic)

And one further development in the last half an hour, it's emerged that the US has written to Israel's government giving it 30 days to urgently boost humanitarian aid access in Gaza or face losing some us military assistance

5. prosecuting [ˈprɒsɪkjuːtɪŋ] - (verb) - Carrying out or participating in a legal proceeding or a concerted operation or campaign against individuals or organizations. - Synonyms: (pursuing, conducting, carrying out)

But this letter that Tom was referring to is the strongest response we've had yet from the Americans, that they're perhaps growing uneasy and impatient with the way that Israel is prosecuting this war

6. fractious [ˈfrækʃəs] - (adjective) - Irritable and prone to causing disruption or difficulty. - Synonyms: (unruly, disorderly, contentious)

But it just shows this fractious relationship between the Americans and the Israelis.

7. mandate [ˈmændeɪt] - (noun) - An official order or commission to do something. - Synonyms: (directive, command, order)

The UN has come out, come down and said it will not accept being told by one member state, Israel that it should leave its posts when it's carrying out a mandate that is supported by the entire United Nations Security Council.

8. contagion [kənˈteɪdʒən] - (noun) - The communication of disease from one person to another by close contact. - Synonyms: (infection, transmission, contamination)

And says that those people are now at high risk of contagion.

9. surge [sɜːrdʒ] - (verb) - To increase suddenly and powerfully. - Synonyms: (escalate, rise, swell)

to let much more aid in, to surge aid in, it says, ahead of the winter.

10. evacuations [ɪˌvækjuˈeɪʃənz] - (noun) - The action of moving people to safety from a disaster area. - Synonyms: (withdrawals, removals, relocations)

Now, the Americans say that this has amounted to a series of evacuations which have added to the numbers of people being forced into that narrow coastal strip of al Muwasi in Gaza.

US gives Israel 30 days to boost aid to Gaza or risk some military aid cuts - BBC News

We start in the Middle East, where tensions have ratcheted up again today with new threats from Hezbollah's deputy chief, who said since Israel has attacked anywhere in Lebanon, we have the right to attack anywhere in Israel. Well, in Lebanon, Unicef says more than 400,000 children have now been displaced, 90% in the last three weeks as Israel continues its offensive against the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah. We've also heard from the Pentagon saying that an advanced team of military personnel and the initial components of an American missile defense system have arrived in Israel, with more to be sent in the coming days.

Meanwhile, a Washington Post report suggests Benjamin Netanyahu has told President Biden Israel will not hit oil or nuclear sites in Iran, but would target military facilities instead. That in retaliation, of course, to Tehran's attack on Israel two weeks ago. And one further development in the last half an hour, it's emerged that the US has written to Israel's government giving it 30 days to urgently boost humanitarian aid access in Gaza or face losing some US military assistance.

Let's talk to our correspondents on the ground. Wirra Davis is in Jerusalem. Jonathan Head is in Beirut. Our Gaza correspondent, Rushdie Abu Aloof, is in Istanbul. But let's start with Tom Bateman, who's in Washington. And Tom, tell us more about this letter. First of all, because grave concern amongst the US administration about what is happening in Gaza.

Yeah, this has emerged in the last hour or so. And what we have now confirmed are the contents of a letter that was reported by the journalist Barak Ravid, written from the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to the Israeli government, along with Lloyd Austin, the US Defense Secretary. Both of those signed this letter. And what it amounts to basically is a warning to the Israelis that if they don't rapidly improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, that they will face or risk having some US military assistance cut off.

The language in this letter is very strong. And as far as you know, I can see this amounts to the strongest known written warning that the Americans have given to the Israelis ever since the start of the war in Gaza. What it basically says is that it accuses the Israelis of having denied 90% of humanitarian aid movements between north and south, it says over the last month. And all of this, of course, in the context of the current Israeli attack in military operation, the assault in northern Gaza.

Now, the Americans say that this has amounted to a series of evacuations which have added to the numbers of people being forced into that narrow coastal strip of al Muwasi in Gaza. And says that those people are now at high risk of contagion. And so it goes through a series of measures it wants the Israelis to do, to let much more aid in, to surge aid in, it says, ahead of the winter. And if not, it says that they risk the implementation of a particular part of US law, the Foreign Assistance Act, and a particular section in that which denies military assistance to any countries that prohibit the movement of American humanitarian aid. So a very significant warning.

I mean, this letter has leaked, as I say, the BBC has verified its contents, but I expect we'll get more now from the Americans about exactly what they expect the Israelis to do over the coming days to assure them that what is happening in the north of Gaza is going to, you know, there will be rapid changes in the way that is being carried out, the effect it's having on civilians and surging aid into Gaza.

Very interesting. Tom, let's go to Beirut. And Jonathan head. And, Jonathan, earlier in the day, of course, we had new threats from Hezbollah's deputy chief saying if this war continues with Israel, there will be hundreds of thousands, maybe even 2 million Israelis who will be in the danger zone. So again, worrying sounds from Hezbollah.

