Hello and welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service.

We're coming to you live from London. I'm Ben James.

Lebanon says more than 560 people have now been killed by Israeli

airstrikes since the start of the week with 50 children among the dead. Israel

says one of its targets was a Hezbollah commander killed in one of the strikes

on the capital Beirut. Mohammed al-Cubaisi was said to be in charge of the missile and rocket systems

responsible for continuing Hezbollah fire over the border into Israel.

All of this after the exploding pages and walkie talkies in Lebanon last week blamed on Israel but not acknowledged by them.

Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon have left their homes with many sheltering in

schools and Israeli bomb shelters also hosting people as air-aid sirens sound there.

Israel says it wants to remove the long-running threat of rocket fire from Hezbollah and let

its citizens go home. The violence in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon is on the mind of many

world leaders as they gather in New York for the UN General Assembly. Despite fears of a widening

regional war, US.S. President Joe Biden said he was hopeful for a solution.

I put forward with Qatar and Egypt to cease fire and hostage deal. It's been endorsed by the UN Security Council.

Now is the time for the parties to finalize its terms. Bring the hostages home

and secure security for Israel and Gaza free of Hamas script.

Ease the suffering in Gaza and end this war.

Hezbollah, unprovoked during the October 7th attack, launching rockets in Israel.

Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest. Even a situation has escalated. A diplomatic

solution is still possible. But the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterresh

had this warning for world leaders.

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