The World Tonight

Israel says it has lost eight IDF soldiers in fighting in southern Lebanon, as it continues its operation against Hezbollah. Meanwhile Beirut suffered further Israeli air strikes. Netanyahu's government is also considering how to respond to Iran's massive missile attack yesterday.

The four MPs vying to become leader of the Conservative Party delivered keynote speeches on the final day of the party conference.

And after the south-eastern US was battered by Hurricane Helene, we spoke to a man who braved a seven hour drive and five hour walk through storm-ravaged areas to reach his daughter's wedding.

Israel has vowed a 'powerful response' to a wave of missile strikes by Iran. Tehran says it was in response to Israeli attacks on its allies, Hezbollah and Hamas.

The UK and US have condemned the Iranian attack and reiterated that Israel has the right to defend itself. The strikes came after Israel launched its cross-border ground operation against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

A BBC reporter in Beirut has heard explosions in the south of the city after Israel's army ordered an evacuation of three areas. Israel is reportedly poised to mount a ground incursion into Lebanon. Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Qassem says the group is ready for an Israeli ground offensive and says the battle "may be long".

The Conservative mayor of Tees Valley, Lord Houchen, has told the BBC that all four candidates for the party leadership need to be "more honest" on how they plan to deliver the policies they're advocating.

And we speak to the cruise ship passengers who met while stranded in Belfast and became engaged, as they finally prepare to set off on their delayed voyage.

Dame Maggie Smith dies - the King and Sir Keir Starmer have both described the actor as a "national treasure"

Israeli military bombs what it says is Hezbollah's central headquarters in Beirut

Kamal Harris visit the US-Mexico border

and plans to expand Wimbledon by building 39 new tennis courts are approved

The US says a call for a twenty-one day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was coordinated with Israel, despite its government's apparent rejection of the proposal. We get reaction and hear about people fleeing from Lebanon to Syria.

In Washington, Volodymir Zelensky presents his plan for victory in Ukraine's war with Russia.

And Baroness Sayeeda Warsi resigns from the Conservative Party in the House of Lords, saying the party has moved to the far right.

The head of Israel's armed forces has told IDF soldiers to "prepare yourselves" for a possible ground offensive into Lebanon. Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said air strikes by Israeli jets are "preparing the ground for your possible entry".

The Prime Ministers says people claiming long-term sickness benefit should be looking for work. How hard is it to re-enter the job market after an illness?

And former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove has been appointed as the new editor of right-wing magazine The Spectator.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told British nationals in Lebanon "now is the time to leave" as Israeli air strikes targeting Hezbollah continue. An additional 700 UK military personnel are being flown to Cyprus tonight, joining 500 who were sent earlier this year. Meanwhile thousands of Lebanese civilians are fleeing the country's south and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel.

Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken at the United Nations Security Council saying "Russia can only be forced into peace."

And a sound designer in LA has developed a new way to start marathons that avoids the sound of a gunshot.

Officials in Lebanon say almost 500 people have been killed and more than 1,600 injured, after a wave of Israeli airstrikes in the south of the country. It's been the deadliest day of conflict across the border in nearly two decades. We speak to the Lebanese health minister, Firass Abiad, who says thousands of people are fleeing their homes and heading north to escape the bombardment.

Also in the programme: We look ahead to Sir Keir Starmer's speech at the Labour Conference in Liverpool; and the tensions over the government's policy towards Israel.

The UN Security Council is meeting to discuss the crisis in the Middle East as fears mount of a much wider war. We speak live to the UK's former ambassador to the UN to ask does diplomacy stand a chance - or is it too late for the wider world to prevent a dangerous escalation?

Also on the programme:

As fresh allegations against former Harrods boss Mohammed Al Fayed emerge we ask the barrister representing dozens of women who've accused the late billionaire of sexual assault how they can get justice.

And the singer Peter Gabriel on uncovering long-lost music by the Qawalli megastar Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, says bomb attacks using thousands of the Lebanese armed group's pagers and radios "crossed all red lines", and accused Israel of what he said represented a declaration of war. As he was speaking, Israeli jets flew in the skies over Beirut and later bombed many locations in southern Lebanon. Israel says it has approved battle plans for its northern front.

Sir Keir Starmer insists he is "completely in control" amid a spate of off-the-record briefing over the salary of his chief of staff Sue Gray. The Prime Minister also defended his decision to accept corporate hospitality from Arsenal football club, saying he could no longer use his season ticket as prime minister.

And the man who co-founded the BBC's Natural History Unit, Tony Soper, has died at the age of 95.