Yes, we don't know exactly how badly Hezbollah's military capacity has been damaged by these three weeks of very powerful Israeli raids, but these statements, I think, were put out by the deputy leader of Hezbollah more to kind of bring people in Lebanon on side. People here are reeling from the massive humanitarian impact of this war. Some Lebanese blame Hezbollah almost as much as Israel for dragging them into it. The Hezbollah deputy leader wanted to say, look, we are the defenders of people of this country against the Israeli invasion.

We are united with you that there will be victory. Please be patient with us. We will rebuild your homes. But a lot of defiance, too, a message back to the Israelis saying, don't count us out. Yes, we have suffered. He acknowledged that we've lost a lot of leaders, but we can still inflict pain on you. And of course, Israel did suffer that drone strike over the weekend, which showed that there are still significant capabilities with the Hezbollah forces.

Let's go to Jerusalem and Wirra Davis. Wirra, give us the latest from the Israeli government because I referenced in the introduction that Washington Post report that apparently the Israelis have, have told the Biden administration they will only target military sites in any Iranian strike. What have the prime minister and others been saying in response to that report?

First on that issue, of course, Israel is fighting a conflict on two fronts in Lebanon, as we've just heard, and in Gaza. But also there's the growing spectre of what's going to happen now if Israel, as promised, responds in kind to that Iranian missile attack of a few days ago. Israel has made it clear it will respond, hasn't said how and when. The Americans have urged Israel not to attack Iran's nuclear sites because of the impact that could have on a wider regional conflict.

If Israel were to attack Iran's petrochemical sites, that might have an economic effect, which could, of course, have an effect on the upcoming American elections. But Mister Netanyahu has made it clear that Israel will act as it sees fit and when it sees fit. So everybody here is waiting for that response, how and when it will happen. But it just shows this fractious relationship between the Americans and the Israelis.

Israel is, of course, entirely dependent on American military aid to prosecute this war. But this letter that Tom was referring to is the strongest response we've had yet from the Americans, that they're perhaps growing uneasy and impatient with the way that Israel is prosecuting this war. The narrative this far is that Benjamin Netanyahu has been sometimes doing things as he sees fit, despite American, Israeli reliance on the Americans.

So it's interesting to see now if we're going to see a change in Israeli attitudes. One thing for certain, though, America is not going to pull a plug on Israel. Indeed, in the last 24 hours, an American high altitude missile defense system which will be manned by American troops, that has begun to arrive in Israel and that is arriving here in anticipation of what Israel might do in the next few days vis a vis Iran and how Iran might respond to a very fluid situation here.

Thanks very much. Let's bring in Rushdie Abu Aloof, who is in Istanbul, and of course, monitoring what is happening in Gaza. You were listening there to Tom Bateman and that letter because so much concern, especially in the north of Gaza, where only yesterday the first aid in the whole of October did actually get through. But it's a dire situation, isn't it?

Yeah, but the people said very little. The aid that come yesterday, comparing to what it used to be allowed in the last two, like the last two months since October, the first no aid were allowed into northern Gaza, where we believe about 300,000 people are stuck in their homes in Jabali refugee camp in the north, surrounded by Israeli troops under siege, suffering, as I managed to, spoke to some of them today. They said the market is running out of food, water is not there, electricity, sewage is everywhere in the camp. And they believe that the 30 trucks or so of flour that we allowed yesterday isn't enough to feed 300,000 people.

I just want to give you a little bit of number. Before 7 October, we used to have about 500 trucks coming from Israel and Egypt into Gaza. Now we are as little as 80 to 70, 70 to 80 trucks every day in Gaza. So people in the north are getting the most of the suffering, but people in the south are not in a better situation because in the south as well, we have two thirds or over 80% of the population in a very highly densely populated area called al Mawasi near the coastal Inchan units.

And all of them are also getting 20 or 15 or 20% of what is needed for them. So people there are hoping that this American pressure will increase the number of air trucks that coming into Gaza. And we should remember that at this time of the year there is a Jewish holiday. And already, even before 7 October, there is always a delay in delivering the aid into Gaza before the war. And it's now impacting and causing more problems for the people in Gaza because of the crossing close during the Jewish holiday.

Let's go back to Behrouz and Jonathan Head. Jonathan, just a quick word, because in the last little while, Italy's prime minister has made it clear that she plans to visit Lebanon on Friday, also talking about that uniform threat towards them, saying any withdrawal from them would be a serious mistake. What is your reading of her visit to Lebanon?

Well, there's been almost unanimous, well, pretty much completely unanimous support for the UNIFIL mission from the contributing countries. Italy is a big contributor. There are 49 in total. The UN has come out, come down and said it will not accept being told by one member state, Israel that it should leave its posts when it's carrying out a mandate that is supported by the entire United Nations Security Council.

Interestingly, the US fully supports the UN mission there as well. So for all of Israel's many complaints that UNIFIL has not stopped Hezbollah from rearming in that southern area, UN says that's not actually its mandate. It's there to enforce an agreement between the parties. At the moment, there's full support for the UN mission and Israel warning them to get out of the way.

No agreement, no sort of meeting of minds on that. It looks like the UN is there to stay regardless of how tough the fights become between Israel and Hezbollah forces. Jonathan, there we have to leave it. Thanks very much. Thanks to all of our correspondents joining us on the program there on the ground.

Politics, Global, Conflict, Middle East, Humanitarian Crisis, Military Movement, Bbc News