US says it aims to ‘lower temperature’ in Middle East
Newshour
BBC
4.4 • 984 Ratings
🗓️ 14 August 2024
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Since the war between Hamas and Israel erupted in October 2023, the fear has been that the conflict in Gaza could lead to a wider regional war across the Middle East. Questions are growing as to whether Iran will retaliate against Israel, which is widely believed to be responsible for a strike that killed former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. US President Joe Biden thinks a ceasefire deal could make all the difference. We hear from a former Israeli diplomat and an expert on Iranian politics.
Also in the programme: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky claims Ukrainian forces have continued to advance further into Russia's Kursk region; and an Australian weather presenter tells us what it was like to experience a panic attack live on air.
(Photo: Smoke rises after an explosion following an Israeli airstrike in the Central Gaza Strip, 20 July, 2024. Credit: Reuters/Omar Naaman)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello and welcome to Newsa from the BBC World Service coming to live from London |
| 0:07.5 | with me John Donison and we're going to start the programme in the Middle East ever |
| 0:12.3 | since the war erupted on October the 7th |
| 0:14.7 | last year between Hamas and Israel, the fear has been that the conflict in |
| 0:18.6 | Gaza could lead to a wider |
| 0:24.0 | regional war across the Middle East. That fear is perhaps greater now |
| 0:25.0 | than at any time during the past 10 months. It comes after two |
| 0:29.0 | assassinations. The political leader of Hamas Ismail Haneer |
| 0:32.0 | was killed two weeks ago in Iran in an attack |
| 0:35.1 | widely believed to have been carried out by Israel. |
| 0:37.8 | And the day before, Fuhad Shuka, the top military commander of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia group Hezbollah was killed in a strike by Israel. |
| 0:46.3 | Ever since the world has been waiting for a response from Iran and Hezbollah, |
| 0:51.2 | while international diplomats have been working around the clock to try and |
| 0:55.7 | avoid a wider conflict. |
| 0:58.1 | While speaking in the last 24 hours, the US President Joe Biden has said the key to stopping Iran from retaliating against Israel |
| 1:06.5 | could be securing a ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza. |
| 1:10.7 | He was speaking to reporters just after getting off Air Force 1 in New Orleans. |
| 1:15.0 | We'll see what Iran does and we'll see what happens if we're going to attack. |
| 1:19.0 | But I'm not giving up. |
| 1:21.0 | You have the understanding that Iran could cease or stop doing an action |
| 1:27.6 | if a ceasefire deal was possible. |
| 1:29.7 | That's my expectation. |
... |
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